Niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile

Through short poems, Ferrada (Mexique: A Refugee Story from the Spanish Civil War) honors the memories of the 34 children who were among the victims of General Pinochet's 17-year regime in Chile, which began in 1973. Many of the poems, each titled with one child's name, imagine an encounter with a small, precious part of nature: seasons, a bird, the moon's reflection in a glass of water. A poem titled "Jessica" starts, "She devoted that day to watching the ants," which parade, carrying crumbs, across a table. Jessica crumbles bread for them and leaves a tiny note with it: "A gift, for next winter." Multimedia drawings in muted shades by Valdez flash with the occasional spark of yellow, as in the poem in which a child named Susana watches a town's lights turn off: "It's like watching sunsets/ lightning bugs/ tiny lighthouses." Dedicated to "the memory that helps us defeat monsters," the childhoods that Ferrada imagines for these young victims of violence--childhoods in which nothing bad happens, and there's enough time for each to do whatever they like--feel both poignant and haunting. Ages 7-up. (Mar.)

Gr 3 Up--On September 11, 1973, a military coup in Chile led to a 17-year dictatorship. A haunting introduction explains that 3,197 people were killed during this time and 34 were children under the age of 14. Ferrada and Valdez provide an homage to childhood and life that gives a voice to the deceased children. Each poem is titled with the name of a child who was killed during General Pinochet's regime, and every child's full name and age are listed in the back matter. Ferrada's language and choice of form--free verse translated from the original Spanish--flows well and captures the personalities of the featured children. Poems for the children who died very young are sweet and short. For example, five-month-old Raúl liked the sound of his mother calling him "little bird." The natural world is a common thread, enhancing the sense of wonder, curiosity, creativity, and inventiveness of childhood. The repetition of the theme also connects the experiences of these children to those around the world. The mixed-media art uses watercolor, pastel, charcoal, and colored pencils to create a soft and dreamlike palette. White space is incorporated well and allows the poems to shine. VERDICT A heartfelt volume emphasizing innocence in the face of continuing political violence, this #OwnVoices work is a must-purchase for poetry collections serving young patrons.--Rachel Zuffa, Case H.S., Racine, WI