Bright Star, a powerful, radiant picture book by Pura Belpré Award winner and Caldecott honoree Yuyi Morales (Dreamers), begins with an eager observation: "Child, you are awake!"
A doe sees that her fawn, curled up on the soft desert ground and surrounded by plants, has opened her eyes. After allowing the fawn to wake gently--"Breathe in, then breathe out, hermosa creatura"--the mother coaxes her babe into getting ready for the day as if it's a celebration: "You are ALIVE! You are a bright star inside our hearts." Then, with a cry of "Vámonos!" they are ready to go. The pair walk through the desert and on every page, new animals join them--quails, insects, rabbits, reptiles, even hogs. The passage turns dangerous as they reach a cement wall topped with barbed wire--a wall that impedes the migration patterns of many animals. The soft earth tones and golds of the day are traded for marbled grays with cool splashes of a starry sky. Despite this impasse, there is a reminder that "You are not alone. Listen...." And though the predatory animals (a jaguar, a snake) have come out, they are there to protect the animals who can't protect themselves. Flowers, bats, moths, and rain fill the page in a nighttime reverie that contrasts with the jagged sight of the barrier wall looming in the distance.
Morales pairs sparse but evocative language with dream-like illustrations made with acrylic paint on paper, photographed textures, digital painting, weaving and embroidery. Every sentence is an encouraging caress and reminder to children that "we"--loved ones, caretakers, allies--"are here to protect you." The final double-page spread featuring the fawn shows her wide, innocent brown eyes; this is mirrored by the eyes of a child on the page turn. Morales states in an author's note to readers that she "made this book knowing that children everywhere, but especially migrant children at the borderlands, have experienced things that they should never have to endure."
Every page is filled with magnificent creatures, and Morales's use of light ignites the images with the warmth of the sun or the gentle glow of the moon. Despite the grueling metaphor of desert migration, and an allegory for human immigration, Morales's words have a susurrating effect that lets readers know there is a new day ahead. Bright Star is a marvel and a masterpiece, both a lullaby and a cry for survival. In her author's note, Morales details the many reasons why she was compelled to write this book (introducing readers to the Sonoran Desert, highlighting the damage done by the border wall), and she poses this question: "How do we care for one another when we are apart?" --Zoraida Córdova, author and freelance book reviewer
Shelf Talker: The migration pattern of desert animals is disrupted by a border wall in this beautifully illustrated, graceful allegory for immigration.