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 book is a stirring memorial to those victims and to 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, Hector 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, Ninos is an unforgettable tribute to the children of Pinochet’s Chile and all those threatened by political violence across the world.