Book Review: No Place to Bury the Dead by Karina Sainz Borgo

Many tragic stories show their characters fighting to save hope. They suffer throughout their journey in a failed attempt to achieve happiness. Although labeled a tragedy, Karina Sainz Borgo’s novel does something unexpected: starting the story with complete hopelessness. If characters have lost all hope, what is left in their journey? The answer lies in Sainz Borgo’s slow-burning narrative that describes a world so hostile that there’s No Place to Bury the Dead.

The reader follows Angustias Romero’s journey through her eyes as she leaves the eastern mountains of an unnamed Latin American country with her husband and newborn twins to reach Mezquite. Right on the first few pages, readers learn two important things: a plague that attacks memory has spread throughout the country, which is why they left their home, and the twins die during their migration. Carrying her sons’ bodies in two shoeboxes, Angustias and her husband arrive at their destination wishing to find a place to bury their children. Meanwhile, the tension between them keeps growing as her husband becomes victim of the plague. 

In Mezquite, she hears about Visitación Salazar, a woman who buries people for free in an illegal cemetery people call “The Third Country.” After finally giving her children a place to eternally rest, her husband disappears; therefore, from the beginning of the story, our main character has lost everything that is dear to her. A grieving Angustias decides to become Visitación’s assistant so she could stay near her sons’ grave, but life in Mezquite can prove dangerous since the place is ruled by landowner Alcides Abundio and “the irregulars,” a mercenary group. They both reign a godless kingdom through unmeasured violence and corruption, a kingdom of death and desperation. 

“ ...the narrative accelerates in such a way that it is impossible to put the book down until you reach its ending.”

The narration is detailed yet distant. Angustias remains observant but desensitized to the horrors she witnesses, a coldness that can only be felt by those who have lost everything like she did. Still, the reader gets a good sense of the aridness of this place and its people. Sainz Borgo’s use of nature and rich descriptive language set the overall mood of the novel, making the reader feel the dread her characters are experiencing. Each chapter ends with a powerful image that portrays Angustias’s state of mind and sets the tone for the next one. 

The novel moves slowly because the focus isn’t the plot, but the atmosphere that the author so carefully crafted. However, near the end, unexpected tragedy after tragedy follows Angustias and the people of Mezquite, mimicking how life can change within minutes. With this, the narrative accelerates in such a way that it is impossible to put the book down until you reach its ending. Although the setting remains cruel and eerie, subtle changes in Angustias’s narration make readers wonder if there is space for hope in such a somber world. 

In this novel, Sainz Borgo greatly portrays grief and hopelessness, giving us a main character who has lost everything at the beginning of the story.  What can be left for someone who has given up all hope already? No Place to Bury the Dead shows what comes after losing it all, making it a painful yet necessary read. 

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

Author Q&A: ‘Desert Song’ by Laekan Zea Kemp and Illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández

In the opening of the picture book, Desert Song, readers are brought into the harsh yet gorgeous desert landscape. A greater roadrunner looks into the distance, at the red-orange sun as it sets. There’s a row of distinct plants – prickly pear cacti among them. And nearby is a comfortable-looking house with a porch swing.

“The sun rules in the desert, telling us when to rise and when to sleep,” writes author Laekan Zea Kemp. “The sun sits atop the mountain while cracklings snap and hiss on the stove.”

Desert Song brings forth a story about the music that hums over one Texas desert night. The coyotes, cicadas and giant barn owls begin their song. And soon, the family in the big home joins in with music of their own. There’s Uncle Eduardo who drums his hands against his jeans, and the main character’s sister, Esme, who plays her maracas. Desert Song is both tender and larger-than-life; about the harmony between animals and humans, as well as the ancestral connections. Illustrations by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández are very detailed and breathe even more life to this story set in the desert.

Kemp spoke with Latinx in Publishing about the inspiration behind Desert Song (out now from Neal Porter Books), being in tune with nature, and more. Desert Song also has a Spanish-language edition that was simultaneously published, titled Canción del desierto.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo: Congratulations on Desert Song. What inspired this story?

Laekan Zea Kemp (LZK): With Desert Song, I really wanted to write a story about the feeling that I used to get (while) sitting on my grandparents’ back porch and looking up at the sky. They lived in a really small town, out in the country. West Texas is sort of known for our big skies and endless horizons. So originally, I just wanted to capture that feeling. But I wasn’t really sure how to construct a story around that. I was like, I think I need something a bit more dynamic. 

And so even though I was never in a family band growing up, my partner was. And so I took inspiration from that to create the musical component, and have this family band become part of those natural desert sounds until they form this sort of symphony together.

AC: You begin this story by stating that the “sun rules in the desert.” I love this line. When people think of a desert, oftentimes what comes to mind is dry, barren land due in large part to the sun. What made you want to start Desert Song with this bold declaration about the sun?

LZK: I think I wanted to establish, from the beginning, that this is a family that is very in tune with nature. They respect it, they take their cues from nature and really see themselves a part of it, as much as the other animals and plant life that are in the desert. And because the animals and plants in the desert are really subjected to the sun’s rule – I mean it really does impact everything about their lives and survival – I just wanted that line to set the tone for how this family follows these rhythms and cycles of nature as well.

AC: Your book is a very sensory tale, with words that describe sounds and the mention of different musical instruments. Readers will see how animals join the main character and his family’s song. What message do you want to send about the relationship between humans and animals through this book? 

LZK: I think it really goes back to that first line about the sun. I just really wanted to send the message that we are a part of nature. And more importantly, we’re not here to rule nature. We’re not just here to use it up as a resource. We’re here to commune with it. So as the sounds of the desert and the music the family is playing sort of become one over the course of the story, it’s meant to be this metaphor for being in harmony with the world around us. And how important and beautiful that is.

AC: In the book it is revealed that the family plays music for a very good reason. No spoilers, but it did make me think about one’s place in the world. It’s something that you address in your author’s note. Can you tell us more about that?

