¡Iván y van! a bilingual adventure
Written by Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs
Illustrated by Veronica Eldredge
This is the story of a young man named Iván, who traverses the U.S.-Mexico border to explore American culture, and parallels the experiences of American tourists and expats to those of Mexican immigrants and visitors to the United States. His journey takes him to the Central Coast of California, and the Pacific Northwest. Iván, the name of our main character, which also sounds like y van (“and they go”), is a metaphor for the problematized relationship between concepts of hospitality and welcome in Mexico and the U.S. With this story, we unpack cultural differences for an audience of grammar school children; we have been working with 3rd and 4th grade teachers to produce a bilingual book that appeals and stimulates both bilingual and monolingual readers and the adults in their lives.
Forthcoming from Chatwin Books in 2024. Contact vmearte@gmail.com for cards, prints, and more information.
