Even with a love of reading and writing, 19-year-old Joy Ugwu never imagined that she would co-author a children’s book over the span of a summer break. Ugwu was born in Jamaica to Nigerian parents, and it was hard for her to envision herself as a published author in America. However, thanks to a publishing house in D.C., Ugwu, along with nine other young adults and teens, were able to write four illustrated children’s books about their experiences as immigrants.

“There’s not a lot of books that showcase or feature people from diverse backgrounds,” said Ugwu, 19, who co-authored Joy-Grace and the Dress Dilemma. “It was really nice to be able to finally make a book that identified with me. The books that I wanted to see when I was younger.”

The book, co-authored by Tseganesh Chala, is about the titular character Joy-Grace and the challenges she faces ahead of Culture Day at school. As a character with Nigerian, Jamaican, and Ethiopian heritage, Joy-Grace finds herself unable to choose a dress to showcase her multicultural background.

“She has to figure out how to navigate that and which culture is the best to choose from for her dress,” said Ugwu. “She comes to the conclusion that all of our cultures are good and she finds a way to combine elements.”

While Ugwu feels that most readers can find a way to relate to Joy-Grace’s conflict, she says the book stands out because it utilizes both authors’ experiences as immigrants.

“It was completely about us,” said Ugwu. “Even though it could be shared by different people, it was unique in that it hadn’t been told from the lens of an immigrant.”

Alexa Patrick, the program director at Shout Mouse Press, says that was intentional when they published the Beyond Borders series late last year. Through participants from the Latin American Youth Center, the program was able to highlight stories for immigrant youth, by immigrant youth.

“There’s not a lot of literature that reflects either the immigrant experience, the experience of young people of color, et cetera. So while they’re in the process, not only does it kind of create a space for them to be more involved in storytelling and reading but it also creates the opportunity for other young people to see themselves in literature,” said Patrick.

With authors who represent eight different countries around the world, Patrick says collaboration is crucial.  With each step of the process – including illustrations – she says they are pushing back on what’s typically thought of as immigrant stories.

“We also work with emerging artists who are mainly from the populations who we are targeting for these projects so that they can represent these cultures accurately,” Patrick added.

Yurieli Otero-Asmar – who illustrated Searching for Sancocho by Jamileth Brito and Mario Serrano – says collaborating with the immigrant youth authors was necessary to not only bring their story to life but also break away from negative stereotypes.

“One feels really good being part of something bigger and allowing them to just have their stories heard and come to life,” said Otero-Asmar, who was born in Puerto Rico and studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art. “Kids will pick this book up and they will see themselves in them and even learn new cultures by bringing in proper representation.”

For Andy Pina, who was born in the Dominican Republic and lived there until he was 14 years-old, the project was an opportunity to showcase each author’s roots.

“It’s not just my own story, it’s the story of my group of friends,” said Pina, 17, who co-authored Jasmín Pictures Home with three others. “You have a combination of four different cultures. We have Honduras, Dominican Republic, Mexico and El Salvador.”

The book follows Jasmín as she struggles with fitting into a new school and country. Eventually, she finds her way after bonding with Hector, Manolito, and Jorge – each one an immigrant like her. Though fictional, Pina says he drew from his own experience to write his character, Manolito.

“We made it for anyone who [knows what it feels] like to be new,” said Pina. “He would be Black like me. He would eat a lot like me. He would like the things that I like too.”

After publishing Jasmín Pictures Home, Pina says he received praise from his mom, friends, and teachers at school. Although the experience was completely new for him, he says holding the physical copy of the book made him feel empowered.

“I feel proud of myself being Black, a published author, and Latino too,” said Pina.

Like Ugwu, Pina says publishing the books exposed him to new possibilities. He says he wants to keep writing, especially if he can collaborate with more people from different countries.