BOOK REVIEWS
“A book to be read and remembered: a tribute to children whose lives were lost to forces not of their own creation.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred )
“A book to be read and remembered: a tribute to children whose lives were lost to forces not of their own creation.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred )
“In this beautiful, haunting poetry collection—dedicated to the child victims of Pinochet’s Chilean regime, established in 1973—each of 33 poems focuses on one of the children: Alicia, who never celebrated another birthday but who could have loved balloons; Francisco, who loved to read; Jessica, Marcela, and Orlando, who enjoyed animals and insects. The short, heartbreaking poems bring to the surface the simple joys of life that these kids experienced for too brief a time, reflecting not only the many possibilities they were robbed of but also the acute way children have of noticing everything—the changes in a tree, the brightness of the sun, the different sounds raindrops make. At the end, the names and ages of all 33 children are listed, along with a poem dedicated to one child found alive. The soft, muted illustrations show the beauty of the world as seen through their eyes, tinged with the sadness of something lost, imploring readers never to allow children to go through this experience again.” — Booklist