The Portrayal of Mexican (Im)migration in Children’s Literature

I chose to center my thesis around the portrayal of Mexican (im)migration through the lens of picture books. These authors use multiple strategies to humanize the Mexican-American (im)migration experience. I aim to cover the way these authors depict the hardships of the (im)migration process or journey, emphasize the emotional impact of being separated from one’s family and how they use their stories to raise awareness of Mexican culture. By doing this, they hope to increase the representation of Latinx experience in children’s picture books, and to educate non-Latinx readers about the (im)migrant experiences. My objective is to deconstruct each picture book and ensure that they are giving young readers a true depiction of the (im)migration experience. I want Latinx children to see themselves represented in educational books and for them to feel included because their stories are just as important as others. I'd like to present a slideshow presentation that includes picture illustrations of the (im)migration journey. I will be covering immigration policies, immigration process, migration process and how the authors create positive endings because they are targeting younger audiences.