A little girl holds lessons learned in her grandfather's sari-sari
store close while adjusting to a new home in this sweet picture book
about the joy of community, connection, and Filipino culture.
For one girl, summers used to mean helping Lolo run his sari-sari store,
which was always brimming with goods for the neighborhood: shampoo
packets for Ate Jane, rice and eggs for Tonton, and a sympathetic ear
for anyone who needed it. "Sari-sari means a good variety--just look
around and you'll see. What help can you give your community?" Lolo
would say, as he filled his shelves with what people would need.
Now that she's far from the Philippines, she misses Lolo and the
friendly faces that surrounded his sari-sari store. But when she
remembers her grandfather's words, her heart keeps Lolo close, and she
starts to see opportunities for connection and community in her new
home.