"Calling the Doves" by Juan Felipe Herrera, is a gorgeous autobiographical picture book written in both English and Spanish. It has won many awards including the 1997 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. The book describes the life of the author when he was young and his family who were migrant workers. Each page eloquently and with rich, colorful illustrations paints a picture of what Felipe's daily life was like. We learn about how his mother cooked breakfast, we listen to his father call doves, and feel the beauty of his mother reciting poetry, "Rhyming words would pour out of her mouth and for a moment the world would stop spinning".
This book would be a wonderful addition to any class library as it gives a beautiful window into the lives of migrant families. The descriptive language would be a perfect example to use with upper elementary students.
Rachael - 4th/5th Teacher
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