Margarita Engle: Hello. My name is Margarita Engle, and I'm the author of Light for All, illustrated by Raúl Colón.

Light for All is a very unusual book in that it is actually the idea of the illustrator. Raúl Colón told Paula Wiseman, the editor, that he would like to do a book about the Statue of Liberty with a very simple lyrical poem, and she asked me to write the words. I was incredibly honored to be chosen, and it just worked out beautifully.

His illustrations came after my writing, so that part is traditional, but the idea came from him, and it really means a lot to combine us because our backgrounds are different. I'm Cuban American and he's Puerto Rican, and of course they are US citizens. My ancestors are refugees and immigrants. His have been US citizens but aren't allowed to vote, so they're in a very unusual position. I think the combination really gives us a perspective on what the Statue of Liberty means to us.

My first thought was, "Oh, the Statue of Liberty is so wonderful. It means so much to me. It's such a wonderful symbol," but then I remembered that every time I see people talking about the Statue of Liberty, they repeat the falsehood, "This is a nation of immigrants. We are all immigrants." That's just simply not true. There are many immigrants, and there are also native Americans and descendants of enslaved people, and I think that it's also important to remind ourselves that much of the United States belonged to Mexico and was taken in a war, so it's really a mistake to say, "We're all immigrants," and yet that doesn't damage the image and the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty. It does represent freedom and justice for all, but I also wanted to include that sadder part of US history, and so I started with the positive, backed up in the middle and said, "Oh, but also," and then went back to the positive at the end. It was very important to me not to omit those facts that we have to face.

I'd be happy to read the poem itself now.

From land to land, brave travelers arrive with hopes, dreams, skills, and determination.

The powerful light of a mighty lamp shines for all!

Some of us come to join mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers -- each joyful family reunion / wondrous.

The towering glow from a lifted torch greets all.

From land to land, survivors arrive escaping wars, storms, earthquakes, hunger.

A radiant flame glows for all.