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Islandborn Hardcover – Illustrated, March 13, 2018

by Junot Díaz (Author), Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 1,251 ratings
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From New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz comes a debut picture book about the magic of memory and the infinite power of the imagination.

A 2019 Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration
 
Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else.
Hers was a school of faraway places.
 
So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island.  As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.”
 
Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination's boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves.
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  1. Reading age
    2 - 8 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    48 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Kindergarten - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD600L
  6. Dimensions
    8.88 x 0.47 x 11.25 inches
  7. Publisher
    Dial Books
  8. Publication date
    March 13, 2018
  9. ISBN-10
    0735229864
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0735229860
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3—When Ms. Obi asks her students to draw a picture of the country they are originally from, the children are excited. All except for Lola, "What if you left before you could start remembering?" As Lola talks to some of her neighbors from the Island to draw from their memories, she learns of bats as big as blankets; a love of music and dancing; coconut water and sweet mangoes. And an island where "Even the people are like a rainbow—every shade ever made." With a place so beautiful, Lola wonders, why did people leave? Reluctantly, Mr. Mir, the building superintendent, tells her of a Monster that fell upon their Island and did as he pleased for 30 years. Though never mentioned by name, the country in question is the Dominican Republic. The Monster refers to the dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo. Lola learns from her assignment that "Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you." Espinosa's gloriously vibrant mixed-media illustrations portray a thriving community living under the shadow of the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan. As Lola learns more about her Island, the illustrations cleverly incorporate a plethora of tropical plants and color, bringing to life both Lola's neighborhood and La Isla. Lola, a Spanish language edition, is ably translated by Mlawer and publishes simultaneously. VERDICT A sensitive and beautiful story of culture, identity, and belonging—a superb picture book outing for Díaz and one to be shared broadly in a variety of settings.—Lucia Acosta, Children's Literature Specialist, Princeton, NJ

Review

★ "With his tenacious, curious heroine and a voice that’s chatty, passionate, wise, and loving, Díaz entices readers to think about a fundamental human question: what does it mean to belong?"–Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ “A sensitive and beautiful story of culture, identity, and belonging—a superb picture book outing for Díaz and one to be shared broadly in a variety of settings.” –School Library Journal, starred review


★ “This important title will be enjoyed by young children and may spark many significant discussions.” –Booklist, starred review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dial Books; Illustrated edition (March 13, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0735229864
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735229860
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 - 8 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD600L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.88 x 0.47 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 1,251 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Junot Díaz

    Junot Díaz

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    Junot Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. He is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, PEN/Malamud Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and PEN/O. Henry Award. A graduate of Rutgers College, Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Leo Espinosa

    Leo Espinosa

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Leo Espinosa is an award-winning Illustrator and Designer from Bogotá, Colombia, whose work has been featured internationally in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows. His short list includes The New Yorker, The New York Times, the BBC, Random House, HarperCollins, Chronicle Books, Swatch, and Facebook.

    Leo's work has been recognized by The Society of Illustrators, American Illustration and Communication Arts. In 2019, he received the Pura Belpré Honor Book award for Islandborn. The New York Times bestselling children’s book was written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Junot Díaz.

    Most days you’ll find Leo illustrating picture books, unless he’s out riding his bike in the mountains around Salt Lake City, where he lives with his wife.

    Accolades

    Society of Illustrators 54, Gold Medal. 51, 52, 55, Silver Medal

    Communication Arts, Illustration, Design, and Typography Annuals

    Pictoplasma Character Encyclopaedia and Character Compendium

    3x3 Pro Show Gold in Editorial & Conceptual Illustration

    Society of Illustrators Stevan Dohanos Award 2012

    Society of Illustrators Dilys Evans Founder's Award for Picture Books 2015

    Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration 2019

    Follow Leo on Instagram for his most recent work

    @studioespinosaworks

    www.studioespinosa.com

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
1,251 global ratings
Bursting with awesomeness
5 Stars
Bursting with awesomeness
My 3-year-old son loves this book hard even though it's targeted way above his age level. He likes Lola herself, every illustration that includes elements from the Island (which he insists on really taking the time to look over), the imaginative interpretations, and the creatures… even the Monster. (He imagines both being the Monster and being the heroes who defeat it, but mainly being it.) And he gets soooo excited about the last page of this book, where Lola opens up her sketchbook “and out burst[s] the Island.” This last page has all the elements we’ve learned about in Lola’s discussions, including of course the monster, and it’s colorful and magical.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kassandra Philogene
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully done!
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
The imagery in this book is so beautifully put together. It illustrates Lola's cultural background perfectly! Another perfect read aloud for a diversity unit in the kindergarten class.
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Janet Autherine
5.0 out of 5 stars Islandborn shares the beauty, diversity & complexity of island life
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2018
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"Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it is not in you."

As a mother of 3 boys, I love finding books for my sons with rich characters and a strong storyline that are relatable to our history. I am from Jamaica and moved to the United States at age 12. My boys were born here but surrounded by island culture. Islandborn by Junot Diaz is the kind of literary treasure that we love to discover.

Islandborn is about Lola's quest to understand her roots. She was born in the Dominican Republic but moved to the United States when she was a baby. She is part of a close-knit family that values their history so she grew up listening to the music, enjoying the great food and hearing some stories but she has no memory of her own experience there and doesn't fully understand why her relatives relocated. Islandborn is her story of discovery. The story builds from curiosity to discovery and takes the reader along for a delightful ride. It is a book that will capture the imagination of kids of all ages.

