Great Read: “Islandborn” By Junot Diaz

cover of xchildren's book Islandborn by Junot Diaz

Beloved author (not to mention Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur fellow) Junot Díaz has entered the children’s lit arena this month with a delightful new book called Islandborn (with illustrations by Leo Espinoza), which explores diversity and imagination through the eyes of a girl named Lola living in Washington Heights.

After her teacher asks students to draw a picture of the places where their families immigrated from, Lola struggles to remember The Island she left as a baby. With help from loved ones and her imagination, Lola journeys back to The Island. “On the face Islandborn tells of a girl’s journey of discovery,” Díaz says. “But it’s also a celebration of the kind of imaginaries that we immigrants have often needed to make homes for ourselves where previously there were none.”

To learn more, visit penguin.com!