I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage

An inclusive collection of poets and artists pays homage to cultural and familial inheritance through a series of illustrated memories. Compiled by Hopkins, readers are treated to an intimate look into the childhoods of poets such as Naomi Shihab Nye and Kwame Alexander. Every work opens with a personal dictum from both poet and artist (“Painting is the voice that helps me share,” says Rafael López). And the following poems evoke an immediacy that connects readers with another’s memory—of travel, food, ritual, story—while drawing out readers’ own fond remembering (“When Abuelita visits/ time seems to stop,” writes Margarita Engle). The corresponding artwork demonstrates a wonderful range of visual language and technique; there is truly something for everyone in these pages. The index includes mini biographies and then-and-now photographs of the book’s contributors. A rich celebration of the cultures and moments that shape people. Ages 8–up. (Sept.)