When Esperanza and her family arrive in the United States from Cuba,
they buy a little house, una casita. It may be small, but they soon
prove that there's room enough to share with a whole community.
"It was a little house. Una casita . . .
It was small.
It smelled like old wet socks. . .
But even though they were far from home,
The family was together."
As Esperanza and her family settle into their new house, they all do
their part to make it a home, working multiple jobs and doing chores to
pitch in. When Mami's sister Conchita comes to stay with them, she helps
other families by taking care of their children during the day. Together
they turn the house into a place where other new immigrants can help one
another and feel accepted.
Esperanza is always the first to welcome them, making sure that la
casita offers a home for those who don't have a place to go. It's a safe
place in a new land.
Terry Catasus Jennings first came from Cuba to the U.S. in 1961, when
she was twelve years old. With Una Casita de Esperanza, she tells an
inspiring, semi-autobiographical story of how immigrants can help each
other find their footing in a new country.
An English edition, The Little House of Hope, is also available.
A Bank Street Best Children's Picture Book of the Year in Spanish
Una selección del Junior Library Guild
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year