Skip to main content

SOÑADORA: THE ART OF YUYI MORALES

Image
By
One of my favorite things about our library are the exhibit spaces we have in The Attic and in the Anderson Art Gallery. Both spaces provide a great opportunity to visit a gallery for free and we are lucky to showcase some really incredible exhibits. Some of my favorite exhibits are when we bring in artwork done by children's book illustrators -- it is so cool to see all of the work that goes into putting a picture book together.

Starting September 7, our next exhibit will be SOÑADORA: THE ART OF YUYI MORALES featuring art from three-time Pura Belpré Award winning illustrator Yuyi Morales. If you know Yuyi's art then you are probably already as excited for this exhibit as I am. If you are less familiar with Yuyi's art, then you are certainly in for a treat. Here is a list of some of Yuyi Morales' most popular books so that you know what to look forward to!

By Yuyi Morales
New York: Neal Porter Books, 2018. Biography.

This is an autobiographical picture book about Yuyi Morales' experience as a Mexican immigrant in America. When she and her son first arrive in their strange new city, they are reluctant to speak a language they don't understand and unsure how to engage in a culture with foreign customs. But soon they discover a library filled with books and a gateway into a new world where they can find their voices. This Pura Belpré award winner is a masterful celebration of books, libraries, and imaginations filled with Yuyi's signature surrealist art.

This book is also available in Spanish as Soñadores.



By Yuyi Morales
New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2014. Biography.

This expressive biography introduces young readers to arguably the most famous Mexican artist with sparse text and multimedia illustrations. This Pura Belpré award winner and Caldecott Honor book is an emotional masterpiece that offers a dreamlike look into the mind of Frida Kahlo. This biography is emotionally very effective, thanks to Yuyi's one-of-a-kind illustrations. 

The sparse text in this book is done in bilingual English and Spanish.




By Yuyi Morales
New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2013. Picture book.

Little Lucha Libre champion Niño battles formidable opponents one-by-one in this perfectly campy picture book inspired by over the top theatrical Mexican wrestling. Niño has battled demons and bad guys one after the other, but is he ready for the most formidable opponent of all -- his little sisters? Morales' illustrations are perfectly matched to the tone of this fun book that begs to be read out loud. Saturated pages filled with exciting and dynamic action sequences are reminiscent of  comic books and vintage lucha posters.



Little Night
By Yuyi Morales
New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook Press, 2007. Picture book.

Because Yuyi Morales can really do it all, this last book is completely different in tone than her other books. In this fantastical bedtime story, Mother Sky helps her mischievous daughter Little Night get ready for bed, with a twist. Though all of Little Night's activities seem like normal bedtime stalling, we learn that nighttime is really Little Night's playtime. This sweet story is matched by resplendent illustrations made up of full-bleed pages in rich colors with a sprinkle of starlight. This is truly a magical and lovely book.

Also available in Spanish as Nochecita.

Be sure to visit The Attic starting September 7 to see more of Yuyi's art for yourself!





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

By
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall By Jasmine Warga New York: Harper, 2024. Fiction. 211 pages. A painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum and sixth-grader Rami Ahmed is worried he's the main suspect. His mother works at the museum as the lead custodian and Rami spends a lot of time hanging out at the museum while she works. On the day the painting went missing, the only people there were the security guard Ed, the cleaning crew, and Rami. Then, a mysterious girl appears in the museum. She floats around from room to room and only Rami can see her -- and she looks exactly like the girl from the missing painting. To prove his innocence and help figure out who the floating girl is, Rami partners up with an aspiring sleuth at school named Veda and the two dive into unexpected situations as they try to solve the mystery. This is a cozy mystery that is focused mostly on characters and ambiance and only a little on the mystery itself. Don't read this book if yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Amazing Generation

By
The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World Written by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price  Illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Informational. 226 pages.  In a kid-friendly adaptation of his best-selling book, The Anxious Generation , Jonathan Haidt teams up with Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone , to bring the power of good information directly to the hands of those that this issue affects most directly — kids on the cusp of getting their own smartphones. The book presents information about the drawbacks of having a smartphone and social media too soon in clear and easy-to-understand language, with eye-catching graphics and pop-outs. Throughout the book, quotes from real teens and young adults, called screen "rebels" by the authors, emphasize the points the authors are trying to make. Fictional characters are featured throughout in a graphic novel story, which further emphasizes the po...
Post a Comment
Read more