Islandborn

By Junot Diaz, Leo Espinosa (illustrator),

Book cover of Islandborn

Book description

From New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz comes a debut picture book about the magic of memory and the infinite power of the imagination.

A 2019 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Illustration

Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else.
Hers was a school of…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Islandborn as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

When you love your homeland but must leave it, it’s a complex thing that can be difficult to explain to children. This book is incredibly helpful when it comes to explaining the more nuanced parts of immigration. Most importantly, it teaches kids to come together as part of a community to stand up against oppression, and that bravery can come in all shapes and forms.

The part that always makes me tear up is the line, “Even if I never stepped foot on the Island, it doesn’t matter. The Island is me.” I always start thinking about how we embody…

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