Belonging in America and Mexico

“Belonging In America and Mexico is a must-read for all students. It will provide students with an opportunity to learn from diverse voices and build connections through the transformative power of storytelling. These learning experiences are critically important for educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

• Dr. Artika Tyner, Author, Law Professor, Leadership Scholar, Founder of literacy organization Planting People Growing, and Justice Leadership Institute

“Daniel's story in Our Stories Carried Us Here: Belonging in America and Mexico speaks to the reality and hardships children face living in the duality of their identity and skin. Visualized through the dreamlike artwork of sunshine gao, Daniel takes the reader through an honest journey of what life between borders, languages, and opportunities looks like for youths like himself. Green Card Voices has once again presented a story all too familiar to many American immigrants, but done in a way that brings honesty and hope to the people they are uplifting in these pages.” 

• Danny Thien Le (Dandiggity), Poet, Librarian, Community Engager

“Belonging in America & Mexico is an excellent book to have in your classroom library and to include in your curriculum! Teachers who work with upper level elementary students and who teach social studies, ethnic studies and ELA in the secondary level would benefit greatly! The bilingual version is useful for new to country English learners and World Language classes! This is a good model text for students to understand the journey of their classmates who are navigating the push and pull between two countries, two identities, factors of home and school. It includes an awesome resource with concepts and vocabulary that helps teachers guide critical conversations on migration and family reunification. The young author, Daniel, tells a relatable story and the artwork, by sunshine gao, is fantastic! Incorporating this in your curriculum will motivate students to write and illustrate their own stories, and normalize what it means to feel safe, to be brave and to belong.”

 

• Angelica Torralba-Olague, EL, Social Studies & Ethnic Studies Teacher, South High School MSP, Anthology Editor of Immigrant Stories: Stories of Home and Dreams for our Future,  826MSP Teacher Partner for the book Words Unburden Me 

“This is a work of art that is long overdue! Belonging in America and Mexico tells the story of immigrant children right from the horse's mouth! It transcends all other attempts to represent immigrants' experiences, as it sheds an illuminating light on important concepts on children's immigration. More importantly, it tells our stories in an inclusive manner, building a common understanding for not only immigrants but also Indigenous students' experiences.  When we in education talk about wanting to "see" our students in the books that they read, this is what we are talking about. Without a doubt, this represents both the backgrounds and experiences of migrant and immigrant children within and beyond the Americas!”

 

• Dr. Fatima T. Lawson, Principal of Highwood Hills Elementary School in the Saint Paul Public Schools, and Chair of the Board, Minnesota Africans United

“Once again Green Card Voices has managed to produce an outstanding book.  There are so many wonderful features about this bilingual graphic novel that it is going to be difficult to limit myself to 2-4 sentences; therefore, I’m going to write some thoughts and let you pick and choose what you’d like to use.  

Normally, I’m not a great fan of graphic novels, but this one was truly a pleasure to read.  What Daniel manages to convey in such relatively short and simple sentences is admirable - his experiences, his feelings, his emotions, his hopes, his dreams – and all beautifully illustrated by the talented sunshine gao. 

I feel that this book will appeal not just to the targeted audience but also to adults who may have had similar experiences – or may have children or other family members who have experienced a journey like Daniel’s.  

It is a book of hope.  Daniel’s life has not been easy but throughout he manages to convey a sense of optimism.  His story will be an inspiration to other ELs.  It will also be an eye-opener for those who never had to face what he did and, hopefully, encourage them to appreciate how much they have to be thankful for, 

His love for and support of his family demonstrates levels of maturity and responsibility at different stages of his young life that few U.S. children would have at a comparable age.

It would be quite eye-opening for teachers to use this book with their non-ELs.

Using a book like Daniel’s – and like all produced by Green Card Voices – is so valuable for ELs because the stories are by real people like them rather than stories created by materials writers.  It’s truly a bottom-up approach versus a top-down approach to classroom materials.”

• Dr. Andrea DeCapua, Educational Consultant,  author/co-author of several books on  Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

“Belonging in America and Mexico creates a portal of hope for readers to see their own lives as part of a larger, more connected human experience. This is the power of story. Daniel Zúñiga González’s story of being an immigrant told through his words and sunshine gao’s illustrations transcends time, space, and place through the universal themes of hard work, sacrifice, coming of age, family, and love. Written in both Spanish and English, this page-turning graphic novel will affirm readers' cultural and linguistic identities.”

• Tamara Mouw, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Assistant Coordinator of Language and Literacy and Teaching Faculty at Edgewood College 

"This bilingual book will make my students feel more included. The isolation that they often experience as English Language Learners is suffocating. This novel will provide them with a breath of fresh air that they deserve, and remind them that they are not alone!”

• Andrea Bitner, ELL Teacher, Author of Take Me Home, Speaker, Contributing Author to “The Impact of Influence” Vol. 3 and “The 100 Stop Series” Volume 2

“Belonging In America and Mexico has arrived just in time and deserves high praise. This rich, heartfelt narrative, woven together superbly with beautiful illustrations, provides a window into Daniel’s quest for cultural identity and an understanding of the issues surrounding present-day migration. As a classroom teacher during these unprecedented times, this resource is unrivaled in its power to connect to the emotional needs of students. The bridging of cultures from home to school and beyond, with the Story Stitch inquiry and discussion templates, is validation for my students; Daniel’s story is reassurance that they are not alone on their journeys. Non-immigrant students will be moved by this inspiring story and will see similarities in their own family themes reflected here, thus gaining an empathetic perspective on the lived experiences of so many others. Thank you Green Card Voices for this transformative classroom must-have! Bravo!

• Kathy Seipp, 4th Grade Teacher Robbinsdale, MN; Human Rights Educator and Activist; Writer; Yogi; Photographer; Mom and Book Lover