This book shares a story of a boy who immigrated to America and had to learn English by himself. Although his journey was long and hard, he asks the readers what they want to be when they grow up. He encourages those who may be afraid to speak up or those who have lost hope. This book would be great for kindergarten to early elementary students. The breathtaking poetry and illustrations in this book also bring the story to life. ( )

This is a power autobiography written through poetry in verse form. It shares the story of Juan Felipe Herrera and how he struggled but fought to get where he is today. The message behind the book is if I could do it, just imagine would you could do. This book is inspiring and full of different themes like: imagination, immigration, and overcoming diversity. The illustrations, by Lauren Castillo, have a symmetrical relationship with the text and further enhance the message of the poem. This book would be an amazing book to show in the classroom to help teach students to believe in themselves and dream big. ( )

This is a poetry book. This book would be great for 1st through 3rd grade.

This book is about a little boy. He talks about many experiences and then at the end of each says imagine. He talks about his challenges of being an English language learner. He struggled to talk and write in class because he didn't know English. He walked through many more experiences and worked through these things. When he got to the end of the story he talked about being a very well known poem writer. He wants our students to imagine what they can do. If he went through these struggles and work his way up to his dreams then they can too.

I liked this book because it was interactive and would make the students think about their goals and it lets them imagine where they want to be and what they want to do. I also like this book because it brings awareness to the struggles and fears of English language learners but it also shows that they can overcome these struggles and fears. I would use this in my classroom. I would use it as a writing prompt. I would have my students imagine. They could imagine where they want to be when they grow up and they can write about these things. This story can be a guide, and it will show them to dream big. ( )

"Imagine" is a beautiful poem detailing Herrera's life, from the time he was a little boy to when he became the United States Poet Laureate. The poem leaves children with the message that if he could do all of that, imagine what they could do. I thought this poem was inspiring and the illustrations were too. ( )