In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border.
Starred review from August 1, 2017
Grades K-2 *Starred Review* Here, in its original Spanish, is Buitrago's poignant story of an unnamed young girl and her father immigrating to the U.S. from Central America. To help pass time, the young girl counts everything she sees: Un burrito aburrido, y cincuenta pajaros en el cielo. But complexities lie beyond the numbers, as the girl also notes the number of homeless people living near the train tracks, and foregoes enumerating the soldiers because there are simply too many. Buitrago's narrative and Yockteng's illustrations give elementary-age readers an insight into the dangerous journey many make in hopes of finding better opportunities in the U.S. While the young girl counts what she sees, the muted digital illustrations key the reader into other events, such as the pair's experiences on the train and the dad counting their remaining money, which leads to their stopping to find temporary work. This beautiful, understated story is extremely important right now; it will resonate with many and open the eyes of children unfamiliar with the experience of immigration.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)