How do you make a new place into your home? This is a story about family—and a celebration of what immigrants bring with them when they come to a new country and make it their home. This book also includes a short essay about the author’s own experience, the books that inspire her, and a description of the images, textures, and mementos she used to create this book.

               Watch the Virtual Storytime                Purchase a copy of the book

Done with the read aloud? Use these ideas to continue the conversation with your child. 

• The characters in this book have had to move and make their home in a new place. How did they feel? 
• Have you felt this way before? What made you feel this way? 
• Just like the library made the characters in this book feel better, what made you feel better?  

Things to learn from this book 

The Spanish words in this book include amor, adiós, corazón, migrantes, estación, sí se puede, caminantes, lucha, soñadores. Some words are next to their English translation, such as, “Amor—Love—Amor.” Others are on signs or embedded in the art and belong together like, “Sí se puede.” 

Just as Yuyi and her son had to figure out meanings from context and pictures, have your child try to translate the words using the context, pictures, and how the words make them feel. — Activity idea borrowed and adapted from The Holiday House.

Try this!  

• Make your own book, complete with an original story and illustrations. 

          English           Spanish

• Make a list of your favorite books and what you love about them. 

          English            Spanish

Other ideas 

• Watch 

Here’s a video of author Yuyi Morales discussing the experiences that led her to write Dreamers. Here’s another video where she talks about how she created the beautiful art in this book. 

• Learn & Draw

Beginning on the second spread, Yuyi talks about Monarch butterflies throughout the book. Check out this article from National Geographic Kids to learn more about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly. Once you have learned about the life cycle of the butterfly, help your child draw and color the life cycle of a butterfly. 

When you purchase a children’s book using the Bookshop.org links above, Tandem will receive 10% of each sale as a donation, and each Bookshop.org purchase financially supports local, independent booksellers. For more titles, please view our Tandem book recommendation list that includes children’s book titles vetted for quality and representation of diverse families.

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