Winner

The Dream Catcher
by Marcelo Verdad; illus. by the author
Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
5/24    9780316330664    $18.99
Spanish ed.  9780316566513    $8.99

Miguel and his abuelito wake early to work; the grandfather sells cold coconuts from a small, wheeled cart, and the boy sells dream catchers he makes, a craft that reminds him of his absent (perhaps deceased?) parents. The boy is saving up to buy an airplane, his dream. As they make their way through town selling their wares, they talk about what people might dream of. Some dreams are big, such as living in a castle or changing the world; others are smaller, such as having enough food. Miguel’s grandfather reiterates that “selling my cold coconuts next to you and seeing you smile is all I dream of. I like it here and now because we’re together.” There is a powerful interplay between the words and Verdad’s acrylic paint and digital collage illustrations, dominated by blocky shapes and crayon-like textures. This is most poignantly displayed when the grandfather tells Miguel that some people dream of seeing someone they miss as the boy gazes at two parents walking with their young child. Verdad shows artistic restraint, allowing the reader to intuit meaning and emotional depth by interpreting what this interaction and others like it mean. A moving story of appreciating what you have while still dreaming of a different future. JULIE HAKIM AZZAM

From the May/June 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Honor Books

A Maleta Full of Treasures
by Natalia Sylvester; illus. by Juana Medina
Primary    Dial    32 pp.
4/24    9780593462423    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593462430    $10.99
Spanish ed.  9780593697559    $18.99

REVIEW TO COME

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
by Ismée Williams; illus. by Tatiana Gardel
Primary    Roaring Brook    40 pp.
5/24    9781250848772    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781250383051    $11.99

In this moving picture book, a child and grandfather spend time together near the ocean and through the four seasons. The child listens to stories of life near a different beach, in Havana, Cuba, where Abuelo grew up. Memories are all that Abuelo has from his beloved home country; when the grandchild asks to see swimming medals that he won there, he says, “I left them behind. I do not even have pictures.” But the pair still enjoys the temperate beach outside Abuelo’s new home, stopping for creamsicles instead of guayaba ice cream and experiencing snow and icy winter storms rather than hurricanes. Warm watercolor-esque digital illustrations guide readers through the oceanside seasons, blending in symbols of tropical island memories: marlins and dolphins in the clouds, palm trees in Abuelo’s eyes. The child worries that Abuelo is sad when he thinks about Cuba, and though he is, he assures the child, “But I still have the ocean…Most importantly, I have you.” A gentle text that offers a nuanced and relatable perspective on the bittersweetness of remembering a faraway home and that celebrates the relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Appended author and illustrator notes express heartfelt personal connections. MONICA DE LOS REYES

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Read reviews of the 2025 Pura Belpré Author Awards here and of the 2025 Pura Belpré YA Awards here. For more, click on the tag ALA LibLearnX 2025.