Maribel’s Year

A celebration of the special connection between father and daughter that knows no bounds, this evocative, lyrical picture book from author Michelle Sterling and artist Sarah Gonzales recounts the year a little girl and her mother spend in America while waiting for her father to join them from the Philippines.

New country, new school, new friends.

A lot can happen in a single year. But one thing’s for certain: Maribel won’t forget her Papa, even when he’s eight-thousand miles away in the Philippines.

After all, Papa is all around. He is the memory of feeding koi fish in their pond every morning. He is the constellation map as Maribel dreams of showing him her new world. He is the packages and letters sent back and forth.

He is everywhere except the place he’s wanted the most. But the bond between Maribel and Papa transcends oceans. So as the snow melts and turns to rain, as flowers blossom and welcome sun-kissed days, and as the leaves start to change and snow begins to fall once more, can Maribel wait just a little bit longer?

Michelle Sterling is an author, photographer, and speech-language pathologist. Her first picture book, When Lola Visits, was illustrated by Aaron Asis. It received four starred reviews and was named a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and an ALSC Notable Children’s Book of the Year. Michelle lives with her family in Southern California

Sarah Gonzales is a Filipino illustrator who was born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Canada, and now lives in Montreal, Quebec. Since graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design, she has worked in games, editorial, and book illustration. Maribel’s Year is her first picture book and is inspired by her childhood memories.