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About A Journey Toward Hope
Product Description Four unaccompanied migrant children come together along the arduous journey north through Mexico to the United States border in this ode to the power of hope and connection even in the face of uncertainty and fear. Every year, roughly 50,000 unaccompanied minors arrive at the US/Mexico border to present themselves for asylum or related visas. The majority of these children are non-Mexicans fleeing the systemic violence of Central America’s "Northern Triangle": Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. A Journey Toward Hope tells the story of Rodrigo, a 14-year-old escaping Honduran violence; Alessandra, a 10-year-old Guatemalan whose first language is Q'eqchi'; and the Salvadoran siblings Laura and Nando. Though their reasons for making the trip are different and the journey northward is perilous, the four children band together, finding strength in one another as they share the dreams of their past and the hopes for their future. A Journey Toward Hope is written in collaboration with Baylor University’s Social Innovation Collaborative, with illustrations by the award-winning Susan Guevara (Chato's Kitchen, American Library Association Notable Book, New York Public Library's 100 Great Children’s Books / 100 Years). It includes four pages of nonfiction back matter with additional information and resources created by Baylor University's Global Hunger and Migration Project. From School Library Journal Gr 3–5—This picture book reimagines the journeys of four fictional children to the United States. It opens with ten-year-old Alessandra, a girl of Mayan heritage who only speaks Q'eqchi', as she embarks on a dangerous journey to reunite with her mother in the U. S.The other children, of various ages, also make the trip on a boat, a truck, and a system of trains known as "the Beast," traveling from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador until they arrive at the Nuevo Laredo camp in Mexico. Older elementary readers may reflect on the struggles that unaccompanied migrant children must endure to find a better life in the U.S. and reunite with their families. Guevara employs pastel colors and curved lines to give life to dreamlike, soft illustrations while supplementing the narrative. This imagery is reinforced by using allegories of a bird, a butterfly, a monkey, and a jaguar, a loving nod to Mesoamerican history and culture. The Spanish edition moves effortlessly, although at times this literal translation loses the natural expression used by native speakers. The small black-and-white type is placed in the corners of the pages to avoid concealing the art. This picture book could be used in a fourth-grade social studies unit covering the family migration crisis. The back matter contains a note from Baylor University, creator of the Global Hunger and Migration Project. Thoughts on how to get involved and notes from the illustrator are also included. The story does have one conflicting element: Alessandra is able to understand and verbally communicate with the other children, even though she does not speak Spanish. VERDICT A candid rendition of the jarring reality lived by migrant children told in inviting language accessible to elementary students.—Kathia Ibacache, Univ. of Colorado Boulder Review Praise for A Journey Toward Hope: "This picture book reimagines the journeys of four fictional children to the United States. It opens with ten-year-old Alessandra, a girl of Mayan heritage who only speaks Q'eqchi', as she embarks on a dangerous journey to reunite with her mother in the U.S. The other children, of various ages, also make the trip on a boat, a truck, and a system of trains known as "the Beast," traveling from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador until they arrive at the Nuevo Laredo camp in Mexico. Older elementary readers may reflect on the struggles that unaccompanied migrant children must endure to find a better life in the U.S. and reunite with their families. Guevara employs pastel colors and curved
