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A buoyant, breathtaking poem from Juan Felipe Herrera—brilliantly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo—speaks to every dreaming heart.
Have you ever imagined what you might be when you grow up? When he was very young, Juan Felipe Herrera picked chamomile flowers in windy fields and let tadpoles swim across his hands in a creek. He slept outside and learned to say goodbye to his amiguitos each time his family moved to a new town. He went to school and taught himself to read and write English and filled paper pads with rivers of ink as he walked down the street after school. And when he grew up, he became the United States Poet Laureate and read his poems aloud on the steps of the Library of Congress. If he could do all of that . . . what could you do? With this illustrated poem of endless possibility, Juan Felipe Herrera and Lauren Castillo breathe magic into the hopes and dreams of readers searching for their place in life.
About the author
Juan Felipe Herrera is a poet, performance artist, and activist. The son of migrant farmworkers, he was the U.S. Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. He has published more than a dozen collections of poetry and is the author-illustrator of
Jabberwalking. He lives in Fresno, California.
Lauren Castillo has illustrated many books for children, including
Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts and
Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. Lauren Castillo is also the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor–winning book
Nana in the City. She lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Summary
A buoyant, breathtaking poem from Juan Felipe Herrera—brilliantly illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Lauren Castillo—speaks to every dreaming heart.
Have you ever imagined what you might be when you grow up? When he was very young, Juan Felipe Herrera picked chamomile flowers in windy fields and let tadpoles swim across his hands in a creek. He slept outside and learned to say goodbye to his amiguitos each time his family moved to a new town. He went to school and taught himself to read and write English and filled paper pads with rivers of ink as he walked down the street after school. And when he grew up, he became the United States Poet Laureate and read his poems aloud on the steps of the Library of Congress. If he could do all of that . . . what could you do? With this illustrated poem of endless possibility, Juan Felipe Herrera and Lauren Castillo breathe magic into the hopes and dreams of readers searching for their place in life.
