Critical Fictions of Transnationalism in Latinx Children’s Literature

In this essay, we provide an overview of the theories of transnationalism and critical fictions as they relate to children and children’s literature. We define “critical fictions of transnationalism” as texts that position readers across locations and times, making visible contemporary overlapping politics of border crossing, global markets, and cultural production across spaces and its implications for transmigrant communities. We then apply key theoretical elements of transnational literacies in literature to discuss the book Cafecito Story (2001) by Latina feminist author Julia Alvarez. Her books depict children and families whose lives are impacted by transnational markets and international borders.