I'll Go and Come Back

Centering a tender grandparent-grandchild relationship, LaRocca (Where Three Oceans Meet) offers an endearing narrator in Jyoti. . . Warmly patterned and textured illustrations by Palacios (A Song of Frutas), rendered in gouache and acrylic and assembled digitally, further conjure the brown-skinned family and rich dual settings. A loving ode to intergenerational relationships and cultural exchange, beyond borders, years, and language barriers.


—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Based on LaRocca’s childhood experiences as an Indian American, the well-cadenced text tells a story of international, intergenerational love. Palacios’ digitally assembled illustrations, created with gouache and acrylic paints, are particularly effective in capturing the growing bond between grandmother and child. A vibrant picture book that reads aloud beautifully.
—Booklist

Jyoti and Sita Pati say “I will go and come back” when their visits end, never “Good-bye,” in a satisfying story told with great economy. Gouache and acrylic illustrations with the grainy effect of woodcuts and wonderful attention to textile patterns, exude the mutual delight between grandparent and grandchild. . . . A tender sharing of culture and empathy that bridges generations, and an essential purchase.
—School Library Journal

The tender relationship between a grandmother and a grandchild extends beyond distance and language. . . The simple yet heartfelt text makes excellent connections between the fun they have in India and in America. . . A loving depiction of familial connection between generations.
—Kirkus Reviews