On The Road to Reunification

Illustrating a children’s book for Global Refuge

ILLUSTRATION

CHARACTER DESIGN

LAYOUT & PRINT PRODUCTION

SPANISH TRANSLATION

WHO IS GLOBAL REFUGE?

Global Refuge works with the U.S. government and their network partners to place refugee and unaccompanied immigrant children in loving homes with licensed foster parents who are trained to provide care for immigrant youth. This is part of the process to reunify them with family members.

I was hired to develop a bi-lingual children’s book that reflects these experiences.

OUR STORY FOLLOWS DANIELA AND TOMÁS AS THEY LEAVE THEIR GRANDMOTHER’S HOME IN GUATEMALA AND TRAVEL TO THE U.S.

OUR BRAVE YOUNG KIDS TRAVEL ON FOOT AND THROUGH THE AIR, CONNECT WITH THEIR FOSTER FAMILY, AND FINALLY REUNITE WITH THEIR BELOVED MOTHER.

Character development

Initial character designs

Tomás (8)

Enjoys school and raises his hand a lot in class. He also enjoys playing soccer with his friends. He is very cautious around new people, but is very loyal and loving once he is won over.

Daniela (10)

Is a very social girl, who loves reading. She is very protective of her little brother, and has a deep connection with her grandmother.

Young boys can often feel discouraged from feeling their emotions freely. Tomás wears his heart on his sleeve to readers know that it is okay to express themselves.
All main characters wear neutral clothing and colors so that the reader can better project their own stories onto the characters.

Women and girls of color are often depicted with a lighter skin color. Careful to avoid that stereotype, Daniela has slightly darker skin than Tomás.
Many hispanic female characters are also designed with straight hair, so I wanted to show Daniela with curly hair, to help kids with curls to feel more confident and accepted.