Dreamer Book Review

Dreamers by Yuri Morales 

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Genre: Fiction

Introduction and Justification:

          The Pura Belpre’ Award was created in 1996. It is presented annually to a Latino or Latina write and illustrator whose work celebrates Latino culture (Welcome to the Pura Belpre' Award home page!, 1999). In 2019 the book Dreamers was awarded the Pura Belpre Award. This book won the illustrator award. These beautiful, fanciful illustrations are full of colors and light. The book covers vibrant pictures draw the reader in.

Evaluation of book:

          Morales uses curved lines to tell her story. Most of her illustrations are curved and flowing. This shows a seamless transition through time. It also gives the read a sense of calm. Even when she is making mistakes you can see the curved edges encompassing her life. As they enter the library you can see the lines going in towards the desk.  The simple text is leading us to the checkout desk. Even as the dog is calling out you can see it follow the curve.

The vibrant colors in this book tell a story of hope. As the book begins the colors are more muted. As she finds the library brilliant hues of colors emerge. Everything becomes bright, and colorful. The brown backgrounds become pieces of papers waiting to be drawn on. These colors allow the reader to believe they are in a fantasy or dream. It mirrors the text which is aligns to a poem. The worse a sparse and told through the illustrations. Her fear of crossing the bridge to the hope that comes in a new land. Her bright skirt that symbolized rebirth. Her eyes looking to the light through the fog of uncertainty.

          The story is told in many textures. You can see the past and present, appear in textures. A repeating texture in the story is the skirt. This skirt it made of flames that seem to come from torn paper. As this skirt appears you can see her journey. It stands out like a phoenix being reborn from the flames. As she discovers and learn more different textures appear to layer the pictures. For example, the book seems three dimensional while the dog appears to be coming off the page. There is also a butterfly who is floating through the pages. This butterfly is smooth and is a symbol of hope. The butterfly is always appearing in the distance to the second to last page where you can see her writing. Where the hope has become reality. When reading the end pages, she describes how she made this book. It comes from different pieces of her past, and life that was scanned in, painted, drawn, photographed and made. Each texture has a story and a place in her life. Some of the pictures are even her sons’ drawings.

Response:

          Dreamers is the story about an immigrant coming to America and finding solace in books. A) She and her son enter the country through the El Paso border. In her hen pages she describes El Paso and what it was like to enter the city. This is the city that I am from. (b) My heart went out to her and her son. She came to the country not realizing she would never be able to go home. This feels wrong. Immigrants should not be forced to leave their families for forever when seeking a better life. She does an amazing job of showing her strength and persistence as she discovers a new world and way of life. (d) I feel that people who are anti-immigration should read this book. It will give them a new perspective. This book is important for people to broaden their understanding and become more accepting.

Conclusion:

          This book mixes the serious issues with today with the fun and fluid illustrations of hope. Morales weaves a tale that everyone can relate to and empathize with. This story of hope is told through curved lines, vibrant colors, and textures. It can teach anyone to find a book, learn, discover, and to be successful.

Citation:

Alsc. (2019). Awards, Grants & Scholarship. Retrieved from Association for Library Service to Children : http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants

Morales, Y. (2018). Dreamers. Dong Guann City: holiday house.

Texas Library Association. (2019). Reading Lists. Retrieved from TLA Texas Library Association: https://txla.org/tools-resources/reading-lists/

Welcome to the Pura Belpre' Award home page! (1999, November 30). Retrieved from American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal

Williamson, O. M. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm