My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow

In this deceptively simple picture book, a child waits by a closed door, anticipating the arrival of an uncle, a visitor who never comes. The illustrations are simple black line drawings on a plain white background, each depicting the child who waits on a wooden bench, watching the door, thinking cheerfully about all the important events in his life that he is looking forward to sharing with his uncle. Time passes with each page, and gradually the child ages from youth to adulthood to old age, always waiting patiently by a door that never opens. By the end of the book, the bench is empty, and the final page bears the dedication “This book is for those who, because of forced disappearances, were never able to come.”

The picture book is definitely for older readers, despite its superficial simplicity and minimal text. In a few starkly illustrated pages, the book captures the optimism, enduring love, and enduring hope of those who wait, sometimes for a lifetime. The conclusion evokes powerful emotion, and young readers will need both context and guidance to understand and appreciate the message.

Fortunately, the afterword by Patsy Aldana provides this context, explaining in a few concise paragraphs the history of forced disappearances not just in South America but around the world: “Throughout history people have disappeared. Their unexplained absence leaves a searing pain in those left behind. They never know what happened to their loved one, whether it be a father or mother, a son or daughter, or a friend.” Aldana goes on to outline the modern history of such disappearances as an instrument of systematic political oppression and concludes with a challenge to the reader: “The forced disappearance of people is a crime against humanity. Let us inform ourselves about where and when this crime is taking place and insist that no child ever again has to wait his or her whole life for an uncle who never comes.” Sharing this picture book with young readers provides parents, teachers, and caregivers a profound opportunity for discussion and learning about this aspect of social justice.

Created by Argentinian author and artist Sebastián Santana Camargo and originally published in Argentina in 2014 as Mañana viene mi tío, this English-language version has been translated by Toronto-based Elisa Amado. The original Spanish publication was awarded the Grand Prize of ALIJA (IBBY Argentina) and ALIJA’s prize for the best picture book of 2014.

Note: This title is also available in a bilingual version: My Uncle is Coming Tomorrow = Mañana viene mi tío (ISBN 9781771649247)