Dream for the land

Gr 1--4--At dawn, a girl joins her pá and má to tend their beloved farm on land that has been part of their family for generations. The girl notices the different animals and crops that exist in their land, but also the dryness and dying batch of vegetables. Sadness takes over the family as they see the impact of drought on their livelihood and the once fertile and verdant land. When the girl finds a horned toad, her family believes she is filled with luck, and the girl uses the opportunity to wish for rain and dreams for a land like it used to be. The illustrations and endpapers transport readers to the southwestern landscapes of the United States; the author's note enhances the story by connecting the girl's dreams with the ongoing struggles of climate change, environmental justice movements, and how natural disasters become human disasters. VERDICT A book that motivates young readers to learn more about tending the land, growing food, and the impact of human overdevelopment on the environment.--Sujei Lugo

During an unassailable drought, a young girl wishes for rain. The child and her father survey their farm amid the hush of dawn. Spotting hungry critters among the rows of squash, tomatoes, and poblanos, the girl rushes ahead to shoo them away, Pá at her heels. When Pá notices a horned toad, he scoops it up and kisses its wee head. "Eww!" the child replies. "Then you make a wish," says Pá, "and let them go." Má laughs, and the three farmers toil through the morning, caring for crops that have withered under the oppressive might of a long drought. The land was once "as green as jewels," back when Great-Grandpa tilled it; it was nourished "by a cobalt river" that's since vanished. As Má hopes for rain clouds, Pá hangs his head. The girl, however, moves forward, searching for a horned toad's much-needed magic. She returns to her parents with a wish for an earth that could exist free from those who seek to exploit it. Kemp's pensive, elegiac tale unpacks the hard-earned minutiae of a farming family's everyday lives, as well as the encroaching consequences of human-fueled climate change, told from a young girl's compelling, vivid perspective. Each line mounts to a gradual call to action by the closing spread. Espinosa's striking pencil-etched artwork portrays arid earth, parched skies, and resilient brown-skinned people. The farming family is cued Latine. Tender, expressive, and important. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.