Islandborn

by Junot Díaz

Other authorsLeo Espinosa (Illustrator)

Hardcover, 2018

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

Children's Books

Publication

Dial Books (2018), Edition: Illustrated, 48 pages

Description

"Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland ... and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

When Lola's class, whose members all came to the United States from other countries, is given an assignment to draw a picture of their first home, the young Dominican-American girl is faced with a quandary. She was just a baby when her family left the Island, and she doesn't remember anything about

it. But as she questions family, friends and neighbors, she slowly builds up a picture of this place that is a part of her, even if she can't recall it...

A celebrated author of adult fiction, Dominican-American writer Junot Díaz makes his children's book debut with Islandborn, a poignant picture-book examination of the immigrant experience of one little girl and her wider community. I found the story quite moving, especially as different people shared their memories of the Island, both good and bad, with Lola. The sensory nature of many of those memories - sounds, tastes, physical experiences - gave the text an immediacy that was quite powerful, while Mr. Mir's story of the monster which plagued the Island - a reference to dictator Trujillo, perhaps? - gave it political depth. The accompanying artwork by Colombian illustrator Leo Espinosa was absolutely beautiful, with a lovely color range that suggested the tropics, and a creative blend of the here-and-now figures of Lola and her neighbors, and the imaginative ones representing their memories. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about how young first generation immigrants relate to their countries of origin, although potential readers should be aware that Islandborn is a little text-heavy for a picture-book.

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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian

Lola's class has an assignment to draw pictures of the countries they came from. The problem for Lola is that she immigrated from "the Island" when she was a baby and doesn't remember anything about her native country that she can draw. She asks questions of family and neighbors who recount

memories and descriptives and she learns that even if she doesn't remember the Island, the Island is in her. Here's another author of adult works who's seamlessly written for children. It's also a story layered with meaning and opportunities for conversation. Although the Dominican Republic is not named as the Island that Lola is from it will be inferred by adults with any familiarity with that country's history. There will need to be discussion about the "dreadful monster" who terrified the Island for 30 years according to Lola's neighbor Mr. Mir. It can be explained in context of other countries where leadership or war forces people to leave. The appealing illustrations literally sing with the bright tropical colors of the Island.

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LibraryThing member Lisa2013

This is a lovely book. It’s poetic, it has a lot of humor, and a more than a bit of sweetness/pathos. I particularly liked the humor throughout, in both the words and the pictures. I loved the many Spanish words, most with English translations. The art is spectacular, full of color and vibrancy.

Gorgeous! This is a perfect book for anyone who comes from elsewhere, or whose family does, and for everybody really since almost everyone knows some people who’ve rather recently come from other places. Great book for my part of the world, where so many children are immigrants or have parents who are immigrants. Every school and public library should have at least one copy of this book. It’s beautifully done. I want to reread it just to view the art again. I appreciate the photos of the author & the illustrator in their short bio sections on the inside back cover because I love it when book creators of children's books use photos of themselves when they were children! 4-1/2 stars

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LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini

"Mama's Nightingale" by Edwidge Danticat had more empowerment but this one has more surrealism so how you gonna choose?

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

Such an absolutely wonderful little book. Mia has a class assignment to draw her first home, but she was too young to remember the island. So she goes door to door asking friends and neighbors what it was like, and creating her place in its history. I love that the author never goes into detail

which island. I assume it is his birthplace, but maybe not. The story is about belonging, and always having a place. The illustrations are simply amazing.
#Readharder
#Booked2019 #indiginious

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LibraryThing member Sondosottallah

Lola is living in a diverse city were everyone there is from a different country. Lola is on a mission to find out what the Island that she lived on was like for a school assignment. She asks her tight knit neighborhood their memory of the Island. The Island lives on in Lola's heart as she is

surrounded by her community members who are a constant reminder of the beautiful Island.

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