Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States = Escucha mi voz: Los testimonios de los jovenes detenidos en la frontera surena de los Estados Unidos
CCBC Review:
“My sister and I came from Honduras.” “Our grandfather saw the gang kill our neighbor. They threatened to kill him so we all had to leave.” “There is not even enough room for the baby to crawl.” “I have been here without bathing for twenty-one days.” International children’s advocate Warren Binford has devoted her legal and medical career to inspecting conditions in immigrant detention camps. Still, she was appalled by the conditions at the Border Patrol Station in Clint, Texas, in 2019. Children were separated from their families and crowded into cages; they were cold, hungry, dirty, and exhausted for weeks on end. Many were sick but didn’t receive medical treatment. Each double-page spread in this dual-language (Spanish/English) book includes several sentences from first-person testimonies collected from the children and translated from Spanish, Mam, Portuguese, Urdu, K’iche’, and other languages. Each statement is illustrated by a different artist, some well-known in the United States, such as Yuyi Morales and Raúl the Third; most are Mexican or Mexican American artists who will be new to American readers. This deeply emotional work ends with an author’s note, “Amplifying Children’s Voices,” providing historical background dating back to 1985. The author also provides questions for children to think about and suggests ways children and families can help, from writing to politicians to serving as a foster family. The children’s own testimonies end on a poignant note, completing statements that begin, “I want … ,” “I wish … ,” “I hope … ” ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Cecilia Ruiz, Yuyi Morales, Juan Palomino, Paco Santoyo, Adriana Campos, Salomon Duarte Granados, Flavia Z. Drago, Bayo Flores, Edith Valle, Gloria Felix, Mirelle Ortega, Maria Lumbreras, Addy Rivera Sonda, Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez, Daniela Martin del Campo, Dominique Arce, Raul Gonzales III
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 8 and older
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
20th Century
21st Century
Empathy and Compassion
Immigration and Immigrants
Politics and Political Systems
Refugees
U.S. History
Diversity subject:
Latine
Publisher:
Workman
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 84
ISBN: 9781523513482
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 362.8 Binford