The River Is My Ocean

A grandmother and granddaughter share a magical trip to the Hudson River affirming intergenerational love and the power of water in this heart-song of a picture book.

Every day, Abuela misses the ocean in Puerto Rico. But on Saturdays, when the sun is high, Abuela takes her granddaughter on a walk down the hill in Harlem to Twelfth Avenue, to a place that is just as magical: the Hudson River.

There, they visit Yamaya, mermaids that invoke child-like wonder and hold onto the memory of all who have passed through their waters. Together, Abuela, her granddaughter, and the spirits of ancient religion and familial love celebrate the river that brought millions of new Americans to its shores through the generations.