LZK: It’s kind of funny. I have several picture books forthcoming next year and the year after. And something that I realized as I’ve been talking about and promoting this particular book, is that I’m sort of a one-trick pony when it comes to picture books. [Laughs] I did not really do this on purpose, but I tend to write a lot about ancestors – especially in picture books. And just encouraging children to see themselves as part of something much larger. 

I think with Desert Song, just like this family band’s performance is an homage to their ancestors, this story was really an homage to mine and how I really do feel like they’re with me when I’m creating. And how, more than anything, I just really want my art to honor them and make them proud. It’s something I think about a lot, which is why I think it comes up in my work so much. It’s something that just gives me a great sense of responsibility, in terms of making sure that I live a fruitful life that will hopefully leave the world better than I found it. I just hope the story encourages readers to think of themselves as part of a legacy like that. And to remember that their life is adding another chapter to their own family’s history, and therefore it’s important to make it a good one.

“ I think the heart of this story is really the fact that we are not alone. Like I said, we are all part of something much bigger. And I really hope leaders feel encouraged to tap into that connection and the power that comes with it.”

AC: How did you feel about the illustrations by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández and what do you think they added to the text?

LZK: They’re breathtaking, first and foremost. When it comes to picture books, one of my favorite parts of the entire process is being surprised by what the illustrator comes up with. I prefer to go in with zero expectations. I really don’t feel the need to be involved in that process at all. So I knew Beatriz was going to do an amazing job, but I was still blown away by the final product.

Not to get too technical, but I think one of the things that allows the text and the art to work so well together is not just the strengths of the text and the strengths of the illustrations, but also the choices that Beatriz and the design team made in terms of paginating – which is where you decide what text goes on what page and how scenes should be broken up to make room for the art, to provide that support or fill in those gaps. 

Personally, I don’t paginate when I’m writing. I write, especially picture books, more like a poem. I break things up into stanzas and then let the illustrator and design team make those choices. I think the magic lies a lot in those page turns, and the choices that were made there – and how those choices make the world expand over the course of those page turns. There’s just like this build-up in the illustrations until you get to this very awe-inspiring spread that shows the characters looking up at their ancestors in the sky. It’s just so moving and beautiful. I think this is a book that, if you like picture books that feel more like art pieces or something that feels like a collectible piece of art, this is a perfect book for you.

AC: What do you hope readers take away from Desert Song?

LZK: Because these messages are for children, I really hope that they feel powerful when they read Desert Song. I also hope that it makes them feel loved, and that could be by their ancestors, their families, even the world around them. I also hope it makes them curious about their connections to those things, and what they can do to make those connections stronger – whether that’s going on a walk in nature, or cooking a meal with the people they love, or just speaking to their ancestors more often when they need guidance. I think the heart of this story is really the fact that we are not alone. Like I said, we are all part of something much bigger. And I really hope leaders feel encouraged to tap into that connection and the power that comes with it.

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Laekan Zea Kemp is a writer living in Austin, Texas. She is the author of Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet, a 2022 Pura Belpré Honor recipient, and several novels, as well as a picture book, A Crown for Corina. She has three objectives when it comes to storytelling: to make people laugh, cry, and crave Mexican food. Her work celebrates Chicana grit, resilience, creativity, and joy while exploring themes of identity and mental health.

Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández is an illustrator and animator born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. She graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Communications Design and lived in Brooklyn, New York, for several years. She is the illustrator of Dreams from Many Rivers, written by Margarita Engle, and the author and illustrator of Benito Juárez Fights for Justice. She splits her time between New York and Mexico.

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family.

7 Latinx Short Story Collections

In the words of iconic Isabel Allende: “A short story is like an arrow; it has to have the right direction from the beginning, and you have to know exactly where you're aiming.” Short stories are contained and have a clear purpose, making them one of the most difficult forms of writing. Again and again, Latinx authors have demonstrated their mastery at telling cuentos and we have a whole list to prove it!

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle | Translated by Heather Houde

The visceral, wildly imaginative stories in Bad Seed flick through working-class scenes of contemporary Puerto Rico, where friends and lovers melt into and defy their surroundings—nightclubs, ruined streets, cramped rooms with cockroaches moving in the walls. A horny high schooler spends his summer break in front of the TV; a queer love triangle unravels on the emblematic theater steps of the University of Puerto Rico; a group of friends get high and watch San Juan burn from atop a clocktower; an HIV positive college student works the night shift at a local bathhouse. At turns playful and heartbreaking, Bad Seed is the long overdue English-language debut of one of Puerto Rico’s most exciting up-and-coming writers. 

I'm a Fool to Want You by Camila Sosa Villada | Translated by Kit Maude

In the 1990s, a woman makes a living as a rental girlfriend for gay men. In a Harlem den, a travesti gets to know none other than Billie Holiday. A group of rugby players haggle over the price of a night of sex, and in return they get what they deserve. Nuns, grandmothers, children, and dogs are never what they seem…

These 9 stories are inhabited by extravagant and profoundly human characters who face an ominous reality in ways as strange as themselves. I’m a Fool to Want You confirms that Camila Sosa Villada is one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. With her daring imagination, she can speak the language of a victim of the Mexican Inquisition, or create a dystopian universe where travestis take their revenge. With her unique style, Sosa Villada blends everyday life and magic, honoring the oral tradition with unparalleled fluency.

My Chicano Heart by Daniel A. Olivas

My Chicano Heart is a collection of author Daniel A. Olivas’s favorite previously published tales about love, along with five new stories, that explore the complex, mysterious, and occasionally absurd machinations of people who simply want to be appreciated and treasured. Readers will encounter characters who scheme, search, and flail in settings that are sometimes fantastical and other times mundane: a man who literally gives his heart to his wife who keeps it beating safely in a wooden box; a woman who takes a long-planned trip through New Mexico but, mysteriously, without the company of her true love; a lonely man who gains a remarkably compatible roommate who may or may not be real—just to name a few of the memorable and often haunting characters who fill these pages. Olivas’s richly realized stories are frequently infused with his trademark humor, and readers will delight in—and commiserate with—his lovestruck characters. 

