Friday, January 4, 2019

PICTURE BOOK - Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Illustrated by the author
2018, Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, New York
HC $18.99
32 pgs.
Goodreads rating:  4.66 - 1130 ratings
My rating: 5
Endpapers: interesting....brown wall ?
Illustrations are gorgeous!  This is what she says:  "I painted with acrylics and drew on paper with ink and brushes and a nib-pen that once belonged to Maurice Sendak, given to me by Lynn Caponera.  
To give the book life, I photographed and scanned many things, including the floor of my studio; the comal where I grill my quesadillas; my childhood drawings kept by my mother; a chair; a brick from my house; old walls from the streets of Malinaleo;my hometown of Xalapa, and my house; a metal sheet; traditional Mexican fabrics; crepe, craft, and amate paper; leaves and plants from my garden; an old woven blouse; hand-painted pants I made for my son, Kelly; old wood; water in a bucket; jute twine; a trditional wool skirt from /'Chiapas; Kelly's childhood drawings; my first handmade book; embroidery; and more."

1st line/s:"I dreamed of you, then you appeared.  Together we became Amor - Love - Amor.  Resplendent life, you and I."

My comments:  Oo la la.  The book is simple, gorgeous, and meaningful, especially in this day of controversies surrounding immigration and immigrants themselves.  Her two-page explanation at the end is wonderful.  This is truly a special book.

Goodreads:  Caldecott Honor artist and five-time Pura Belpré Award winner Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story in this picture-book tribute to the transformative power of hope . . . and reading. An instant New York Times bestseller!
          In 1994, Yuyi Morales left her home in Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.
          She brought her strength, her work, her passion, her hopes and dreams...and her stories. Caldecott Honor artist and five-time Pura Belpré winner Yuyi Morales's gorgeous new picture book Dreamers is about making a home in a new place. Yuyi and her son Kelly's passage was not easy, and Yuyi spoke no English whatsoever at the time. But together, they found an unexpected, unbelievable place: the public library. There, book by book, they untangled the language of this strange new land, and learned to make their home within it.
          Dreamers is a celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Beautiful and powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamersbecomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
          The lyrical text is complemented by sumptuously detailed illustrations, rich in symbolism. Also included are a brief autobiographical essay about Yuyi's own experience, a list of books that inspired her (and still do), and a description of the beautiful images, textures, and mementos she used to create this book.
          A parallel Spanish-language edition, Soñadores, is also available

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