JULY 2021 - AudioFile
Author and narrator Areli Morales recounts her journey to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. As the story begins, 5-year-old Areli is happily living with her grandmother in Mexico. Her parents are working in the U.S, and she misses them enormously. Then, leaving all she has known, Areli joins her parents in New York City. While she is overjoyed to be in the U.S., making friends and learning a new language are extremely challenging. Not everyone is kind to her. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Areli prevails. Morales’s voice is full of emotion yet has a mature, serene quality. Young listeners will empathize with this brave DACA Dreamer and find her growth inspirational. A glossary at the end defines Spanish words and Mexican traditions. A.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
A confident, heartfelt story…. Powerful in its cleareyed optimism.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This beautifully illustrated picture book presents hardships that many undocumented children face when making the journey to America.... Highly recommended." —Booklist, starred review
“This book could be used in a social science class highlighting Areli’s capacity to adapt and thrive as she navigates her new environment. It contains an author’s note addressing the fragility of the DACA program and back matter with a glossary defining the Spanish language terms in the story…A moving biographical picture book.” —School Library Journal
School Library Journal
08/01/2021
Gr 1–3—DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient Morales's book is based on her journey from Pueblo, Mexico, to New York as an undocumented immigrant at the age of six. The story starts with Areli at her grandmother's house in Mexico, where she enjoys the company of her cousins and the delicious food. Every Sunday, she and her brother, Alex, expect a call from their parents who are already in the United States. Alex, who was born in the United States, will be joining his parents soon. Areli, however, will rely on a family friend she does not know to take her into the country. In New York, everything is bigger and faster and unfortunately, things are not better at school, where she does not know English and is humiliated by boys calling her "illegal" and "backward." The first-person primary-grade-friendly narrative style moves effortlessly including Spanish language terms interspersed with English, the main language of the book. The one-to-five line paragraphs are set in small black font accompanying the pastel illustrations. This book could be used in a social science class highlighting Areli's capacity to adapt and thrive as she navigates her new environment. It contains an author's note addressing the fragility of the DACA program and back matter with a glossary defining the Spanish language terms in the story. VERDICT A moving biographical picture book that would be a sensitive addition to the shelves of libraries, accompanying A Journey Toward Hope by Victor Hinojosa and Coert Voorhees.—Kathia Ibacache, Univ. of Colorado Boulder
JULY 2021 - AudioFile
Author and narrator Areli Morales recounts her journey to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant. As the story begins, 5-year-old Areli is happily living with her grandmother in Mexico. Her parents are working in the U.S, and she misses them enormously. Then, leaving all she has known, Areli joins her parents in New York City. While she is overjoyed to be in the U.S., making friends and learning a new language are extremely challenging. Not everyone is kind to her. Despite all the obstacles in her way, Areli prevails. Morales’s voice is full of emotion yet has a mature, serene quality. Young listeners will empathize with this brave DACA Dreamer and find her growth inspirational. A glossary at the end defines Spanish words and Mexican traditions. A.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-05-05
In her debut children’s book, a Dreamer recalls her journey from Mexico to New York and the subsequent reality of living as an undocumented immigrant.
Areli’s tale begins at Abuela’s house, where days brim “with family and sunshine,” delicious “mounds of tortillas and pollo con frijoles for supper,” and calls from Mamá and Papá from America. It’s an idyllic life, but it’s undercut when Areli’s big brother, Alex, born in America, returns to Nueva York, leaving Areli behind. Though Mamá and Papá work hard for “a better life,” the days pass—Areli’s birthday, Día de los Muertos, Navidad—with Areli separated from her family. Then one day Areli must leave Mexico and head to New York with a family friend. It’s a time of difficult goodbyes for Areli, and in the span of a few wordless pages, Areli’s in the midst of the “bigger and faster and noisier” bustle of New York, reunited with her family. In scene after scene of Areli’s life, Uribe’s colorful yet muted artwork depicts the young Dreamer’s voyage from Abuela’s house to America with a lovely sense of restrained appreciation. Morales, a DACA recipient, spins an admirable third-person memoir that deeply resonates thanks to keen details that conjure moods with a few choice words. Although Areli’s tale packs years of experiences in a tight 40-page picture book, the author maintains command of her readers’ attention by translating a life-disrupting migration into a confident, heartfelt story. Key highlights include Areli’s adjustment to life in America and an eye-opening trip to Ellis Island in the latter half of the book.
Powerful in its cleareyed optimism. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book/memoir. 4-8)
