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."--Publisher's description.
Brief description:
Victor Hinojosa is Associate Professor of Political Science in the Honors Program at Baylor University where his primary research is in Latin American Politics and U.S.-Latin American relations. His articles have appeared in scholarly books and journals including Terrorism and Political Violence, Political Science Quarterly, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and more. Dr. Hinojosa currently directs the Baylor Migration Project, a social innovation laboratory at Baylor University that is bringing together an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students to address the challenges of child migration from Mexico and the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador). In collaboration with the Texas Hunger Initiative, Mennonite Central Committee, and others Dr. Hinojosa and his students are working to design interventions into this challenging humanitarian crisis.
Dr. Hinojosa lives in Waco, Texas.
Review Quotes:
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 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....VERDICT A candid rendition of the jarring reality lived by migrant children told in inviting language accessible to elementary students." -- School Library Journal
"The paths of four migrant children from different Central American countries cross as they enter Mexico, and together they continue their journey to the United States. Though their reasons for undertaking the perilous journey are different, their hopes are not: They all hope for asylum in the U.S....Along the way they encounter danger, hunger, kindness from strangers, and, most importantly, the strength of friendship with one another....Artist Guevara has added Central American folk art-influenced details to her illustrations that provide depth to the artwork...The backmatter explains the reasons for the book, helping to place it within the larger context of ongoing projects at Baylor University related to the migration crisis in Central America. An emotional entry point to a larger, necessary discussion on this complex and difficult subject." --Kirkus Reviews"Superbly illustrated by artist Susan Guevara, A Journey Toward Hope is a compelling commentary on one of the primary social issues of today." -- Midwest Book Review
Honors and Praise for Susan Guevara, for Chato's Kitchen:
- Winner of the Pura Belpre Award for Illustration
- An American Library Association Notable Book
- A Parents' Choice Award Winner