A journey towards hope tells the story of 4 children migrating to the US for a better life. This is an important story to tell. I really liked that it is geared towards children so they can understand the world. It's a great boom to read to any child as it isn't too dark or scary.

The illustrations are wonderful and this is an important story that is very close to my heart. I applaud the effort and felt the book had many wonderful moments. I realize the intended audience for the book is very young and therefore the story has been kept simple. But the dangers and hardships the children faced at home were so understated that it was hard to understand why they would leave their families and familiar surroundings. As well, the tremendous difficulties and dangers that 4 children would face on this journey were too understated. I think in an effort to be "age appropriate" the story erred on the side of making the train trip and the whole journey seem almost like a fun adventure. I wish the author had put in a few more details, to make the journey a little more realistic. But I do appreciate that the book exists! And with lots of parental or teacher intervention and discussion, I think it fills a need.

This is a journey toward hope on many levels. The vivid , complex illustrations offer depth and multiple perspectives to this story. We see an illustrative style that evokes the past in floaty, ethereal, sometimes diminutive images, or the future in bright clear line drawings based on Mayan glyphs, full of cultural meaning and significance. The symbolism of light, butterflies, shapes, shadows, size adds richly to the spare text so that together a powerful tale unfolds.. The information text brings home the real-life context and demonstrates that, even in an apparently hopeless situation, hope energises, sustains and is good for the soul.

The illustrations in this book are simply stunning, they’re colourful and inviting and they left me with such a warming feeling. While the story explores the children’s experiences of leaving their homes for a better life, and is filled with hope and a little drama, I feel it could maybe be written slightly better in parts (just the sentence structure and maybe could be slightly simpler) but overall it’s a lovely book which explores a topic that all children need to understand better.

This is such an important book, it simply explains asylum seeking and humanizes those who risk everything to do it. It seems so many do not know what asylum seeking is, or how many reasons there are to do so. I think that this book is an excellent introduction and very informative for children and adults alike. It gave me hope, and reminded me how good humanity could be.

A group of unaccompanied children from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala go on a train ride through Mexico to gain freedom in the United States. The serious text combined with the beautiful and colorful illustrations deliver a powerful story. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

This is a great text that informs children and their story-teller about the hushed subject of child immigration. It raises awareness while connecting the reader to the individual stories of the children involved. Great story!
*NetGalley provided me with an ARC of this book, but all views and opinions are my own.

This child'ren's book ambitiously aims to explain the concept of fleeing and asylum for immigrants through vivid brushstrokes and hopeful language. Reading the text, you tread between heartbreak for these children and wonder at the artist for being able to see these animals in trains, buses, etc. I enjoyed the story of Rodrigo and his friends. I believe that, if read with similar books, you can expose a child at a early age without depressing them, to concepts of social justice like this.

**I received a copy of 'A Journey Toward Hope' through NetGalley and Six Foot Press, in exchange for an honest review**

'A Journey Toward Hope' is a moving story about the struggles four migrant children face as they travel through dangerous conditions in order to attain a better life. Each child featured in the book have a different life story, yet they all share the common goal to life a better life, without the fear of violence. These children's stories are portrayed as a snapshot of what the reality is for many children migrating to the US without their families, forced to leave what's familiar to them behind.

The illustrations in the book are stunning, as we see the children's immediate surroundings with vibrant images and animals spread throughout the pages. We witness the plight of these children as they travel through unknown territory, yet the images are presented in a way that's not extremely graphic. Each child is also represented through different animals, their interpretations included in the story.

'A Journey Toward Hope' does a wonderful job educating children about the current situation migrant children face as they're traveling through Central America and Mexico to reach a better life. This would be a great story for young elementary school children. I also appreciate that this book will be available in both English and Spanish upon publication, as well as educational materials for teachers.

⭐⭐⭐

I read this book to see if I wanted to purchase it in the future for my 4 year old nephew. The illustrations in this book are stunning, I thoroughly enjoyed looking at them - even as a 40 year old. Whimsical, magical and beautiful.

