"At recess the boy and his friend walk up to
me. I hold my breath. He comes close to me
and points at my braids.
"I told you she's weird," he says to his friend.
They laugh and whisper and laugh."
It's very hard for Aurelia to leave her Abuelita behind as she and her mami prepare for their move to Canada. Her grandmother gifts her a colorful blanket to take with her to remind her of her old home. Aurelia is happy with her new room, and her mom's agreement to paint the walls like a sunset. Sleep does not come easily as the young girl has her mind on the next day, and her new school. What will it be like to have so many new friends?
Her first impression of the school is a good one. It's bigger, and her teacher offers a desk beside a boy Aurelia hopes will be a friend. Unfortunately, that is not to be. He makes fun of her braids at recess, leaving Aurelia sad and anxious for recess to be over. After school, her mami promises a surprise. Home they race to paint her bedroom walls with all the colors of the 'sunsets back home'. If only Abuelita could see it, too.
That night, Aurelia shares her worries as her mother soothes her to sleep. Recess the following day is another endless time of being alone. That night, while wrapped in her blanket, she dreams of her grandmother's love. With a yearning for friendship, Aurelia takes the feeling left from her dream to school. Once again, no one plays with her. At home, her mother offers comfort, and the simple truth that making friends is not always easy. Poor Aurelia!
After another dream that offers family support to keep trying, Aurelia begins to notice that others are also lonely, as she is. When she notices another child alone at recess, Aurelia offers to share her blanket. It's the perfect way to begin a new friendship, one that helps make Aurelia feel more comfortable in her new home.
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