Horn Book Review
Lolas school, in an unnamed U.S. city, is full of immigrants like her. For homework one day, Ms. Obi tasks her young students with drawing a picture of the country you are originally from. Lola has a problem: because she left the Island when she was a baby, she doesnt remember it. Fortunately, she can tap the memories of her family members and neighbors, all eager to helpexcept for elderly building superintendent Mr. Mir (Nobody cares about that old stuffJust be glad that you live here). When Mr. Mir finally agrees to speak with Lola, he relates something no one else has: that a monster fell upon our poor Island, terrorizing it for thirty years; the creature was defeated only when heroes rose up. That monster is the piece missing from Lolas until-now glossy portrait, and her drawing, which concludes the book, shows her homeland in its complexity: revelers, animals, and greenery share the two-page spread with activists smiting a fanged enemy. Although the island is likely a nod to the Dominican Republic, whence hails Pulitzer Prizewinner Daz (The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), the monster can stand in for any countrys political destabilization. Islandborn (concurrently published in Spanish as Lola), whose pages hustle and bustle with Espinosas vibrant illustrations of city and island life, is a welcome community and immigration story in which a young characters existential concerns stem not from being different but from losing what makes her so by diminished connection to the past. nell beram (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young girl's homework assignment unravels the history and beauty of her homeland.Lola and her classmates are assigned to draw pictures of their respective origin countries. With excitement, the others begin sharing what they will draw: pyramids, a long canal, a mongoose. Lola, concerned, doesn't remember what life was like on the Island, and so she recruits her whole neighborhood. There is Leticia, her cousin; Mrs. Bernard, who sells the crispy empanadas; Leticia's brother Jhonathan, a barber; her mother; her abuela; and their gruff building superintendent. With every description, Lola learns something new: about the Island's large bats, mangoes, colorful people, music and dancing everywhere, the beaches and sea life, and devastating hurricanes. Espinosa's fine, vibrant illustrations dress the story in colorful cacophony and play with texture (hair especially) as Lola conjures images of her homeland. While the story does not identify the Island by name, readers familiar with Daz's repertoire will instantly identify it as the Dominican Republic, a conclusion that's supported when the super recalls the Monster (Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo), and sharp-eyed readers should look at the magnets on Lola's refrigerator. Lola, Teresa Mlawer's translation, is just as poignant as the original.Together, Daz and Espinosa present an imaginative, purposeful narrative about identity and belonging. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
