Poems to Dream Together/Poemas para soñar juntos

Review
By School Librarian's Workshop

Having lived in Mexico and America, Francisco X. Alarcon says ‘California is a big dream come true’ for his family. The seventeen poems for elementary students in both English and Spanish reflect his own experiences and views as well as the dreams of children with whom he has worked. He explains ‘Adobes,’ among the oldest remaining homes in New Mexico, ‘ . . . like people . . . require/lots of/attention/and love’ and discusses the joy of growing things in the ‘Family garden’ where ‘Abuelita keeps/her mint herbs/in a small plot’ and the ‘Blessed Hands’ of farm workers who harvest fruits ‘in the fields/despite heat/rain or cold.’ He suggests ‘For Better Dreams’ you should ‘lie down in the open/and let your eyes do the exploring’ and considers ‘Dreaming Up the Future’ by envisioning ourselves in twenty years noting that ‘the best way for making/our dreams come true/is to dream on and on.’ Paula Barragan’s bold and bright illustrations fill the pages reflecting the culture of Mexican Americans.