Introduction:
A Crack in the Sea by H.M. Bouwman and Dreamers by Yuyi Morales are two books that discuss immigration in vastly different ways. A Crack in the Sea takes the reader on an adventure as we become more aware about slavery, Vietnam refugees and other social-political issues. Dreamers allows the reader to learn about a true Mexican immigration story from the author who experienced it. The characters in each story have hope as they work towards finding freedom, peace, and a home. Each story is unique in different ways, but each will allow the reader to develop empathy towards the characters and the real human beings that have lived through these difficult experiences.
Author: H.M. Bouwman
Illustrator: Yuko Shimizu
Copyright: 2017
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
"Walking like angels-like refugees, like survivors, like miracles given bodies. Walking on the water."
Synopsis:
A Crack in the Sea has several different story lines throughout the book. The story begins with a sister and a brother named Kinchen and Pip, who live on an island in a "second world". They live with their ancient adopted grandfather named Old Ren. When the people of the Islands are visited by the people that live on Raftworld, everything changes. The Raftworld King ends up kidnapping Pip because he has special powers that will help him in mysterious plan. As we continue to read through the book, we learn of Kinchen and Pip's ancestors who were slaves on a slave ship in the "first world" (our world). A brother and sister named Venus and Swimmer, who also have special powers, were heros as they led several drowning slaves into the second world. Another group of immigrants from Vietnam also find their way into the second world, as they are on their journey to freedom. As A Crack in the Sea ends, the reader discovers how each story connects and intertwines with one another.
What moral values and social political messages are dominant in the text?
There are several messages that are present in A Crack in the Sea. H.M. Bouwman is an extremely skilled writer that uses fantasy and fiction to bring several historical and present day issues to light. A social-political message that is dominant throughout the text, is immigration. The author discusses the history of slave ships and the horrific conditions that captured slaves had to endure. The author actually discusses a real slave ship story from 1781. Hundreds of slaves were thrown off the ship like they were trash. While our characters in the story were allowed to escape into a new world, the real slaves from the Zong had to face torture and death. Along with discussing African Slavery, Bouwman also discussed Vietnam immigration in the story. The reader learns of how Vietnamese refugees would flee their country on boats in hopes of finding refuge in a camp in another country. The author uses factual information throughout the story about refugees and immigration to make the reader more aware of issues in our history. Even though several of these issues are in the past, Racism is still present in our society. Bouwman makes sure to include several interracial friendships to show that people of different races should love and care for each other.
H.M. Bouwman also sends a message to readers about accepting others for their strengths and their weaknesses. There are several characters in the book that have special powers. My favorite character, Pip, has the power to speak to fish. Even though this is an awesome power and strength, he has a weakness that tends to hold him back. Pip does not have the ability to recognize people, which makes him feel socially awkward. Kinchen, Pip's sister, tries to hide her brother's weakness from everyone around them. Throughout the story, Pip works on overcoming his weakness and gaining more strength in his special power. We see characters like Pip throughout the story that may have a weakness in one area, but excel in another. I believe that this is such an important message for all readers (especially our kiddos) to understand. We all have aspects in our life that we struggle with, but we all have something special inside us. We should understand that the people around us may struggle in different areas, and that's okay. When we bring our strengths (and magical powers) together, we create something beautiful.
Author/Illustrator: Yuyi Morales
Copyright: 2018
Publisher: Holiday House Publishing, INC.
"Someday we will become something we haven't even yet imagined."
Synopsis
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales tells the inspiring true story of Yuyi and her son Kelly. They came to America as immigrants from Mexico in 1994. She tells their story of crossing a bridge into Texas to meet some of their family. She has intentions of going back to Mexico, but the US immigration rules prohibited this from happening. Yuyi and Kelly are stuck in a foreign land surrounded by unfamiliar faces and sounds. They eventually step foot into a library where she finds comfort and solace through books. The words and stories that are told through the books help Yuyi and her son find hope and peace in their new home. They learned "to read, to speak, to write, and to make their voices heard".
Cultural Insight
The Author's cultural insight in this book is what makes this text truly remarkable. The readers go on a journey with Yuyi and her son as they find their place in a strange new country. As an American, I am not fully aware of the struggles that immigrants and refugees have to go through to find freedom. Dreamers allows me to take a step back and make myself aware of the obstacles that immigrants like Yuyi and Kelly have to face. I personally can't imagine being forced to live and adapt to a country where everything is unfamiliar. Even though Yuyi faces severe struggles, she never loses hope. After reading Dreamers, I am more aware of what immigrants have to go through when they move to a new country. This book has inspired me to have hope through the darkest of situations, because there will always be light at the end.
Yuyi Morales won the 2019 Pura Belpre Illustration award! Please enjoy her reaction video above.