Will I love Dreamers?

A non-fiction picture book that reads like poetry, this gorgeous book describes the author’s own journey from Mexico to the U.S. with her young son. The illustrations are as poetic as the language, which infuses English with Spanish words, simple words with more challenging ones, and words of pain with those of pride, resilience, and creativity. The book explores not only the refugee’s journey, but also, and most especially, the challenges and small victories of integrating and trying to make a new life in a new land. I also love the central role that books, words, and libraries play in… show more.

Here the words and illustrations are one, the language flows into the pictures, and emerges page by page. Each is a lush invitation to remember, to play, to imagine and dream of the past and present. It commemorates the beauty of language and how generous stories can be to those who are looking for belonging in the world.

I like this book because it describes the journey of a mother and small child into a new country. Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes, and history. It's the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it's a promise that you can make better tomorrows.   

This lyrical picture book memoir celebrates libraries and the way they opened possibilities for Morales when she immigrated to the United States. The author’s note at the back gives all the details about what happened to Morales. Her distinctive art is luscious and full of tiny details to discover and savor. The book is also available in a Spanish language version, titled Soñadores. Morales’ sister, Magaly, illustrated my book.