Each story is drawn from Olivas’s nearly twenty-five years of experience writing fiction deeply steeped in Chicano and Mexican culture. Some of the stories are fanciful and full of magic, while others are more realistic, and still others border on noir. All touch upon that most ephemeral and confounding of human emotions: love in all its wondrous forms.

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr.

An ordinary man wakes one morning to discover he’s a famous reggaetón star. An aging abuela slowly morphs into a marionette puppet. A struggling academic discovers the horrifying cost of becoming a Self-Made Man.

In There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven, Ruben Reyes Jr. conjures strange dreamlike worlds to explore what we would do if we woke up one morning and our lives were unrecognizable. Boundaries between the past, present, and future are blurred. Menacing technology and unchecked bureaucracy cut through everyday life with uncanny dread. The characters, from mango farmers to popstars to ex-guerilla fighters to cyborgs, are forced to make uncomfortable choices—choices that not only mean life or death, but might also allow them to be heard in a world set on silencing the voices of Central Americans.

Blazing with heart, humor, and inimitable style, There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven subverts everything we think we know about migration and its consequences, capturing what it means to take up a new life—whether willfully or forced—with piercing and brilliant clarity. A gifted new storyteller and trailblazing stylist, Reyes not only transports to other worlds but alerts us to the heartache and injustice of our own.

Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda | Translated by Heather Cleary and Julia Sanches

“Life’s a bitch. That’s why you gotta rattle her cage, even if she’s foaming at the mouth.” In the linked stories of Reservoir Bitches, thirteen Mexican women prod the bitch that is Life and become her. From the all-powerful daughter of a cartel boss to the victim of transfemicide, from a houseful of spinster seamstresses to a socialite who supports her politician husband by faking Indigenous roots, these women spit on their own reduction and invent new ways to endure, telling their own stories in bold, unapologetic voices. At once a work of dark humor and social critique, Reservoir Bitches is a raucous debut from one of Mexico’s most thrilling new writers.

The Only Sound Is the Wind by Pascha Sotolongo

In the tradition of narrativa de lo inusual (narrative of the unusual), The Only Sound Is the Wind combines the fantastic with the everyday, weaving elements of magical realism and surrealist twists to sharpen our view of human (and animal) connection. In the title story, the arrival of a mail-order clone complicates a burgeoning romance; a lonely librarian longing for her homeland strikes up an unusual relationship in the award-winning “The Moth”; when humans start giving birth to puppies and kittens in “This New Turn,” a realignment of the natural order ensues. With a playful tenderness and satirical bent, The Only Sound Is the Wind explores solitude and communion, opening strange new worlds where characters try to make their way toward love.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.

Lima lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil where they’ll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of people who are not dead. Once there, she speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences–of ambition, fear, longing, and belonging—and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.

With humor, an exquisite imagination, and a voice praised as “singular and wise and fresh” (Cathy Park Hong), Lima joins the literary lineage of Bulgakov and Lispector and the company of writers today like Ted Chiang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil includes: “Rapture,” “Ghost Story,” “Tropicália,” “Antropógaga,” “Idle Hands,” “Rent,” “Porcelain,” “Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory,” and “Hasselblad.”

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

5 Latinx Books That Portray Neurodiversity

There’s still much work to be done when it comes to diversifying books, but we have come a long way. Lately, more and more stories represent characters of different skin tones, bodies, and brains. To embrace and support diversity in publishing, check out these Latinx books that celebrate neurodiversity.

Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia | Illustrated by Julie Kwon

Pedro and Daniel are Mexican-American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mom doesn’t like that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father, that Daniel plays with dolls, that neither of the boys love sports like the other kids in their neighborhood. Life at home can be rough – but the boys have an unshakable bond that will last their entire lives.

Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel – illustrated with beautiful linework throughout by Julie Kwon – that spans from childhood to teenage years to adulthood, all the while tracing the lives of two brothers who are there for each other when no one else is. Together the brothers manage an abusive home life, school, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS epidemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers—despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis’s attention soon turns to something more, and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no. 

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker that eventually leads her to a group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done. 

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla | Illustrated by Tania de Regil

Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness.

At school, there’s a new girl who is immediately popular, but she’s also not very nice to one person—Isabel.

Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel like worry-moths that flutter in her belly. With every passing day, they seem to get stronger and stronger. How can Invisible Isabel make people listen? 

Into the Mighty Sea by Arlene Abundis | Illustrated by Cynthia Alonso

Mariel’s family is a big POP of color! But when her tíos, tías, and cousins arrive for her hermanito’s birthday party, their many besos, noises, and colors start to feel overwhelming. As Mariel’s tears grow into an ocean, she paints a boat to stay afloat and dives into the mighty sea.

When an island calls to her through the swells, she discovers sights, smells, and sounds on its shores that bring back memories of the people she loves the most to guide her back home.

Beautifully illustrated and lyrically written, Into the Mighty Sea is about a girl with big emotions who learns that sometimes taking a step back can be exactly what you need.

Malicia by Steven dos Santos

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own reasons:

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

Author Q&A: ‘Eloísa’s Musical Window’ by Margarita Engle and Illustrated by John Parra

In Eloísa’s Musical Window, we meet a young girl in a white dress and chancletas – with dark, chin-length hair adorned in a red bow. Her name is Eloísa, and she adores music.

But, as award-winning author Margarita Engle writes, Eloísa’s family was so poor that they could not afford a radio of their own. So Eloísa spends much of her time at home, by the window, listening to the music that floats in from a neighbor’s house. Adding to this music are the natural, wild melodies all around her Cuban town – from parrots and doves to songbirds.

The music is enough to make Eloísa want to dance, but she is shy. Unlike her Mamá, who would have gone outside to move to the rhythms. But Eloísa’s mother is sick with a mysterious illness.

Out now from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Eloísa’s Musical Window is a tenderhearted story about a girl and her family finding joy in music. Featuring gorgeous illustrations by John Parra, the picture book was inspired by stories from Engle’s mother.

Engle spoke with Latinx in Publishing about her mother, who she dedicated Eloísa’s Musical Window to, writing about Cuba, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo: Congratulations on Eloísa’s Musical Window. I understand it is based on stories your mother told you. Can you tell us more about her?

