Recap: Beyond Borders Launch Event
Last week, we celebrated the launch of our new Beyond Borders bilingual children’s book series with DC’s Latin American Youth Center and Today at Apple Creative Studios. The young authors, representing eight countries around the world, used their own lived experiences to inspire four endearing and authentic stories centering immigrant families as the inaugural titles.
“We’re so happy for Shout Mouse Press and Apple Creative Studios to partner with our community of young people so they can innovate in this creative space,” says Latin American Youth Center President and CEO Lupi Quinteros-Grady. “It’s been fantastic to see our youth grow and build their skills, learning from their peers and guest artists.”
Each of the four incredible books in the Beyond Borders series is an exploration of the immigrant experience from a youth perspective. In Searching for Sancocho/En busca del sancocho (illustrated by Yurieli Otero-Asmar), Jamileth Brito and Mario Serrano wanted to write a book that celebrated the deep connection of family recipes and honored their lost loved ones.
“There are many young people who will be picking up these books and reading these stories, and they will be seeing themselves in these stories. So it is important to have the proper representation. As under-represented groups, a lot of the time you feel invisible.””
Joy-Grace and the Dress Dilemma/Joy-Grace y el dilema del vestido (illustrated by Joy Ingram), a story by Joy Ugwu and Tseganesh Chala, is about the challenges—and the beauty!—of having a multicultural identity.
“My dream for the young authors is that you never forget the possibilities of what you can do and never ever forget that you have stories to tell, that someone is listening, and that you’re never alone — there’s always someone who will feel seen in your words. Whether you continue to write or not, I hope that you keep telling stories and that you always take pride in them.”
Perla’s Magical Goodbye/El adiós mágico de Perla (illustrated by Fatima Seck), by Deyssy Mosso and Yenner Rengifo Chaverra, reflects the experience of leaving home to move to another country.
“My dream for the readers of Perla’s Magical Goodbye is that they enjoy it and they can see the magic behind the book. They are not going to see the process of writing the book, but they will see how illustrative it is. They will see the garden, the unicorn, the magic, all behind the story of immigration, and what the main character is leaving behind. I want them to see the magic, and feel it.”
And the four writer team of Andy Pina, Antonia Marisol Garcia, Pedro Reyes, and Yunior Jose Garcia wrote Jasmín Pictures Home/Jasmín ilustra su hogar (illustrated by Ian L. Springer) to explore what it’s like to be different in a new country.
“I would like to tell other young people that they have people around them to encourage them—teachers, family, and friends—people who will help them share their voice with the world. For example, the authors at LAYC worked together to make these books. Some of them were reluctant to share their ideas, but we supported each other. I made sure to encourage and support my teammates. So young people should also surround themselves with good friends and good teammates who will help them speak up.”
The authors are so excited to bring these stories into the world. “Before I started this program,” says author Jamileth Brito, “I didn’t imagine that I could write a book. But now, I wrote one and I feel proud.” They took great care crafting stories filled with important themes and messages. “I hope that readers can enjoy the story and learn. It is from our imagination, but it is also our personal experience,” says author Deyssy Mosso.
And our favorite part: we got to see the authors receive their books for the very first time.
“It’s been an honor to support the authors, illustrators and story coaches behind the scenes,” says Shout Mouse Executive Director Kathy Crutcher. “We’re especially proud of these ten young people for telling stories so close to their hearts.”
We are so pleased to celebrate these books. We hope you join us.