Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Bibliography

Morales, Y., & Sananes, A. (2019). Dreamers. Findaway World, LLC. ISBN 0823440559

Plot Summary

A mother and son leave their home of Mexico to journey to the United States. When they arrive, they discover a place, “Suspicious. Improbably. Unbelievable. Surprising.” It’s a place full of stories, the public library. It’s based on the actual journey that author Yuyi Morales made with her son. This story celebrates stories, love, and home in beautiful words and beautiful illustrations.  

Critical Analysis

Dreamers is the immigration story of a mother and her child. When they first leave the home they love, they are uncertain. The customs of this new place seem strange. There are moments where the characters unknowingly step outside these norms, such as when an illustration in the book features the characters swimming in a public fountain. Some illustrations show how some people purposefully make them feel unwelcome, like one that readers “speak English” in the clouds in the sky of an illustration of a cityscape. The illustrations include many intricate and colorful scenes like the one previously mentioned, but the characters are simple and faceless, as if they could be anyone with a similar story. 

The bulk of the story revolves around a discovery that the characters make in their new home, the public library. While initially unsure of it, the library becomes the place where they discover books of all kinds. In the detailed illustrations, one can see many hispanic books featured in the library’s displays, a nod to the importance of having books that honor the cultures of its patrons. In words the author states, “Books became our language. Books became our home. Books became our lives. We learned to read, to speak, to write, and to make our voices be heard.” 

The back of the book features a note from the author telling her story in prose. She describes the journey from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to El Paso, Texas that she and her two year old son made, and how libraries changed their lives. At the end, she lives readers with this message, “Now I have told you my story. What’s yours?”. This book is sure to delight for its words, for its pictures, and for its message of hope and books. 

Review Excerpts and Awards

Tomás Rivera Book Award, 2019

Pura Belpré Award, Illustrator Winner 2019

From School Library Journal: “This excellent memoir encapsulates the fears, hopes, and dreams that come along with immigrating to a new place and building a new life in an unfamiliar and often hostile landscape. A timely and much-needed selection.”

From Kirkus Reviews: “Based on her experience of leaving Mexico for the United States, Morales’ latest offers an immigrant’s tale steeped in hope, dreams, and love.... No word is unnecessary, each a deliberate steppingstone onto the next...A resplendent masterpiece.”

Connections

See this great resource from the Anti Defamation League for activities: https://www.adl.org/media/12244/download