Anakarína Hurtado has experienced firsthand just how powerful a children’s book can be.

She wrote her husband’s account of fleeing Cuba by boat, in the middle of the night, at only 6 years old. Presenting the story in both English and her native Spanish, the title is La Gran Aventura de Gabriel (Gabriel’s Great Adventure). While writing, she was guided by her 4-year-old son for age-appropriate content and Laura Liu, her faculty mentor and IUPUC assistant professor of Education.

On April 11, 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., Hurtado will present her book and student research project developed with her mentor at the IUPUC Office of Student Research exhibition. Hurtado’s is one of 13 projects to be featured at the annual event in the Columbus Learning Center Student Commons.

But that is just one small piece of what Hurtado’s story has grown into, and its influence continues to expand.

She shared La Gran Aventura de Gabriel in a bilingual story time at the Bartholomew County Public Library, and it was featured at the Blackwell Park storywalk. She presented her story at the Bartholomew County Literary Festival and Richards Elementary School’s Multicultural Learning Festival.

Hurtado also shared her book in a Spanish-immersion second-grade classroom, and then guided students to reflect on their own cultures and share their stories with one another.

“We talked about different foods, celebrations and toys, and the students learned a lot from one another,” said Hurtado, who came to the United States from Caracas, Venezuela, when she was 8 years old. “When I was growing up, I felt very different from my classmates. I want to empower kids to embrace who they are and where they come from.”

Liu is leading a multilingual book anthology project that supports parents in developing and sharing stories of their cultures, experiences, and languages with the community as “funds of knowledge,” a concept developed by Luis Moll. Hurtado’s and 14 other bilingual stories by parents in the region will be part of the anthology. The publication is funded by the Bartholomew County Literacy Task Force, directed by Karen Garrity, and will be available on Amazon soon.

Additionally, Liu is supporting the development of lesson plans, as an online reference for teachers, to correspond with each of the 15 stories. The project aims to bridge schools and families, and to build interest and understanding across cultures and languages.

Hurtado and Liu, along with two additional authors featured in the anthology, will present at the Community-Engaged Alliance Council Summit & Research Symposium later this month. They will also present Liu’s study at the American Education Research Association in May.

Hurtado has been surprised but honored at how much interest La Gran Aventura de Gabriel has generated. As a Psychology major in her third year of college, she plans to continue her research and writing.

“I love to hear the stories that are brought forward when you give people, both adults and children, the opportunity to share them,” Hurtado said.