Purchase to Support Our Program

“This picture book reimagines the journeys of four fictional children to the United States…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.”

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…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

A Journey Toward Hope

Written by Victor Hinojosa and Coert Voorhees
Illustrated by Susan Guevara
Published by Six Foot Press

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. It includes four pages of nonfiction back matter with additional information and resources created by Baylor University’s Global Hunger and Migration Project.

Look for the Spanish version, Una Jornada Hacia la Esperanza.

Primary ISBN: 9781644420089
Publication Date: August 2020
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 06 or older

Community Represented: , ,

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Home Country, On Journey, Immigrant

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience, Written with Cultural Advisors

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.