My uncle is coming tomorrow Mąana viene mi ̕to

Gr 3 Up--A young child is excited to learn that their uncle is coming for a visit. The protagonist sits on a chair staring at the door for an uncle who never comes. The years pass, and readers will note the passage of time based on what the child, then adult, is carrying on their lap, anxious to share it with their beloved relative. A soccer ball and their school grades at first, then a picture of a girl they like and then a son and a granddaughter, until the stool is left empty. The illustrations are bare. Only a line drawing with very few features represents the child sitting on a stool while facing the door. All of this is set against a completely white space. The character's expression never changes, as their excitement to see their beloved relative never wavers. Some discerning readers may understand as time passes, that the uncle has been possibly detained by something awful. A note at the end reveals that the uncle has been "disappeared" by an unknown sinister force. A subsequent editor's note gives historical context for the many horrible state-instituted disappearances of thousands of victims for political reasons, including countries and dictatorships backed by the United States. This story was inspired by the disappearances in South America between the 1960s and mid-1990s. Santana Camargo's spare writing and no-frills drawings evoke a level of starkness that is gut-punching and heartbreaking. VERDICT This picture book for older readers will need a good deal of scaffolding and context before tackling as part of a social studies curriculum. Still, a powerful work that is totally worth it.--Shelley M. Diaz