Niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A New York Public Library (NYPL) Best Book for Kids
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of the Year
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Most Notable Book

"A book to be read and remembered: a tribute to children whose lives were lost to forces not of their own creation."
-- Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review)

Moving poetry pays homage to thirty-four children lost during Augusto Pinochet's violent dictatorial rule of Chile.

On September 11, 1973, a military coup plunged Chile into seventeen long years of dictatorial rule. Only the return of democracy could reveal the full horrors of Augusto Pinochet's regime: 3,197 people dead or disappeared--including thirty-four children under the age of fourteen.

This poetry collection is a stirring memorial to those victims and the cost of extremism. Thirty-four poems--one for each child lost--consider the diverse hopes of these fragile young lives -- from Alicia to Jaime, Héctor to Paola, Soledad to Rafael, they were brave and creative, thoughtful and strong. In these pages, some children watch for the changing seasons. Some listen for new sounds on rainy afternoons. And some can't wait for their next birthday.

Featuring gentle, emotive poems and soft, pastel-toned illustrations, Niños is an unforgettable tribute to the children of Pinochet's Chile and all those threatened by political violence across the world.

Part of Eerdmans' Stories from Latin America series. Translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel.

Other awards

Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Co-Winner (Grades 7-12)
Américas Award Honorable Mention