Celebrating the 2023 Beyond Borders Titles
Our recent Beyond Borders book launch and author celebration, hosted by Programs Director Alexa Patrick and Story Coach Tatiana Figueroa Ramírez, was an inspiring and heartwarming evening. On a Tuesday night in December, our young authors, their families, and members of the SMP community joined our friends at the Latin American Youth Center to celebrate the release of our three new bilingual children’s books and the nine young authors who collaboratively wrote them.
Attendees got to hear directly from the authors about their experience writing their books. When reflecting on her inspiration, Yasmina, co-author of Fernando’s Big Idea, shared:
“One of the major decisions we took was making sure that underrepresented kids who aren’t typically seen in books have the chance to see themselves...We also wanted Fernando’s family to look like our families, which meant having a lot of people living, laughing and existing with each other.”
Fernando’s Big Idea ultimately reinforces the idea that there are many ways to make your family proud, not just through money. The other books in the series also tackle important topics, like grief (in Belinda Lifts Her Voice) and the experience of immigrating to the US on foot (in The Adventures of Guz and Goz). Brizel, also co-author of Belinda Lifts Her Voice, shared part of her inspiration here:
“Loss was something that we all shared. We wanted youth to learn to honor their lost loved ones in different ways. It's not something that we talk about until you’re older. I want readers to see this book as a resource and I hope that they can use this book as a lesson. You can hold lost loved ones with you in your everyday life just like Belinda holds onto her Tia through singing.”
We’re continually inspired by the wisdom and talents of our young authors like Yasmina and Brizel, and we are so excited for the impact that the books in the Beyond Borders series will provide young people who will see themselves in these stories.
Authors: Sol Mundo, Jonathan Lopez, Yasmina Konate
Illustrator: Hee So
A young boy from an immigrant Salvadoran family learns a valuable lesson about money, work, and the sacrifices that his family have made so that he can go to school.
Un niño de una familia inmigrante salvadoreña aprende una valiosa lección sobre el dinero, el trabajo y los sacrificios que ha hecho su familia para que él pueda ir a la escuela.
For all the kids who see their family working hard, this uplifting bilingual story – told in Spanish and English – shows how important it is that they have a chance at a better life. Fernando, a young first-generationimmigrant, realizes how hard his Salvadoran family works for the community every day and he wants to help. Follow his adventures around Washington, DC as he tries to surprise his family with a contribution to their “rainy day jar.” But when his ideas don’t work out, Fernando learns that there are other ways for him to make his family proud. Through humor and charming details, this book highlights some of the ways immigrant families show love for each other.
A todos los niños que ven los esfuerzos de su familia, esta inspiradora historia —contada en español e inglés— les muestra la importancia de que tengan la oportunidad de gozar de una mejor vida. Fernando, un inmigrante de primera generación, se da cuenta de lo duro que su familia salvadoreña trabaja a diario por la comunidad, y decide ayudar. Sigue las aventuras que vive en Washington, D. C. en su intento de sorprender a su familia con una contribución para el bote de “los días lluviosos”. Sus ideas no funcionan, pero Fernando aprende que hay otras cosas que puede hacer para que su familia se sienta orgullosa de él. A través del humor y detalles encantadores, este libro resalta algunas de las maneras en que las familias inmigrantes se demuestran su amor.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-63-5
Age: 4-9
Page Count: 40
Publication Date: Oct 2023
Authors: Yenner Rengifo Chaverra, Mich Hernandez, Jonatan Castillo-Turcios
Illustrator: Yurieli Otero-Asmar
This bilingual story uses whimsy and adventure to explore a challenging subject — migrating by foot to the United States.
Este cuento bilingüe usa la fantasía y la aventura para explorar un tema difícil: la migración a pie hacia Estados Unidos.
Meet Guz, our outgoing Central American protagonist, who transforms an immigration journey into an adventure in this compelling bilingual book, told in Spanish and English. Shortly after leaving home, Guz is separated from their loved ones. With the help of a friendly Torogoz, Goz, they navigate hunger, wild animals, and the strange terrain before reconnecting with their family and continuing the journey. This colorful book, told through the eyes of a young child, shares part of a frightening story that isn’t often depicted in children’s books while making it accessible to young readers.
Conoce a Guz, nuestro extrovertido protagonista centroamericano, que transforma un viaje de migración en una aventura en este cautivador libro bilingüe –contado en español e inglés. Al poco tiempo de abandonar su hogar, Guz se separa accidentalmente de sus seres queridos. Con la ayuda de Goz, un amistoso pajarito torogoz, juntos enfrentan el hambre, animales silvestres y un terreno desconocido, antes de reconectarse con la familia y continuar el viaje. Esta pintoresca historia, contada a través de los ojos de un niño, presenta un aspecto de una experiencia aterradora que no suele contarse en los libros infantiles, de una manera que resulta accesible para los pequeños lectores.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-65-9
Age: 4-9
Page Count: 40
Publication Date: Oct 2023
Authors: Luisa Orellana-Castillo, Brizel Martinez Cruz, Camila Melany De la Luz Villegas
Illustrator: Romeo Montero
Amidst changes in a gentrifying neighborhood, a young girl must overcome her fears in order to fight for her community and her aunt’s memory in this heart-warming bilingual children’s book.
En medio de los cambios que atraviesa un vecindario en proceso de gentrificación, una niña debe superar sus miedos para poder luchar por su comunidad y por la memoria de su tía en este conmovedor libro infantil bilingüe.
Written by first-generation Latinx teens, this bilingual book – told in Spanish and English – follows Belinda, a young girl of Mexican and Salvadoran heritage who once loved to sing. But ever since her aunt’s death, Belinda has been afraid to use her voice. When a new owner decides to paint over the mural that was created to honor her aunt, Belinda rallies the entire community together to stop it. Can Belinda lead her community and lift her voice to save Tía’s mural? From the shy reader to the young activist, this endearing story uplifts our future leaders.
Esta historia bilingüe –contada en español e inglés—, escrita por adolescentes latinos de primera generación, narra la historia de Belinda, una niña de ascendencia mexicana y salvadoreña a quien le fascinaba cantar. Desde la muerte de su tía, Belinda siente temor a usar su voz. Cuando un nuevo propietario decide tapar con pintura un mural que se creó en honor a su tía, Belinda congrega a toda la comunidad para detenerlo. ¿Podrá Belinda liderar a su comunidad y elevar su voz para salvar el mural de su tía? Esta adorable historia alienta a nuestros futuros líderes, desde los lectores tímidos hasta los pequeños activistas.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-64-2
Age: 4-9
Page Count: 40
Publication Date: Oct 2023
When we pass the pen to young people, what stories emerge? Find out in Shout Mouse Press’s latest series, Beyond Borders, featuring bilingual children’s books centering the stories of immigrant families.
The 2023 series is authored by program participants of the Latin American Youth Center in Washington, DC, representing six countries around the world.