Summer Surprises
I’M A FINALIST!
THE NSK NEUSTADT PRIZE FOR CHILDREN’S & YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
My first attempt to leave a mark in this world was by carving my name onto the wooden door of our kitchen cabinet in the apartment we lived in. ULUL, it read. My father asked me who had done this, and I played innocent to no avail. After all, who else but a four-year-old would have inverted the letters of her name?
I grew up on a beautiful island devoid of public libraries. I did not have access to the amazing array of picture books any child growing up in the United States has. But there were a few children’s books in Spanish, published in Argentina, that my grandmother gave me. These books with yellowed tattered pages and taped spines have been my decades-long companions.
Abuela Elena also nurtured my love of art. She used to give me blank pages on which to draw when I was a toddler. One day I discovered that she was piling my drawings in a corner of her closet. To witness this pile grow taller than myself, made me proud, so I kept drawing.
Eventually, I knew that I would become an artist. What I did not know is that I would become an illustrator of children’s books. And I never dreamed of becoming a writer. To write books in a language other than my mother tongue? It’s been quite the journey, I’d say.
So, yes, I’m humbled and honored to be one of nine finalists for this prestigious international prize. You can learn more about the Laureates, Jurors, and Finalists here.
LOVE FOR VEO, VEO, I SEE YOU!
Veo, Veo, I See You has been recently selected as an Américas Award Recommended Title and a Skipping Stones Honor Book. Both awards give weight to books that can be used in the classroom.
Oh, I love to listen to the responses children give me when at the end of my school sessions on this title I ask: who is essential in your school community and why?
I’m currently booking for the 2024-2025 school calendar. Plan your bilingual author visit today!
SPOT THE PICTURE!
I’m thrilled to have art included in Pictures at Play: Metafiction in Art at the Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Can you spot my illustration for Turning Pages by Sonia Sotomayor on the walls? Learn more about this and other museum offerings here.
