Picture Book: Dreamers

 

Dreamers, Yuyi Morales. Neal Porter Books, Sept 2018. 40 pages, $18.99, 9780823440559.

    Dreamers, written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales, showcase the immigration story between a mother and her child, who find themselves in an unfamiliar country, facing misunderstanding due to their lack of knowledge of the American rules and language. The story also stress the importance of public libraries in helping immigrants learn English and connect to a new world and culture. Spanish words are occasionally used throughout the text to exhibit the character’s relationship to Mexico. However, the words are simple enough for children to infer the meaning through context. 

    The illustrations dominate this story and pair well with the limited narrative text. The art is textured, layered, and personal. They reference the author's Mexican heritage. She uses mixed media by combining drawings, paintings, embroidery, and Mexican patterns in her artwork. She also includes motifs of the painted dog, skulls, and an embroidered eye that would follow the mother and child. These personified creatures show their support for the immigration and literacy journey. She includes numerous images of the monarch butterfly, a symbol of immigration in Mexican culture. The mother and child will always carry their Mexican culture and identity wherever they go. The mixed media also gives the illustrations a surreal quality as the colors of turquoise, indigo, crimson, magenta, browns, grays, and greens pop and swirl around. 

    Morales also treats texts as embedded images within her illustrations. For example, in a spread that says, “Migrantes,/ you and I./ The sky and the land/ welcomed us in words/ unlike those of/ our ancestors,” the English language is a barrier between them and American society. Words like “say something,” “speak English,” and “what?” are illustrated like wisps of vague smoke in the wind. The fact the words backward adds to the confusing communication.  

   The back matter contains the author’s immigration story, which explains why illustrations dominate this book. While reading picture books, Yuyi Morales realized she could understand a story by looking at and analyzing the images. Perhaps she used her illustrations to celebrate the power of the image to extend, accompany, and show the textual narrative.