Lucero

Starred review from September 3, 2021

K-Gr 3-A young fawn is celebrated by her mother, encouraged to explore the world all around. As they walk through the desert together, they discover the plants and animals that are part of their world-butterflies, jaguars, bats, snakes, saguaros, and more. Their bright journey soon turns into one of panic and fear and just before being separated, the fawn's mother warns her to be careful and encourages her to speak out-to shout to the world when she is suffering-and reminds her that she is not alone. The last two spreads in the book reveal a parallel message -the fawn is a young girl now separated from her mother by a giant wall in the desert affecting animals, plants, and children. The suspenseful, poetic Spanish text is perfect for sharing with young readers. Lush illustrations depict the beautiful desert full of life, refreshing evening showers, fear and panic brought on by the appearance of the wall-but also, the possibilities and hope for a better future. VERDICT Beautiful and impactful, this is a must-have for Spanish collections.-Selenia Paz, Harris County P.L., Houston

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2021
Morales's (Dreamers, rev. 9/18) latest sensitive and evocative picture book opens with a wide-eyed whitetail fawn curled up in a creosote bush, guilelessly peeking up at the reader. Its mother is close by, and spare, tender language ("Breathe in / then breathe out / hermosa creatura") conveys a loving relationship between the two, as they set out among desert plants and flowers, passing a diversity of inhabitants -- roadrunners, quail, hummingbirds, butterflies -- that represent the ecosystem of the borderland setting. Embroidered text appears in differing sizes and colors emphasizing the words' meanings, from bold exclamations ("!Mira!") to a faint, nestled "Te amo." Slowly, a grayish plume emerges, alerting the creatures to danger, and precipitating the separation of the mother and fawn. As dust envelops the spreads, the threat becomes clear: a border wall. Though never mentioned in the text, the wall's harmful effects on the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert are illustrated and explained in the author's note. Thoughtfully layered images brimming with detail are given texture and perspective through the use of acrylics, digital painting, and photographic elements. A seamless transition ties in the poignant underlying analogy with the depiction of a group of migrant children whose clothes feature images and patterns of the animals appearing throughout the book. In a final, unfaltering affirmation, the titular message is conveyed once more: "You are a bright star inside our hearts." Concurrently published in Spanish as Lucero. Jessica Agudelo

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from September 1, 2021
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* Lucero (Bright Star, in the English-language version) allegorically represents the struggles of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border while also highlighting the habitat destruction caused by building walls. While desert landscapes are not often thought of as teeming with life, the beautiful, full-color illustrations in this book tell a different story, one of hundred-year old saguaro cactuses, busy animals and insects, and colorful plants, all of which face destruction or separation from the rest of their group thanks to border-wall construction. Within the eye-catching illustrations, readers will find turtles, moths, deer, hummingbirds, bats, snakes, quails, bobcats, and more. It's an effective picture book both for learning about the Sonoran Desert's many layers and ecological diversity and for emphasizing for younger readers the dangers of harsh divisions. For most of the book, the narrator appears to be a deer speaking to its new fawn, but a stunning turn in the closing pages reveals a much more poignant reality. Morales' evocative art extends to the endpapers, which feature images of woven fabric and hand-embroidered stars. With all the careful and lush attention to detail, this is a picture book worth coming back to over and again. Whether in English or Spanish, keep a space for it on the shelf.

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