Anita and the Dragons by Hannah Carmona illustrated by Anna Cunha

Anita lives on the island of Hispanola in the Dominican Republic. Hispanola is one of only two Caribbean islands that share two sovereign states. The other part of this island is Haiti which is a nation that has sadly been in the news this week.

Anita has a wonderful imagination. She fancies her home is a palace and she, herself, is a real princess. When aeroplanes fly overhead she sees dragons. Her family have made a plan to migrate - we are not told where they will go but in the new place, her mother explains, there will be hot water and a dryer along with a reliable supply of electricity. These tiny fragments of information show that life in the Dominican Republic has had some hardships even though this tropical island does look idyllic. It is also clear in the new place there will also be better opportunities for the children. Sadly Anita's grandmother cannot join them on this journey. It makes Anita so sad to leave her beloved Abuela behind.

As Anita steps toward the plane she says:

"I breathe in the sea salt-drenched air deeply. I send a silent message to my island. A message filled with mango-sweet kisses; black stormy nights; glassy, blue waves; spicy, hot heat-and-sandy, snug hugs. I will see you again."

A gorgeous story about the love of one’s homeland and the courage it takes to emigrate. Kirkus

The most beautiful quality of this story is the balance between the heaviness Anita begins to feel but the softness of the illustrations. The illustrations are comforting and are almost whispering to you, everything will be okay. Just Imagine

The artwork, in earth-tones and a combination of mixed media and digital techniques, is warm and abstract, with enough detail so that children will immediately understand that Anita is not really a princess in a castle and that the dragons are, in fact, airplanes.  Youth Services Book Reviews

Anita and the Dragons was published in 2021. Here is the blurb from Lantana: Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Then one day, Anita must face her fears and begin life in a new country. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures?

Here is an interview discussion between Hannah Carmona and Anna Cunha. Anna is from Brasil and Hannah's mother is from the Dominican Republic. You can see the art from this book on the interview page. In this video Hannah reads her book.

Here are two more books illustrated by Anna Cunha.  Fly will be published in 2022.