Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. The illustrations were great. This book sheds a light on the darker side of US history and how injustice is still prevalent today as it was back then. It’s sad that people get caught up in the craziness or stand by and do nothing as incidents like in the book happen all the time.

The illustrations in this book are stunning, but the topic is dark. Most people probably don't know about early racism against Chinese people, or the massacre that is the subject of this book, but it is important to learn about our history to make sure we don't repeat it. Even when tensions were high, justice was out of reach for the innocents who lost their lives. This would be a book that children can discuss with their parents and teachers, covering topics like how life is different today and what could have been done better.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This is a great way to make this part of US, specifically Los Angeles history accessible to younger audiences. This wasn’t a part of history I’d heard before, but sadly it doesn’t surprise me given other historical massacres on top of American responses to Chinese (and other Asian) people in 2020 and since due to Covid-19. The art really added to the intensity of the story. Now I want to do some more reading on this event.

Great book for any school library. This book handles the 1871 LA Chinatown Massacre with grace and facts. The illustrations fit the story without being gory, making it suitable for elementary and middle school libraries. There are names and short looks into the lives of people who were killed, helping to humanize those who were murdered.

At the end of the picture book story is a summary of the reports of the massacre and a bibliography for further reading.

Recommended age: 4-6th grade due to the subject

This honest review was given in exchange for an advanced copy of the book.

This is a beautiful but heartbreaking book. Very well balanced and appropriate for a wide age range I will be adding this to our list for future studies.

Dream to Ashes tells the story of the 1871 LA Chinese Massacre, which admittedly, I am not familiar with.

But the story is more than that. It tells the story of migrants from China to a new world, a world that's unfriendly and riddled with difficulties. As immigrants in the US, Chinese worker fell into many different roles, including bringing Chinese culture to the USA. With a growing resentment towards Chinese immigrants, violence erupts and many lives are lost.

This picture book tackles a very real history to understand the very real issues with racism, xenophobia, and hate crimes. It also talks about who commits hate crimes, which is very relevant to today. The book even talks about how to learn from the past to prevent hate from existing today, which really is essential for young people to recognize.

The illustrations in this book are gentle, yet horrifying during the massacre. It's done tastefully, honoring the victims of the massacre while telling how terrifying the moments were. It could be quite scary for a young child, so I would imagine this book would be more appropriate for older elementary age.

This would also be a great book to use as part of a unit on Chinese history, racism, or hate crimes for younger children. It's a tangible yet digestible way for older elementary age children to start learning about those concepts and establishing a foundation to end hateful, systemic forces in the world.

Dreams to Ashes gives details of the little-known massacre in Los Angeles' Chinatown in 1871. The beautiful illustrations make the story come alive. The tale takes the reader through the hopes and dreams of new immigrants to the United States, who are making a way for themselves to the tragedy of the massacre and the aftermath. The author appropriately uses facts to convey the story.

Such an important book about early Chinese American history! I’m so glad this story is being told in an accessible way. The end note also provides a lot of important historical context.

It was not until I was in college taking an Asian American studies class that I ever learned of these events, so I'm really glad that there are more books on more difficult subjects like this, as we never learned anything about when learning about our state history while growing up in California.

This is definitely a darker topic, but the artwork is done very well, and the author does a great job talking about what happened as well as what we can [hopefully] learn from this going forward.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, + the author for an ARC of this book.