I loved the story of hope. The story of a group of children who had never met... but fighting the same battle. I think it explains well, in the eyes of (and for) children, the story of immigration and dreams of a better place.

That said, I think (in part) it displayed a bunch of "false happiness" and a process that is simple. Because it's a childs book, I understand the need. However, it's also important to teach little ones that you don't just hop on a train with happiness and cross over.

I would still get this book for my nephew. It was a good read that will help them understand the way of life for other children in other countries.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

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 journey 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.


The use of colours on every page is breathtaking and the illustrations used is just brillant

A Journey Toward Hope is a touching story about four children and the journey they take to migrate to America. Victor Hinojosa and Coert Voorhees a beautiful book with stunning illustrations, sure to appeal to children and educate them at the same time. The story provides information about what the children must do to rejoin their families in the United States, and there is also an informational page at the end with resources to learn more about the dangers of the process and how to help with world hunger.
It's touching to see how the children meet and come together to help each other, along with all their hopes for a better future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Six Foot Press for the advance copy.

What a gorgeous book! A Journey Toward Hope by Victor Hinojosa, Coert Voorhees is a glimpse into the travels unaccompanied minors make as they travel toward the United States.

The illustrations are simply breathtaking, and the mix of their actual journey and depictions of their fears and emotions is really powerful. Their purpose and hope is very uplifting, and the book as a whole is informative for people who don't understand what it takes to make such an arduous journey - or why.

The only complaint I have is that the text is so small, and sometimes fades into the background pages too much. It was a little difficult to read on some pages.

"A Journey Toward Hope" tells the stories of four unaccompanied migrant children making their way across Central America to the United States, where they hope to apply for asylum.

Writing a book on this topic for young kids is obviously tricky because the authors need to walk the thin line of attracting interest and raising awareness while leaving out some of the bleaker details (and, let's face it, there are a lot of bleak details in the reality of asylum seekers at the US border). This book errs on the side of being too optimistic, aided by the colorful and absolutely gorgeous illustrations by Susan Guevara. This might make it more age-appropriate for its intended audience, but I did wish it had delved into the issue with a bit more depth. A more factual presentation of migrants' condition is included at the end of the book, but I still hoped more of the information would make it into the storytelling itself.

Another small gripe is that the typesetting was somewhat uninspired, especially when compared to the lovely illustrations.

Even with the minor criticisms, this is a beautifully illustrated story that needs to be told today.

An interesting look at immigration; I felt that I was missing some information though. Imaginative and charming illustrations.

What a beautiful book! The illustrations are lovely and the story is heartwarming. A small group of children come together during their journey, looking for a better way of life. I would happily read this to my children to teach them about other little ones who dream of coming to America. These children are just like my children; they have hopes and dreams and aspirations for their future. They just happen to be born elsewhere. I think it would make a beautiful baby shower gift too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Six Foot Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Six Foot Press for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “Journey Toward Hope” for my review.

This is a short yet beautifully written children’s picture book. Firstly, the illustrations by Susan Guevara are breathtaking. Each page has a beautiful watercolor feel to it with bright colors that make the story stand out. Moreover, you immediately root for all the characters because they are brave and hopeful! No matter how arduous their journey is, they keep moving on for a better future. Also, I loved how the book depicted each character as a separate animal to showcase their strengths. Furthermore, I found the footnotes at the end of the book very informative as well. It has a note from Baylor University that talks about how there are many children who migrate from Central America to the United States for various reasons, and not all of them are pleasant.

While I loved how positive and hopeful the characters sounded in the book, I wish the author had also depicted the dangers better. As this is a children’s book, I can understand the limitations to what they can put in. However, the story makes it sound like the kids have a fun time sitting on top of trains and have no problems in Mexico City like theft etc. It would have been nice if the author included this somehow. Also, I cannot imagine the street life in Mexico City being friendly towards homeless children. But this is a very minor aspect.

Having said that, I really liked the rest of the book. Overall, this is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that I feel should be in all the schools and libraries.