A transistor radio was essential equipment for working in California’s strawberry fields with his sharecropping family, says Newbery Honor author Pedro Martín. The radio helped the long hours of tedious work go quicker. One afternoon the radio delivered the news that Elvis Presley had died, and each time Martín returned to that particular row of strawberries where he was working, the King would pop back into his head.
The hilarious and heartful imaginings and experiences of his childhood are the subject of Martín’s upcoming graphic novel Mexikid Dreams, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 debut graphic novel Mexikid, which in addition to the Newbery Honor, won him both the Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator awards in 2024, as well as the Eisner and Tomás Rivera awards. Mexikid Dreams will be released by Dial Books on September 1; the cover is seen here for the first time.
Martín told PW that when his father learned he’d be working on a second book, he began calling almost daily with new stories that he could include in it, from the tale of his original journey to the U.S. from Mexico to snapshots of his experience of trying to raise a family with nine children working in the strawberry fields. They are funny stories, Martín said: “I always start out writing for comedy.” But beneath the humor there is an acknowledgment that the opportunities his father worked to give the family “come with a cost.” The story, Martín said, is a kind of love letter to his father Martín.
For the cover of Mexikid Dreams, the author echoed the style of the cover of Mexikid, which drew inspiration from the title credits for Mission Impossible movies. Scenes from the movie are shown out of sequence to create a collage of what’s to come, and that’s the case with the vignettes Martín chose for Mexikid Dreams. A cart carries strawberry boxes and the all-important transistor radio wrapped in a Wonder bread bag. There’s a folk dancer, a man in jail (no spoilers), and the Mexikid himself trying to ride a bike while carrying a baritone, the instrument that will ultimately be the vehicle for his leaving the strawberry fields behind.
While he conceded he wasn’t a great musician, Martín said that his early creative aspirations were channeled into music because it was a path his father could approve of and be proud of. His time as a musician led him to college at San Jose State University, where he studied graphic design. He went on to a long career as an illustrator at Hallmark. He was speedy in his work and would often finish his card designs ahead of schedule, leaving him with extra time to pursue his own creative work. He began writing and illustrating stories from his childhood on 3 x 5-inch cards and stored them in an old Batman lunchbox. After retiring from Hallmark, he rediscovered the lunchbox and began publishing the stories online, releasing a new story every week for about two years. The stories led to Mexikid, released in 2023.
Martín said that teachers and librarians have told him that the book is especially appealing for its humor and its male protagonist. He’s also heard that it’s been popular with new arrivals in this country as an accessible way to learn English through its relatable story and pictures. “It’s the way I learned, too—through comic books.”
Young readers might see only the goofy stories as they’re carried along with Martín’s cheerful, accessible drawings, but teachers and librarians have shared that the stories have moved them to tears. While the work in the strawberry fields was obviously not easy, Martín said that there were moments of fun and bonding with family amid the hardship. Not infrequently, he meets a kid who tells him: “This is me. This is my story.”
Martín aims for his books to encourage empathy. “I hope that by writing a story based on real people, readers will come to see the world through different eyes.” While his situation might be unique, comical incidents like trying to carry an oversized instrument while riding a bike offer something any kid can related to. His stories are “a way in” to view a different life for a child. “I hope they’ll have compassion for those who struggle and whose struggle is different from their own.”
Martín said he has been motivated both by meeting readers and also teachers and librarians, who have told him that stories like his are more important now than ever. For young readers his message is timeless. “We are at our best when we identify with the humanity of others. We are at our worst when we demonize and mistreat those who can’t defend themselves,” he said. “I’m hoping the book is a lever against that. I know we can’t change the hearts of the people who are in charge of this calamity. Maybe we can give the kids some kind of buoyancy and help them understand that we’re all people. We all want to succeed and want the next generation to do better. I hope this book helps tell that story for young readers.”
Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín. Dial, $24.99 Sept. 1 ISBN 979-8217-00248-1
