Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando
by
Claudia Guadalupe Martínez ,Luis Humberto Crosthwaite
illustrated by
Magdalena Mora
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Lee & Low Books
Imprint
Children's Book Press
ISBN
9780892394340
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Xenophobia
Faced with the prospect of being separated from each other, a young boy and his family make the difficult decision to leave their home and begin a journey filled with uncertainty. On the road, they meet other people like them. Families with deep roots tied to the land. Others that helped build the railroads. Some were shop owners and factory workers. Each with similar hopes and dreams.
Historians estimate that between 1930 and 1940, two million people living in the United States were forcibly removed and sent to live in Mexico. Telling this story from a child's perspective, award-winning author Claudia Guadalupe Martínez lyrically recounts this often-overlooked period of United States history--Mexican Repatriation. Emotive illustrations by Magdalena Mora convey this poignant tale of longing for home and permanence, which reflects many of the dreams and hopes of people today.
Author’s note. Full-color illustrations were rendered in gouache, ink, and digital mediums.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Discrimination: Xenophobia
Details
Format
Page Count
40
Dewey
E
AR
3.3: points 0.5
Genre
Fic
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Apr 2023
Book Genres
Picture Book
Topics
Emigration and immigration. Mexican Americans. Mexicans. Family life. Texas. Twentieth-century US history. Spanish language materials.
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Praise & Reviews
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
School Library Journal
Library Journal
Gr 3–5—Martínez offers a bilingual Spanish and English picture book about family repatriation to Mexico. In first person narrative style, a young American girl relates her journey to Mexico from her Texas house, the only home she has ever known. In a small car, a family of three that wants to stay together instead of facing separation says goodbye to the relatives it leaves behind. As the group drives past fields, it encounters other families on the road that were forced to leave from different cities. This hopeful narrative represents the main character's youthful reasoning while providing explicit information about the type of work migrant workers do. The art, rendered in gouache, ink, and digital media, uses a soft palette that navigates between clear and darker pastel colors. Detailed illustrations support the story and help readers understand the social complexities of this immigration tale. Although this picture book is inspired by the Mexican Repatriation of the first part of the 20th century during the Great Depression, the plot and illustrations portray a current scene familiar to present times. The English text relies on sporadic Spanglish, with a fluid Spanish translation that reads naturally. This book contains back matter with the author's notes referring to the Mexican Repatriation and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. VERDICT This is solid choice for classrooms wanting to discuss the U.S.'s family separation policies and a seemingly forgotten historical event. Recommended for picture book collections.—Kathia Ibacache
Grades 3-5
Spanish Elementary
For Grades 3-5
Inviting Spanish chapter books and nonfiction titles.
12 books per Year
$174.24 per Year
Interests
Chapter Books,Diversity,ESL,Fiction,Nonfiction
Grades 3-5
Spanish Elementary
12 books per Year
$174.24 per Year
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