“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 … ” (Age 8 and older)

The moving stories of children in migration—in their own words.

"In Spanish and in English, a devastating first-person account of children’s experiences in detention at the southern U.S. border.... A powerful, critical document only made more heartbreaking in picture-book form." —Kirkus Reviews starred review

Every day, children in migration are detained at the US-Mexico border. They are scared, alone, and their lives are in limbo. Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz shares the stories of 61 these children, from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Mexico, ranging in age from five to seventeen—in their own words from actual sworn testimonies. Befitting the spirit of the project, the book is in English on one side; then flip it over, and there's a complete Spanish version.

Illustrated by 17 Latinx artists, including Caldecott Medalist and multiple Pura Belpré Illustrator Award-winning Yuyi Morales and Pura Belpré Illustrator Award-winning Raὺl the Third. Includes information, questions, and action points. Buying this book benefits Project Amplify, an organization that supports children in migration.