Anita and the Dragons (Lantana Global Picture Books)

Hannah Carmona's lyrical text and Anna Cunha's soft, warm artwork show the emotions behind a little girl's journey to leave behind her home in the Dominican Republic to move to another country. This book does a great job of showcasing life in the Dominican Republic. Its themes of bravery, family, and home life are universal, and children will love the play on fairy tales. Beautiful, breathtaking book!

I don't know what's more beautiful, the words, the story, or the images.A beautiful story of a powerful journey, my son loves this book and I am recommending it to everyone with kids!

I received this book as a gift to my 1 year old biracial baby and I’m so happy that I did. This is my story!!! I lived Anita’s same fears and had to be just a strong in coming to the states. The immense fear of leaving behind everything you know for the promise and hope of something better jumped out at me in between a fairytale and a dragon battle. Here I am, so many years removed from my island and knowing that one day I would tell my child my story, but it is hard to tell to a child that has no concept of lack of even basic necessities . I’m so happy this book will be my start of that conversation.The art is beautiful, soft and colorful, but without the heavy handedness and too on nose colors that “Caribbean” art sometimes has. At the same time it reminded me of the faceless ceramic figurines that’s adorned our chinero. If there is any criticism at all, and it IS minor, is that I would have loved to see more of the Dominican “rainbow” in terms of skin color. But because colorism is still so prevalent, the representation is great to see. It is beautifully written as well, and the Spanglish wasn’t heavy handed either (I’m used to American writers attempting Spanish ).I can only hope this is meant to be a series because I’d love to read how Anita tackles her new world and will be following this duo for sure.

This poignant and beautifully illustrated story captures the emotional journey of a young girl and her family, as they emigrate from their homeland in the Dominican Republic.The metaphorical prose between the dragons and the airplane set to take her to a new land, creatively captures this family’s experiences through the eyes of Anita, who views herself as a brave princesa ready to take flight on the dragons of which she spent so many years watching in the sky.Though apprehension sets in, the family courageously embark on their new journey hand in hand, and Anita realizes the real dragon is inside of her.

Love this book. Great insight into how scary and exciting it must be to move your life to somewhere unknown.