Finding My Wave

In Katona and Palacios’s story of emotional attunement, an intergenerational surfing expedition sees a youth face their anxieties. First-person narration describes a Latinx-cued child and Abuelita’s process of preparing to get into the water, as well as the mechanics of catching and riding a wave. Throughout, the protagonist expresses a deep self-awareness, with early text describing the way their anxiety physically feels (“My stomach spins and tumbles, like seaweed in a wave”). As they watch sets of waves roll in, Abuelita’s advice reassures (“Become friends with your fears, and they turn into courage”), and centering breathwork around an approaching wave gives the budding surfer the self-assurance necessary to “POP to my feet!” Employing acrylic, gouache, and digital techniques for a mottled texture, vignettes and full-page scenes visualize the character’s transformation. This work successfully conjures the way confidence crests through connection with one’s feelings. Ages 5–8. (May)