Margarita Engle (ME): She’s 94 now and she has advanced Alzheimer’s at this point, so this was probably the last story about her childhood that she told me before she got very sick. 

She was born in the town of Trinidad, on the south central coast of Cuba. It’s a very old-fashioned town that has been preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site. When my mother was a teenager, National Geographic had an article with photographs of her town. And my father, who was an artist in Los Angeles, saw the photographs and decided he wanted to go paint there. So he traveled to that town, which was actually very hard to reach at the time. They met on his first day there, which happened to be Valentine’s Day. And they fell in love and got married, even though they couldn’t speak the same language. They were married over 70 years. They moved to Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. 

I had a chance to visit her relatives during the summers when I was a child, until the Cuban Missile Crisis. Then, of course, travel restrictions divided the family. I didn’t get to go back until I was an adult, but I have gone back many times since then. 

When my mother talked about not being able to afford a radio, I’d known she was raised poor, but I didn’t realize it was poor enough in the 1930s to not be able to afford a radio. I knew that her mother had malaria. My grandmother – who lived until 104 – had recurring malaria throughout her life. And my grandfather, even though I never had a chance to meet him because he died young, raised pigeons in their courtyard garden. I didn’t realize until my mother told me this story that the pigeons were for pigeon soup, which was the prescription for a malaria cure at the time…

The happy part of this story was that my mother listened to the neighbor’s music. Eventually, street performers started to practice in front of that window and she was able to hear the live music. That just struck me as such a beautiful thing to focus on. This was right after the pandemic that she was telling me this story, and so it was very fresh in my mind of what it feels like to be stuck indoors and that she had this wonderful way of listening to music. 

I visualized the story with the animals because, at that time, I knew my great-uncle was a dairy farmer and would take the cow from window to window to deliver fresh milk. I thought those kinds of things would be fun for children now, to imagine a kind of old-fashioned style of life.

AC: There’s something so vivid about that scene, and it kicks off the story and all the other natural sounds and music Eloísa hears. How did you determine which sounds would filter in through your character’s window?

ME: I just kind of visualized and listened to the town in my mind. I know this town very well, and they still use a lot of horses and donkeys there because of the severe fuel shortages in Cuba. The streets are cobblestone, so the clip-clop of horses’ hooves on the street is very typical. They don’t deliver the milk by leading the cows through town anymore, but there’s still lots of little dogs and cats. 

I love the way John Parra, the illustrator, added a little green bird that follows the girl on every page of this book. It was just a treat to see how he would illustrate it. I had already written the sounds in, and he added his own touches.

AC: You dedicate the book to your mother. What was it like to work on this book with her in mind?

ME: As we were approaching publication, I knew that there was a chance she might not understand that it was really about her. But when it came out, I read her the Spanish edition and she really enjoyed it and got excited. At first she understood that she was the girl in the story. But a few minutes later, she had forgotten that, so I could start over and she’d enjoy it again. Whether she continues to remember that this is about her or not, I do know that she enjoys it.

One of the interesting things about Alzheimer’s is that music is the last memory to be lost. So songs and music from her childhood are still very much able to cheer her up, and give her a chance to interact in a way that conversation might not.

AC: Eloísa’s Musical Window is the latest addition to your many works rooted in Cuba. What message do you want to give about the country itself through this book? 

ME: I wanted the reader to be left with a sense of joy, of fun and of the beauty of music. And also with empathy for someone who is poor and can’t afford something. I think children now might not be able to relate to the idea of a radio because they get music from so many other sources, but I’m sure they can visualize not having the latest model computer, or the latest video game. There might be children who don’t have a phone or a laptop available to them, so they don’t always have access to everything that their friends are talking about. But the joy comes first, and the empathy might be for a slightly older child. I really wanted just that fun of the rhythms and the lyrical language of poetry, because I think of poetry as music.

“One of the interesting things about Alzheimer’s is that music is the last memory to be lost. So songs and music from her childhood are still very much able to cheer her up, and give her a chance to interact in a way that conversation might not.”

AC: I love that photo of your mother in the book. What did you think about how John illustrated her for the story? 

ME: It’s wonderful. It’s perfect. She had that little short haircut, and kind of a mischievous face in that photo. There’s actually about 100 people in that picture. There was a big family group at a picnic, and they had taken a photo of a whole bunch of people. My great-grandmother is standing behind her in the part that you see in the book. But that cat that she’s holding, she’s smiling because she had just grabbed it away from a little boy sitting there in front of her. He doesn’t show up in the picture here, but he was crying.

AC: No wonder she had that look on her face.

ME: She was quite mischievous, yes.

AC: What do you hope readers take away from Eloísa’s Musical Window?

ME: The joy and the empathy were the first things I thought of, but at the end of the book there’s also a couple of pages about Cuban musical instruments. I thought it might be something that would help them be curious about Caribbean music – not just Cuban music. And they might listen to some music and learn about the different instruments. If they had a chance, they might even try to play some drums or maracas.

I hope that everybody enjoys poetry as a form of music. I hope that any teachers who use this book will help the children enjoy poetry as a form of music, by asking them how it makes them feel rather than getting them to try and analyze it in any way. Especially with young children, I think it’s just for fun.

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Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of many verse novels, including Wild Dreamers, long listed for the National Book Award, and The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor Book. Other awards include Pura Belpré Medals, Walter Honors, Américas Awards, Jane Addams Award, PEN U.S.A., and the NSK Neustadt Prize. Margarita served as the national 2017-2019 Young People’s Poet Laureate. Her most recent picture book is Eloísa’s Musical Window, and her next verse novel is Island Creatures. Margarita was born in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to her mother’s homeland during childhood summers with relatives on the island. She studied agronomy and botany along with creative writing, and now lives in central California with her entomologist husband and soccer playing Border Collie.

