Author Yuyi Morales, whose New York Times-bestseller picture-book memoir “Dreamers” is the focus of this year’s Little Read Lakeshore organized by Hope College, will discuss her career in writing and illustrating children’s books, her heritage, and the importance of fostering bilingual children during keynote presentations in both Holland and Muskegon on Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 13 and 14.
She will be featured during “An Evening with Yuyi Morales” on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Herrick District Library North Branch in Holland. The public is invited, and admission is free.
She will be featured during “Author Talk with Yuyi Morales: Tapas and Dreams / Etapas y Suenos” on Thursday, Nov. 14, at the Muskegon Museum of Art, with a happy-hour reception at 5:30 p.m. and her keynote presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free, although advance registration is required at madl.org/calendar. Overflow will be in the Hackley Public Library, where the keynote presentation will be livestreamed.
“Dreamers,” which is geared toward middle-elementary grades, is Morales’s memoir of making a new home in the United States. When she came to the U.S. in 1994 with her infant son, she left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn’t arrive empty-handed. “Dreamers” celebrates making your home with the things you always carry — your resilience, dreams, hopes and history — and navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. The book has been published in both English-language and Spanish-language editions.
Born in Mexico and raised among giant grandmothers, mossy house walls, and rampaging feral gardens, Morales fostered a strong bond with the magical stories that ran in her family. After migrating to the U.S., she struggled with English and loneliness in a culture foreign to her but found solace in public libraries, where she read children’s books with her infant son and discovered a renewed interest in stories and art.
She is now the author and illustrator of many books for children. She is a seven-time winner of the Pura Belpre Medal for an outstanding work of literature for children that best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. Other honors include the Americas Award, the Golden Kite Medal, the Christopher Award, the Jane Adams Award, and the Tomas Rivera Award. In 2015 she received the Caldecott Honor for her book “Viva Frida.”
Asked about her work, Morales has said, “I strive to capture the incredible beauty of the everyday forms using textures and colors as another way to reveal the heart of the story. I also pursue glow and luminosity with resolve. If I could ask for a talent, it would be to become a color genius.”
While in West Michigan, she will also be making presentations for school children in Holland and Muskegon.
Hope College’s Big Read, Middle Read, Little Read and Mini Read Lakeshore programs bring the community together around a common book each fall, using the shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen to and learn from each other. Presented in collaboration with 75 community partners including lakeshore libraries, non-profits, businesses, school districts and academic institutions, they involve thousands of readers along the Lakeshore each year.
Running throughout West Michigan from Monday, Oct. 28, through November, this year’s Big Read Lakeshore is featuring the 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the 2006 graphic novel “American Born Chinese,” by Gene Luen Yang. Running at the same time, the Middle Read Lakeshore is featuring “Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir,” by Pedro Martin, for upper-elementary and junior-high grades. The Mini Read for the youngest readers is focusing on the board book “Love: A Celebration of Mindfulness / El Amor: Una Celebracion de la Conciencia Plena,” by Katie Wilson.
The programs together are offering events for all ages, ranging from exhibitions and concerts, to lectures and book discussions, to outdoor adventures. The complete schedule is available online at bigreadlakeshore.com.
Dr. Deb Van Duinen, who is the Arnold and Esther Sonneveldt Professor of Education at Hope, founded the Big Read Lakeshore in 2014 and added the Little Read Lakeshore in 2017. The programs have engaged an estimated 20,000 people annually, including thousands of students from pre-school through college age in Ottawa, Allegan and Muskegon counties.
In May 2022, Michigan Humanities named the Big Read Lakeshore and Little Read Lakeshore the Statewide Community Partner of the Year for 2021. Also in 2022, the Big Read Lakeshore expanded its scope and reach to include Muskegon.
This year’s programs have received a $2,500 Bridging Grant from Michigan Humanities to support a visit to Holland and presentations on Nov. 13-14 by author Yuyi Morales. Herrick District Library received a $20,000 Humanities grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Herrick District Library’s North Branch is located at 155 Riley St. on Holland’s north side.
The Muskegon Museum of Arts is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in Muskegon. The Hackley Public Library is located at 316 W. Webster Ave. in Muskegon.