Hear My Voice

Cannes: Shortlist | One Show: Bronze, Merit, 4 Shortlist | ANDYs: Gold | Clios: Silver, Bronze

ADC: Merit, Shortlist | Comm Arts: 2 Wins (Advertising, Design), Shortlist (Design) | National ADDYs: 3 Gold, Silver

In 2019, the United States detained more than 300,000 children. Stories collected by human rights advocates revealed shocking conditions at the border. Despite the fact that hundreds of sworn declarations from children had been filed in federal court and were publicly available, their voices were largely unheard. Our idea was to turn their black-and-white legal declarations into a vibrant children’s book.

See inside the Book

With artwork from 17 Latinx illustrators, Hear My Voice/Escucha mi voz tells the stories of real children detained at the border in their own words. Containing a reader’s guide plus simple ways to help, this bilingual book directly benefits children in migration as 100% of royalties are donated to Project Amplify.

The Brief

Children’s rights advocate Warren Binford was one of several investigators who travelled to a detention facility in Clint, Texas, to monitor the conditions under which migrant children were being held. What she found there was a clear violation of their rights. Shortly after, she co-founded Project Amplify with the goal of putting an end to the abuse of children in federal custody through the sharing of their publicly available testimonies.

Why a Children’s Book?

Admittedly, this is not a subject for a children’s book. But that’s exactly why it had to be one. Putting the stories of the children in this format helped to underscore their innocence and vulnerability. We started by pouring over the declarations, highlighting impactful quotes and organizing them by common themes until a cohesive narrative emerged.

Finding the Illustrators

Because the quotes in the book come from 61 different children, we wanted the art direction to visually reflect this diverse array of voices. So rather than have one artist illustrate the entire book, we reached out to 17 different Latinx artists, including Caldecott medal winner Yuyi Morales and Pura Belpré Award winner Raúl the Third, who each illustrated a single spread.

A sample of work-in-progress sketches from our illustrators during book development.

Working with a Publisher

After agreeing to a deal with Workman, we decided to create a bilingual book—English on one side, Spanish on the other—with both languages meeting in the middle. Because the testimonies were filed in English, our team of translators worked to faithfully back-translate the words of the children to their native language. Finally, back matter was added to provide additional context, which included a reader’s guide for children and families, plus ways to help.

Results

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard | Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner

Children’s Book Committee Flora Stieglitz Straus Award | Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award

Escuela Bilingüe Internacional’s Bilingual Book Award | Nerdy Book Club Awards Best Long Form Nonfiction

New York Public Library Best Books of 2021 | Children’s Book Committee Best Children’s Books of the Year

Bookstagang’s Best Picturebooks of 2021 | School Library Journal Best Books of 2021

The book received advance praise from critics, including coveted “starred reviews” from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Upon release, the book became an indie bestseller and was named to several end-of-year lists including the New York Public Library’s “Best Books of 2021.” Most importantly, the book was awarded the Junior Library Guild’s Gold Standard, which led to the donation of 1,000 copies to children’s libraries across the country where it is now taught in schools.

Since publication, Project Amplify’s funds are up 398% with a 16x spike in web traffic immediately after release. In addition to being featured on CNN, NPR and more, the book was sent to 200 members of Congress, governors and the White House, the latter of whom responded directly with positive feedback. Due to pressure from advocates and the public, the Biden Administration has since repealed controversial Trump-era border policies, pledging to establish proper standards of care for children in government custody.

The book is now available wherever books are sold including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, indie bookstores and more.