John Parra’s illustrations for Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, written by Monica Brown, earned the book a New York Times Best Illustrated Book designation. He also illustrated Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Thong, which received a Pura Belpré Honor and the Américas Book Award: Commended; Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, which won the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration and was a Bank Street Best Book of the year; and Hey, Wall, by Susan Verde, which School Library Journal called “a must-purchase” in a starred review. Learn more at JohnParraArt.com.

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family.

Best Books of 2024 According to Latinx in Publishing

It was another amazing year for books by Latinx authors, and while it's hard to choose a favorite, we did! Here are our picks for best books of the year. We hope this list will inspire you to pick up these books and to share with the people in your life your favorite titles of 2024

First in the Family by Jessica Hoppe | Adult Nonfiction

"Here is Jessica Hoppe's first book, a  memoir in which she dives deep into herself and her story, her family's, substance use and AA; writing as a Latina from a place of a recovery after navigating the spaces that did not have our people in mind. It's edgy, it's tough, it's funny (one look at her and you know this checks out). I'll read anything and everything with a voice like hers." —Andrea Morales, Fellowship and Writers Mentorship Co-Director

Every Arc Bends Its Radian by Sergio De La Pava | ADULT FICTION

"This Philo major and crime fiction editor with very little time for pleasure reading gobbled up this funny and mind-blowing story about a philosopher/poet/private eye in search of a young woman in Cali, Colombia. Fast-paced, immersive, and inventive, this novel takes you on a wild ride." —Toni Kirkpatrick, Chair

Bird of Four Hundred Voices: A Mexican American Memoir of Music and Belonging by Eugene Rodriguez | ADULT NONFICTION

"Eugene Rodriguez grew up in a California barrio where music education had a formal format and no Mexican representation. What is a boy captivated by music to do? He grows up and forms his own band (Los Cenzontles, The Mockingbirds), and teaches Bay Area youth to discover their musical traditions. Los Cenzontles journey from California to Mexico to resurrect a lost mariachi tradition, and go on to collaborate with luminaries like Linda Ronstadt, Lalo Guerrero, Jackson Browne, Flaco Jimenez and Los Lobos. This memoir is a celebration of one man's pride in his Mexican musical traditions and his triumphant persistence to transcend borders."--Maria Ferrer, Events Director

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar | YOUNG ADULT FICTION

"This coming-of-age story of a queer artist growing up in 2017 Honduras is a reminder of what unites the Latinx communities. Flores Zaldívar’s emotionally charged storytelling leaves a long-lasting impact on whoever reads their work, on whoever grew up or knows someone who grew up in Latin America's unforgiving summers, too-often blackouts, warm family dinners, colorful sceneries, and corrupt governments. It is such genuine work that it is impossible not to fall in love, laugh, and suffer with the characters."---Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares, Intern

LOTERÍA REMEDIOS: Soulful Remedies & Affirmations from Mexican Lotería by Xelena González, illustrated by Jose Sotelo Yamasaki

Playing Lotería (Mexican bingo) with family and friends is taken to a creative new level as storyteller Xelena González shares the meanings and remedios of the cards. It's such fun to read as favorites are drawn -- La Bota, El Gallo, La Luna, La Sirena all there to spark conversation and reflection while playing the classic game. —Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Fellowship Co-Director

Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez | ADULT NONFICTION

This title was my most anticipated read for the year and Prisca did not disappoint. As someone who is extremely close to her cousins and aunties, it was so heartwarming to recognize the women I love in each chapter, shedding light to the qualities and circumstances that make them who they are. Bonus points if you read it with your primas!—Ruddy Lopez, Communications Co-Director

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez | ADULT FICTION

I loved this book because it explores a very confusing time in life where you’re expected to be an adult while learning the reality of the real world. The dual timeline of Anita de Monte and Raquel was a creative way to explore misogyny in the past and present. 

“Human will is a particularly powerful magic. Alchemy happens when a person truly decides something; when a mind is changed” - Xóchitl Gonzalez 

“And that revelation sparked one that was even more painful: the reason that Raquel subconsciously believed that Nick knew “better” than her was that it was Nick’s point of view that had been affirmed and internalized by the white walls of every museum or gallery they had ever been told was worth looking at.”

—Mariana Felix-Kim, Communications Co-Director

7 Winter Holiday Books by Latinx Authors and Illustrators

It is the holiday season, at last. Around the globe, communities celebrate their traditions with delicious food, vibrant colors, and family gatherings. It is a time of unity. To accompany you and your loved ones this season, check out these books about the many winter holidays that make this the most wonderful time of the year.

The Last Tamale by Orlando Mendiola | Illustrated by Teresa Martinez

It’s the best day of the year—tamale day. Luis and his family have been making and eating tamales all day. But when Luis, Jacob, and Letty all want the last tamale, there's only one way to choose a winner...

A TAMALE BATTLE!

Round one: Dance Battle. Round Two: Lucha Libre Match. Round Three: Arm Wrestle with Abuelita.

Who will get the last tamale?

A celebration of family, food, and friendly competition, readers will be hungry for The Last Tamale! Perfect for fans of Paletero Man and Friday Night Wrestle Fest. 

Why We Celebrate Chinese New Year: Everything to Know about Your Favorite Holiday by Eugenia Chu | Illustrated by Javiera Mac-lean

Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is a holiday that marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. It's one of the most celebrated holidays in China and around the world! Learn all about the history, traditions, food, and more with this book of facts and activities that encourage you to join in on the fun.

So many ways to get festive—Discover how Chinese New Year is celebrated around the globe with fireworks, dragon dances, parades, gifts, and beyond!

Celebrate at home—Kids will explore Chinese New Year customs with included activities like making Chinese Dumplings and Paper Chinese Lanterns.

Fascinating facts and pictures—Vibrant illustrations and kid-friendly language help bring Chinese New Year to life.

Discover Why We Celebrate Chinese New Year!

La Noche Before Three Kings Day by Sheila Colón-Bagley | Illustrated by Alejandro Mesa

It’s almost Three Kings Day, and while the grownups prepare a large meal, the kids prepare their shoe boxes for los Reyes to arrive later that night. Will they stay up late enough to wish the Kings a Feliz Día de los Reyes? Or will the magic pass them by?

