Humanizing the Journey Across the Mexico-US Border: Multimodal Analysis of Children's Picture Books and the Restorying of Latinx (Im)migration

In response to current anti-immigration rhetoric and policy coming from national leadership, the authors engage in multimodal analysis of picture books that humanize individuals who make the journey across the Mexico-U.S. border. Findings suggest that picture book narratives restory anti-immigrant sentiments by (1) placing the child at the center of the story, (2) demonstrating the way in which the (im)migration journey is a shared journey, and (3) featuring expressions of tenderness among the characters. The article emphasizes the importance of elevating young people's perspectives on Latinx (im)migration through children's literature.