
The Other Side of the Garden
Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 3. March 2026
Book
Hardback
32 pages
978-1-6659-4706-0 (ISBN)
Description
A young girl learns to cope with her grandmother’s death when she discovers memories can help keep loved ones alive in this powerful picture book from Afro-Dominican storyteller Sili Recio and her daughter Elena.
A young girl and her mother visit her grandmother’s old garden, but things are different. A fence stands between them and Abuela’s old blue house, and when the young girl calls out to her, Abuela no longer answers.
With each visit to the garden, it becomes clear that Abuela won’t be coming back. All that’s left are memories of picking flowers, dancing in the wind, and running into Abuela’s warm embrace. Author Sili Recio and her daughter, Elena, draw on Elena’s own grief journey after her abuela’s passing to help young readers not only navigate loss, but also recognize that remembering loved ones who’ve gone means they never really leave us.
A young girl and her mother visit her grandmother’s old garden, but things are different. A fence stands between them and Abuela’s old blue house, and when the young girl calls out to her, Abuela no longer answers.
With each visit to the garden, it becomes clear that Abuela won’t be coming back. All that’s left are memories of picking flowers, dancing in the wind, and running into Abuela’s warm embrace. Author Sili Recio and her daughter, Elena, draw on Elena’s own grief journey after her abuela’s passing to help young readers not only navigate loss, but also recognize that remembering loved ones who’ve gone means they never really leave us.
More details
Language
English
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: Preschool, Interest Age: From 4 to 8 years
Product notice
Picture book
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 286 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
422 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6659-4706-0 (9781665947060)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Sili Recio | Elena Djome Lawrence
The Other Side of the Garden
E-Book
03/2026
Simon + Schuster LLC
€10.87
Available for download
Persons
Sili Recio has been calling herself a writer since she won a trophy in a poetry contest in the sixth grade. She is an Afro-Dominican storyteller, disruptor, and Mami. Sili earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Rollins College. She entered the world of social media via her blog in 2010 and has never looked back. Sili lives in Florida with her daughter, the Frog Princess, and tries not to pass on her love of café con leche to her child. She is failing. You can visit her at SiliRecio.com.