Sing along with a great big familia as they fill up their platos, play their favorite juegos, and wait for the three kings and regalitos to arrive.  

This enchanting celebration of a beloved holiday is brought to life through lively rhyming dual-lingual text by Sheila Colón-Bagley with festive illustrations from Alejandro Mesa. 

Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello

City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive season. She and her boyfriend are on a break and the last thing she wants is to spend Christmas away from London. Dragged to Saiyan Hedge Farm by her mother, Tia takes an instant dislike to the countryside estate. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How can she stalk her ex and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back from here?

Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in town—the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success while recovering from his own devastating breakup. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye—until they realize they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up appearances and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?

It's Navidad, El Cucuy!: A Bilingual Christmas by Donna Barba Higuera | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

Ramón is a little boy who can't wait for Navidad.

El Cucuy is the friendly monster who lives in Ramón's bedroom. He's not so sure that Christmas is for him. The lights are too bright, and the snowman is scary!

So if El Cucuy is hesitant to embrace the holiday cheer, then Ramón will have to bring the spirit of Navidad to him.

A tender, heartwarming story about facing the unknown with a friend by your side, this companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! explores the magic of the holidays and coming together as a community.

May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart | Illustrated by Loris Lora

“What is the recipe?” I ask.
Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.”

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

A Very Mexican Christmas by Carmen Boullosa, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Carlos Fuentes, Laura Esquivel, Amparo Dávila, Sandra Cisneros

This seventh installment in our popular Very Christmas series is a celebration of the Mexican Yuletide spirit. Replete with mouthwatering Nochebuena meals, mysterious felines, multi-colored boxes, marvelous sweet rolls, and many a bedside tale, A Very Mexican Christmas is sure to delight, warm, and astonish by turns. You’ll find spellbinding work by some of Mexico’s most important writers, including Carlos Fuentes, bestselling Laura Esquivel, and other contemporary favorites like Amparo Dávila, Sandra Cisneros, Fabio Morábito, and Carmen Boullosa, as well as fresh translations of classics by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Amado Nervo, and Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. Get a glimpse of how Christmas is done in a land of no snow, as well as among Mexicans living north of the border, with this sparkling assortment of literary gems that will guarantee a very feliz Navidad.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

7 Cozy Books About Abuelos y Abuelas

We love them. Our abuelos y abuelas do so much for our families; they are always there to cook us warm meals, tell us stories, and take care of us. To show them gratitude, check out these Latinx books that honor grandparents. Read these to them or remember them through the pages.

Los plátanos son amor by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris | Illustrated by Mariyah Rahman

Abuela dice, “Los plátanos son amor.”
Yo pensé que eran comida.
Pero Abuela dice que nos alimentan de más de una manera.

Con cada explosión de los tostones, puré de mangú y chisporroteo de los maduros, una niña aprende que los plátanos son su historia, son su cultura y, lo más importante, son amor.

A Maleta Full of Treasures by Natalia Sylvester | Illustrated by Juana Medina

It’s been three years since Abuela’s last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail—from Abuela’s maletas full of candies in crinkly wrappers and gifts from primos to the sweet, earthy smell of Peru that floats out of Abuela’s room and down the hall. But Abuela’s visit can’t last forever, and all too soon she’s packing her suitcases again. Then Dulce has an idea: maybe there are things she can gather for her cousins and send with Abuela to remind them of the U.S. relatives they’ve never met. And despite having to say goodbye, Abuela has one more surprise for Dulce—something to help her remember that home isn’t just a place, but the deep-rooted love they share no matter the distance.

Abuelita’s Gift: A Día de Muertos Story by Mariana Ríos Ramírez | Illustrated by Sara Palacios

Julieta is excited for Abuelita’s spirit to visit on Día de los Muertos. She is determined to find the perfect gift to honor Abuelita and to show how much she misses her. However, her ideas fail one by one and Julieta grows worried.

It is only when Julieta embraces the memories she once shared with her abuelita, that she realizes the perfect gift comes from the heart. An uplifting story about both life and death, family, and the threads that connect us, long after we are gone.

Gathering Stardust by Victor Villaseñor | Illustrated by Jack Wiens

"Who are You? Who am I? Who are We?" the book begins as Victor invites the reader, "Come and take my hand, and let us be children once again, and this time be raised up together by my Yaqui Native American grandmother."

In his book, Rain of Gold, bestselling author Villase or wrote about his grandmother, Do a Guadalupe. Now, in his new book, Victor imparts the Native Wisdom he learned from his grandmother as he takes you along on their childhood adventures in the Barrio of Carlsbad, California, where he and his family lived.

Through enchanting storytelling and the stunning illustrations of Jack Wiens, Gathering StarDust is a tender true story, destined to become a favorite, inspiring wonder for readers of all ages and timeless imagination for generations to come.

Abuelo's Flower Shop by Jackie Morera | Illustrated by Deise Lino

Elena is finally old enough to sell flowers with her abuelo in his shop. But she notices that many of the people who visit have tears in their eyes. Abuelo tells her the shop is the last stop before people visit the garden beyond the gate. A place for telling the ones you've loved and lost, "Te recuerdo y te extraño," I remember you, and I miss you.

Tender and insightful, Abuelo's Flower Shop celebrates the beauty of intergenerational love while gently teaching readers about grieving the loss of a loved one. Grandparents and grandchildren will delight in Elena and Abuelo's heartfelt relationship, and readers of all ages will be inspired to find their own ways to say, "I remember you, and I miss you." This thoughtful story is the perfect resource for navigating difficult conversations about grief.

Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz | Illustrated by Carlos Vélez

Luna and her little brother, Sol, are out to solve a mystery! They suspect that their grandmother uses magic to create her remedies because she says that she uses a “magic” ingredient.

At the beginning of the story Luna and Sol catch colds so their grandmother makes a healing soup. Luna overhears Nana singing a classic Spanish children’s song about frog tails while cooking the soup, so Luna secretly thinks that frogs are the magic ingredient. The children explore the enchanted garden in search of frogs until it is time to eat, in which Nana reveals the real secret ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

This sweet semi-bilingual story includes a seek-and-find of traditional plants used in curanderismo and includes the recipe for Nana’s magic soup!

