Soñadoras: Yuyi Morales

61 framed pieces of work (acrylic on paper, giclee prints/born-digital)

Yuyi Morales was born in Xalapa, Mexico in 1968. The influence of her Mexican

birthright and culture is evident in all of her titles and helps to identify the power of

heritage in the work of children’s picture books. Her family was made of avid

storytellers, which laid a foundation of creative communication from the beginning of

Yuyi’s life. She loved drawing from an early age, an interest that was encouraged

growing up by her father. She studied physical education at university and spent

several years as a swim coach because, at the time, illustration was not considered a

“successful” career choice.

Yuyi is a six-time recipient of the prestigious Pura Belpré award, and the first Latina to

receive a Caldecott honor for her book, Viva Frida, in 2015. Her books have been

recognized with starred reviews in publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, The New

York Times and Booklist.

Yuyi’s stories are heavily influenced by her upbringing in Mexico and give poignant

insight from an immigrant’s perspective. Dreamers, speaks to this experience and topic

especially. However, pieces of her vibrant past make their way into her other titles as

well. “As anyone who comes to a new country carries with her, with him, all those

stories, I brought them with me, too, and I put them in my books all the time,” Morales

has said.