As an islander, I was thrilled to see that the complexity of island life (both the beauty and the struggle) was honored by Mr. Diaz. Although each island is diverse in its culture, there are a few things that we often share - our love for music and dancing, coconuts, mangoes, struggle, love of learning and the joy of community.

“Even the most beautiful places can attract a monster.”

Mr. Diaz accomplished a small miracle when it comes to writing for children - he was able to discuss an incredibly challenging time in the history of the Dominican Republic in language that is appropriate for young children. Readers understand the story of the "monster" that caused Lola's older relatives to leave home without the need for a graphic telling of the story. Older children will be curious and will likely do additional research on the challenges that Lola's relatives faced.

The illustration by Leo Espinosa is captivating! Although Junot Diaz's story is brilliant, I found myself eagerly awaiting the art on the next page of the book. It creates a huge, welcoming window to Lola's life and her Dominican culture.

Islandborn feels precious. It is the kind of book that you want to read without damaging the pages because you want to pass it to every child and save it for the next generation. It is a book that deserves many awards and I look forward to following it's journey.
43 people found this helpful
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Book Case
5.0 out of 5 stars A Much-Needed Classic
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2018
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I bought this book because I had seen the author, Junot Diaz, interviewed by Christianne Amanpour on her program on PBS. In the interview, Diaz talked about the Dominican Republic and his family's history there. I was touched by his account of what the island's inhabitants had gone through during the 30 years of Trujillo's autocratic rule (1930-1962). Islandborn is about a young girl who learns about her origins in the DR by talking to her older relatives and friends about their memories of the island. Then she makes an amazing book about what she has learned and submits it as a class project. What a great idea for any young person whose family has come here from another country. But the thing I really admired was the way Diaz handled the Trujillo years. He talked about the beauty and happiness of life on the island until they were visited by a monster (not named but we know who he's talking about). Then he says that very brave women and men (in that order) eventually stood up to the monster and it went away. Its never too early to learn that lesson. Especially now. Incidentally, Diaz recently wrote an amazing essay for 4/16/18 issue of The New Yorker (The Silence: The Legacy of Childhood Trauma) about his own experience as a child with sexual abuse. I couldn't recommend it highly enough. It is a heart-wrenching read that must have taken enormous courage to write so many years later. It is obvious he knows all about facing down monsters. You will not soon forget Islandborn - or his New Yorker article.
12 people found this helpful
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Shweet Sandi
5.0 out of 5 stars Bright Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020
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Zoe & I read books together every day after school. She brings many home from school but we also order 2 books each month from Amazon to tease her reading level since she is dyslexic. I saw this book on her teacher's shelve the first day of school and so we ordered it right away. But Zoe waited to read it until she felt comfortable enough to try the words herself. Our only negatives in the book are the size of the text font and the color of the lettering itself make it difficult at times for those of us who have reading differences to pick up and just read the text. I am an adult with dyslexia and I struggled with the tiny white font. We love the bring illustrations on each page. While no where in the book does our author actually tell us what island is referred to in the book, we had fun guessing and then actually learning the nationality of the author. It is wonderful to find books that showcase people that look like my granddaughter and I am looking for more from author Junot Diaz and other Latinx authors.
14 people found this helpful
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Leddy
5.0 out of 5 stars It brought tears to my eyes
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2018
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I was very excited when I learned that Junot Diaz was writing a children’s book. As a Dominican and a woman of color, I grew up with little to no representation in media.
Seeing this book, actually holding it in my hands, looking at Lola, her neighborhood, the people in her community, it made me tear up.

I held in my hand what I didn’t even realize I was missing from my childhood. How I would’ve loved to have discovered Lola’s story when I was her age, but I’m just happy that my kids, my nieces & nephews, will all experience the joy of seeing themselves represented in a story like this.

Diaz did an incredible job with the story. The way Trujillo was worked in was artistically perfect. If you would’ve asked me if I could work a sadistic dictator into a kid’s picture book story, I would’ve laughed because, no.

I hope this book is just the first of many to come. It’s the perfect way to get kids asking questions about the history of other countries.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Tim Osborne
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting for my 3 year old granddaughter colourful and a nice long bedtime read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
Lovely illustrations
Granddaughter loves having it read to her at bedtime and discusses lots of the concepts it opens up for a 3 year old
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Victoria
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in Mexico on November 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Wow... what an amazing book! It made me feel all Lola felt while trying to find out about The Island. Beautiful illustrations that pair perfectly with the words!
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BIGsh
5.0 out of 5 stars Top 5 book in my house
Reviewed in Canada on February 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
Top 5 book in my house. The writing is crisp and real. it’s funny. there are many little characters that, with the artwork, feel well developed. and the artwork — really fantastic. highly recommend.
2 people found this helpful
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Anonyme
5.0 out of 5 stars Super!
Reviewed in France on June 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
J’ai acheté ce livre pour mon enfant (2 ans) et j’ai aimé la qualité des illustrations(à feuilleter avec elle par précaution, car il ne s’agit pas d’un livre entièrement cartonné). L’histoire est belle, je recommande!(Et aussi livraison rapide et soignée(emballage carton+papier bulle)merci!)
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Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2021
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My daughter loves this book
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