Written by renowned healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita is inspired the author’s grandmother, who was a curandera (a traditional healer of Mexican heritage).

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me by Ismée Williams | Illustrated by Tatiana Gardel

When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In winter, they stand on the cliff and let the sea spray prick their noses and cheeks. No matter the season, hot or cold, their favorite place to spend time together is the beach.

It’s here that Abuelo is able to open up about his youth in Havana, Cuba. As they walk along the sand, he recalls the tastes, sounds, and smells of his childhood. And with his words, Cuba comes alive for his grandchild.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

How Cynthia Harmony and Devon Holzwarth Brought Readers ‘A Flicker of Hope’

In the opening of A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration, a girl named Lucía sits with her Papá on the steps of their home, surrounded by lush plants. Nearby, monarchs perch on the branches of a tree.

Humming Lucía’s favorite tune, her father tells her that songs soothe weeping hearts. Soon he will journey north. The monarch butterflies will, too.

Lucía asks her father if he will come back.

“Sí, mi amor,” he promises. “When the weather turns cold and the monarcas return, our winged ancestors will guide me home.”

Written by Cynthia Harmony and illustrated by Devon Holzwarth, A Flicker of Hope (out now from Viking Books for Young Readers) is a lovingly crafted story about a girl waiting for her father to return home to Mexico from his seasonal farm work far away. It’s also about the monarch butterflies and their journey, “miles and miles across rivers and mountains,” in search of milkweed blossoms. And at its heart, it’s a story about family, hope, and the bonds that tie us to nature. A Spanish version — Un Aleteo de Esperanza — is also out now.

Harmony masterfully captures a parallel between the story of Lucía’s father and that of the monarcas. Growing up, it was common for the Mexico City native to see monarch butterflies. Harmony remembers visits to the state of Michoacán, where she experienced the wonder of the monarchs. “There’s a common belief that butterflies are the souls of our ancestors visiting for a brief moment,” she shared.

The monarch butterflies were an element of the story when Harmony first began writing A Flicker of Hope. But initially there was no parallel structure tying their journey to that of Lucía’s father. During the revision process, the author and educational psychologist realized there needed to be. She felt the mirroring was critical to the story.

“That’s a really important part of the theme: We’re connected to nature and to each other, and we follow these patterns,” Harmony said. “That was the main theme and thread for me in the story: the connectedness. That’s why while I revised, I realized it was important to bring the monarch butterflies’ story and mirror it to the story of Papá and Lucía. They’re so small and delicate, but they’re strong and resilient – so it’s like a perfect symbol of hope.”

An added layer of meaning to the story is the community Lucía belongs to. She is a member of the Mazahuas, an Indigenous people of Mexico. In her author’s note, Harmony wrote about the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, where millions of monarchs find shelter to hibernate during the winter months. She also mentioned the Mazahuas and how they believe the souls of their ancestors return in the shape of monarchs, “as the migration coincides with the Day of the Dead celebrations that take place on November 1 and 2.”

“There’s a common belief that butterflies are the souls of our ancestors visiting for a brief moment.”

Holzwarth’s illustrations for A Flicker of Hope feature Lucía and other members of this Indigenous community hand making baskets out of ocoxal leaves. Holzwarth said she researched the Mazahuas while determining her artistic approach to the illustrations for this book. Harmony also provided the picture book illustrator with information. The artist said she soon found herself on a rabbit hole search, trying to find photos of the community.

“I wanted to see, what's everyday life like? What do people do in the middle of the day?” Holzwarth recalled. “How do they make the crafts from pine needles? What season do they collect them?” The picture book illustrator grew up in Panama, and so she experienced seeing traditional cultures shifting over time in different ways.

Holzwarth used mixed media for the illustrations in A Flicker of Hope: they are a vivid blend of gouache, watercolor, colored pencil, crayon and digital finishing. She began with sketches on her iPad, the final versions of which were later transferred to paper. Holzwarth then worked out of the paper and introduced water media first.

She knew she wanted to focus on orange, which is a color that is found in different hues throughout the book, especially with respect to the monarch butterflies. “I like harmony, and so I go the left and right of orange: I can have reds and I can have yellows,” she said. “And then the opposite of orange is blue… Because they’re the most exciting things together. And so on the other side of blue, I will have some violet, and then a little bit of green. But I’ll keep it more of a blue-green.”

The result is a gorgeous color palette amid the characters – deep oranges and forest greens and blues. After painting, Holzwarth brought greater detail with colored pencils, or fine brushes with gouache. 

The butterflies themselves were made from gouache, which the artist said is a bit thicker – with colored pencil on top. Throughout most of the book, they’re in motion. “They’re always moving to their place,” Holzwarth said. “They’re not in their nesting spot for that long.”

The illustrator said she hopes readers enjoy Lucía’s, especially those who miss family members or are waiting for something. “It’s waiting, it’s hoping, and then this joy right upon being rewarded with your patience,” Holzwarth said. “I think that would be probably what I hope that children see in the story.”

That much is clear: A Flicker of Hope also touches on a universal theme, which is a child’s longing for her parent. As she wrote, Harmony’s mind also turned to the Trump-era “zero tolerance” policy that was being enforced in Arizona, where she currently resides. She described that time as heartbreaking. “And I decided in that moment that this story had to be about the experience of children, and longing for their parents,” she said.

Lucía’s longing for her Papá is palpable. And it was an important part of the story for Harmony to demonstrate.

“I wanted what I saw growing up in Mexico to be seen and felt by the reader,” she said. “I think I do this with all my stories. Every time I write, I’m just hoping to contribute a little bit of understanding by sharing this point of view of people that have not been shown in books historically.”

And for children, Harmony hopes the message for them is that maybe they’re not so different from each other.

“All children, and everyone of us, longs to be close to our loved ones. That’s also what I was trying to convey – that maybe deep down in all of our journeys, we’ll always find love and hope.”

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Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family.

