Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

 Morales, Y. (2018). Dreamers (Y. Morales, Illus.). Neal Porter Books

            This is a book about an immigrant mother and son finding comfort in a strange new world at their local library. The language used to tell the story is beautiful poetry that utilizes Spanish words to keep the culture present. The Spanish vocabulary is not confusing and is often presented with context clues that can help the reader decipher their meaning. For instance, in the lines, “You and I became caminantes. Thousands and thousands of steps we took around this land, until the day we found…” the Spanish word is “caminantes” meaning walkers. This can be understood by the reader even if they don’t know any Spanish because of the sentence that follows and the illustration that surrounds these words. The sentence following the Spanish word implies that they are walking a lot which would make them walkers. The image shows the two walking down the street with many footprints behind them showing how much they have walked in this new world. Everything is being provided to the reader to allow them to understand the bits of another language without it becoming difficult or breaking the flow by including a direct definition.

            To support the beautiful language of the poem, Morales uses beautiful art in mixed media form. There are so many different textures and images to look at that at times it can feel overwhelming. This id not a detriment to the book, however, because it presents a similar feeling to how this mother and son must feel looking at a new world. They are presented with so many new things at once as well which can feel overwhelming for them. Morales also makes sure to include culture in the illustrations as well. Little details within the images shine a light on Hispanic culture like the objects spilling out of the backpack at the beginning of the book. She also includes photos of objects from her hometown and swatches of traditional Mexican fabrics. Many of the textures and images have a connection to the culture they come from ensuring that it doesn’t get lost as they traverse the new world.

            Finally, there is a literacy promotion happening in one of the best ways during the second half of the book once they find the library. Almost every page following this discovery has images of actual books that inspired and taught Morales, many the reader can probably identify as well. This provides something for the child to interact with while reading. They can find the covers of the books they know or maybe become intrigued by a new one. It provides a sense of connection for any reader to share, no matter if they can relate to the immigration theme or not. Most people have had a favorite book that they found comfort in in their lives.