ISLA TO ISLAND

A mostly wordless middle-grade graphic novel follows the journey of a Pedro Pan child, one of thousands evacuated from Cuba to the United States during the Cuban revolution.

Marisol’s story opens with black-and-white photographs of her parents’ early lives and then bursts into color. In tidily arranged panels, we see bright homes, delicious food, and beautiful tropical wildlife. Then Fidel Castro seizes power. Food grows scarce, and voices become hushed. When a bomb nearly blows apart Marisol’s bedroom window in the middle of the night, her parents make the difficult choice to send her to New York City. While the White couple who take her in are kind, she cannot understand the speech bubbles falling from people’s mouths, and her classmates are cruel. Everything is dark, gray, and cold—so unlike her vibrant isla—until she discovers the neighborhood library. She starts learning English, and her foster parents take her to the botanical gardens. The trio cook Cuban dishes and dance in the living room. Slowly, color seeps back into Marisol’s world. This beautiful and heartbreaking book bears witness to the experiences of children of the Pedro Pan generation, although not all experienced Marisol’s happy ending. Her story will resonate with Cuban children growing up on their abuelos’ stories and anyone who has had to leave their home and start over. The wordless narrative is incredibly impactful, underscoring Marisol’s alienation and the language barrier she faces.

An important and authentic look at the Cuban refugee experience.