english
4-8 years
Moving
Dominican Identity & Culture
Immigration
Imagination
Community
Hannah Carmona & Anna Cunha
summary
Anita enjoys sitting on the roof and watching the dragons in the sky. Sure, some people call them airplanes…but they look like dragons to Anita. This stunningly beautiful book follows Anita as she goes from just watching the dragons to finding out she’ll be boarding one with her family to leave the Dominican Republic and moving to the United States. This book tenderly addresses all of the feelings that arise with moving, as well as the specific experience of leaving behind everything you’ve ever known for an entirely new country.
The social-emotional learning demonstrated in this book is beautiful. Fear is accepted, acknowledged, and Anita understands bravery isn’t the absence of fear. The illustrations, as I don’t have to tell you, are breathtaking and the muted color palette is the stuff dreams are made of. There’s no way a reader can go wrong with such an imaginative yet meaningful message, wrapped up in gorgeous packaging.
This book was published by Lantana and sent by Publisher Spotlight! All opinions and decision to review are my own. If you’re looking for a great blog post with the creators of this beautiful book, try this one!
Hannah Carmona
Hannah Carmona is a Latinx writer, actor, and director. Hannah’s previous titles include Dazzling Travis and Beautiful, Wonderful, Strong Little Me. Hannah is a mother of two, co-founder of Collective Art School of Tennessee, and a YouTuber. She lives in Tennessee.
Anna Cunha
Anna Cunha is an award-winning Brazilian artist who has illustrated more than 20 books. Her work has been shortlisted for the Jabuti Prize and received a Joao-de-Barro Prize honorable mention.