The Story Behind ‘Doña Fela’s Dream’

Monica Brown believes there are many ways to structure a picture book biography. So in her forthcoming book about Felisa Rincón de Gautier, the author chose to begin at a pivotal moment in the life of Puerto Rico’s first female mayor.

“The people of La Perla were scared. The winds blew fiercely, and dark clouds swirled in the sky,” Brown writes. “A tropical storm headed toward the island of Puerto Rico.”

Depicted on the first spread are Rosa Ibarra’s illustrations of people fleeing wooden shacks, the ocean thrashing behind them. Brown wrote that there was only one place they could count on. Soon, a group of La Perla’s residents were at the door of Felisa Rincón de Gautier – who was affectionately known as Doña Fela.

Out on Sept. 3 from Little, Brown for Young Readers, Doña Fela’s Dream: The Story of Puerto Rico's First Female Mayor is the inspiring story of a woman who broke barriers on the island and cared deeply about her fellow Puerto Ricans. Doña Fela, known for her devotion to public welfare, died in 1994 at age 97.

Doña Fela’s Dream can be added to the list of picture book biographies Brown has written over the span of her publishing career. The award-winning author described the process behind this book as a collaborative journey. Brown began researching the late political figure after Nikki García (her longtime editor at Little, Brown & Company) shared her passion for Doña Fela’s legacy. “The more I delved into the life of a woman who broke political barriers and embodied compassion and care as the first female mayor of a capital city in the Americas, the more I agreed with Nikki,” Brown said in an email. 

After many conversations, Brown said she agreed to take on the project.

“I want children to believe and know they have a voice in our world,” she added. “As a person deeply concerned about our political systems, I’ve wanted to use my work to shine the light on models of ethical leaders, of activism, of organizing, and justice-oriented citizenship.”

For illustrator Rosa Ibarra, the invitation to join the project was a very pleasant surprise. She received the invitation by email and mistakenly took it for spam. “And then I called them, and it was a real, real thing – to illustrate the book,” Ibarra recalled.

The book’s subject held even greater meaning to the fine artist from Puerto Rico.

“I was so happy,” Ibarra told Latinx in Publishing. “Doña Fela was our neighbor in San Juan.”

As a child, Ibarra remembers seeing Doña Fela surrounded by children and people of all levels of wealth and education. She said the mayor was loved by residents of La Perla, by other politicians and by foreigners. 

Ibarra said Old San Juan used to be a very residential area, unlike the tourist area it’s now known as. She recalls playing outside with other children. Whenever they got thirsty, they’d pay a visit to Doña Fela’s house because it was even closer than their own homes. They’d ask her for water.

““I want children to believe and know they have a voice in our world,” she added. “As a person deeply concerned about our political systems, I’ve wanted to use my work to shine the light on models of ethical leaders, of activism, of organizing, and justice-oriented citizenship.””

“And then she would, so many times, invite us over to have lemonade,” Ibarra said. “And then we’d thank her, and continue playing. That was the kind of woman she was. She was a big woman, tall, and then she had her hair in these big hairstyles. And so for us little, we looked up at her. She was big. Imponente, you know?”

Brown said she and her editor looked at many talented artists, and Ibarra was her first and only choice. “Her art spoke to me because the women depicted in Rosa’s paintings radiate strength, complexity, and grace,” she said. “I was drawn to her lush use of color, her pure and accessible composition, and her use of light to make figures and faces sing.”

Brown added that her late mother was a painter. In an increasingly digitized world, Brown confessed that it is “still a thrill” to work with an artist whose medium is paint-brush, pigment, and canvas. 

Ibarra used oil paint on canvas to render the illustrations for the book. She drew the distinction between illustrator and artist. “It’s fantastic what an illustrator can do. All my respect to the profession,” she said. “Because as artists, we can make whatever we want and that’s it. But an illustrator has to be very specific, and capture the essence of the writer.”

The artist said some images came very clear when she read Brown’s text, such as the storm scene in the beginning of the story. Ibarra said she would submit a sketch to the publisher and they would approve it before she began painting.

In Doña Fela’s Dream, the tall woman with braids in her hair and a flower behind her ear let the residents of La Perla in her home amid the brewing tropical storm. When local officials refused to open a shelter, Doña Fela declared she would do it herself. Others encouraged her to try to become San Juan’s mayor. But at the time, the city had never seen a female mayor. Compounding this was the fact that Doña Fela had been born before women in Puerto Rico were allowed to vote.

“Felisa’s father believed that women had no place in politics and that it was up to the men to solve Puerto Rico’s problems,” Brown writes. “But even as a young girl, Felisa disagreed.”

The rest is, as they say, history.

Brown said she hopes young readers will open the pages of this book and “go on a journey across the island of Puerto Rico and into the mind and heart of a remarkable woman, who persisted despite the limitations of her era—and people saying no.” She hopes young readers believe in their own voice and power.

Ibarra said she hopes those who read Doña Fela’s Dream will become familiar with a Puerto Rican woman who was ahead of her time. “We have famous people out there that not everybody knows about. And so thanks to Monica that Doña Fela will be known,” she said. “Her [Doña Fela’s] commitment to the community is very inspiring.”

Ibarra added that they illustrated only a portion of the cherished politician’s contributions. Doña Fela, she said, did so much more.

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Monica Brown, Ph.D. is the author of many award winning books for children, including Waiting for the Biblioburro and Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina. Her books have received starred reviews, Pura Belpre honors, an NCTE Orbis Pictus honor, Americas Awards, and a Christopher Award. Monica’s books are inspired by her Peruvian and Jewish heritage and her desire to bring diverse stories to children. Monica is a professor of English at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches multicultural literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and two daughters, and she invites you to visit her website at monicabrown.net.

Rosa Ibarra is a fine artist who works in oils, interweaving thick layers of paint to convey the vibration of light and to build texture and design. Born in Puerto Rico, she spent her childhood in Old San Juan. She received a degree of Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and exhibits her work in galleries and museums in the United States and abroad. She invites you to visit her online at rosaibarra.com. 

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family.