Exclusive Cover Reveal: Do I Belong Here? / ¿Es Este Mi Lugar? by René Colato Laínez; Illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck

Latinx in Publishing is pleased to exclusively reveal the cover for DO I BELONG HERE? / ¿ES ESTE MI LUGAR? written by René Colato Laínez and illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck; publishing May 31, 2023 from Piñata Books. Read on for the official book synopsis and to view the gorgeous cover!

The experiences of newcomer students in schools are portrayed in this winning, bilingual picture book.

Cover illustration: Fabricio Vanden Broeck

Design Credits: Bryan Dechter

An immigrant boy stands “in the middle of a whirlwind of children,” and wonders where is he supposed to go. Finally, a woman speaks to him in a language that he doesn’t understand and takes him to his classroom. A boy named Carlos helps orient him, but later when he reads aloud,
everyone laughs at him. And when he gets an “F” on an assignment, he is sure “I do not belong here.”

But gradually the boy begins to learn English. He works hard. He always pays attention, finishes his homework and—most importantly—never gives up. He begins to recognize words. “I
understand now. Open is abrir, books are libros and page is página.” And when the kids invite him to play soccer, he thinks, “Maybe I belong here.” As the boy’s grades improve and he makes friends, he realizes, “I belong here.” And when he sees a girl looking lost, sure she doesn’t belong, but he can now say with certainty: “Not yet. But you will.”

Award-winning children’s book author René Colato Laínez teams up again with illustrator Fabricio Vanden Broeck to explore the experiences of newcomers in schools and affirm that yes, they do belong! With beautiful acrylic-on-wood illustrations depicting children at school, this bilingual kids’ book by a Salvadoran immigrant tells an important story that will resonate with all the kids who want nothing more than to belong.

---

René Colato Laínez is the author of numerous picture books for children, including My Shoes and I / Mis zapatos y yo (Piñata Books, 2019), Mamá the Alien / Mamá la extraterrestre (Lee & Low Books, 2016), From North to South / Del norte al sur (Children’s Book Press, 2013),  René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos (Arte Público Press, 2009) and I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño (Arte Público Press, 2005). He is an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles, California.

Fabricio Vanden Broeck is a designer, illustrator, painter and professor of design at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Azcapotzalco in Mexico City. He illustrated My Shoes and I / Mis zapatos y yo (Piñata Books, 2019).

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Flower in the Skull by Kathleen Alcalá

Latinx in Publishing is pleased to exclusively reveal the cover for THE FLOWER IN THE SKULL written by Kathleen Alcalá; publishing May 25, 2023 from Raven Chronicles Press. Read on for the official book synopsis and to view the gorgeous cover!

Inspired by the author’s research into her own family history, The Flower in the Skull illuminates the importance of a connection to ancestors—a connection that survives colonial violence and generational trauma.

Alfredo Arreguín, Tucson, 1998, oil on canvas

A riveting novel from acclaimed author Kathleen Alcalá, this second edition of The Flower in the Skull, from Raven Chronicles Press, begins in the Sonoran Desert in the late 19th century, where an Ópata village is attacked by Mexican soldiers. Her family scattered, Concha makes her way to Tucson, where the stories she tells her daughter lead to Shelly-a troubled Latina in modern-day Los Angeles, increasingly fascinated by her ancestry. A powerful tale of heritage, loss, and acculturation, Alcalá spins her most lyrical and moving work yet.

The second part of a planned trilogy that began with Spirits of the Ordinary (1997), The Flower in the Skull spans more than a century in offering a view of three women linked by Indian blood and their dreams, and seared by the violent transgressions of men. Childhood comforts in her Ópata village in Sonoran Mexico cease for Concha when her father is seized by Mexican soldiers and never seen again. First abandoning home with the remainder of her family, then herself abandoned by her mother, Concha walks in a daze across the desert to Tucson, where she's taken in as a nanny by a prospering Mexican family. A measure of peace returns to her. But when she's raped by an Anglo and bears his child, nothing can ever be the same. A brief marriage to the family doctor fails to produce more children, so her husband abandons her for someone else, leaving Concha and daughter Rosa to fend for themselves.

Over the years, Rosa picks up the burden when her mother grows too weak to continue the dawn-to-dusk housecleaning work that has sustained them, but then Rosa catches the eye of a young minister and receives Concha's blessing to marry him just before Concha dies.

Busy starting her own family and keeping her own house, Rosa still wonders about her mother's past-Ópata and the father she never knew. Two generations forward, Shelly, an editorial assistant for an L.A. publisher, jumps at the chance to escape her stalking, harassing boss by going on a research trip to Tucson, where she finds not only a mystery involving her mother's family and her people in a broader sense, but also the will to survive the horror waiting for her when she returns to Los Angeles.

Like her previous novel Spirits of the Ordinary, The Flower in the Skull is set along the Mexican/U.S. border and deals with three generations of Ópata Indian women—ranging from the turn of the century to the present day. All are based on members of Kathleen's family, the book recreating both the magic and hard work of survival. The story is heartbreaking in places, but the prose is even more gorgeous, and there is a richness to Alcalá's characterization and settings that invite re-reading passages, simply to re-experience their resonance.

Praise for The Flower in the Skull

“Kathleen Alcalá is one of America’s best writers. The clarity and depth of her work allow us to see and treasure the many untold stories about our indigenous ancestors in a territory always influenced by both Mexican and American history.” —Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, author of How Many Indians Can We Be? ¿Cuántos indios podemos ser? and The Runaway Poems

“Alcala’s timely endeavor to reclaim, research, write and honor the ‘old stories’ of her Ópata great-grandmother is an utterly glorious achievement.” —Penina Ava Taesali, author of Sourcing Siapo

“A book of deep connections, one that bridges the Old Ways with modern life, the Mexican-American culture with its Native roots, and the unrelenting grind of reality with the triumph of spirit.” —Anita Endrezze, author of Butterfly Moon

---

Kathleen Alcalá was born in Compton, California, to Mexican parents and grew up in San Bernardino. She is the author of six award-winning books that include a collection of stories, three novels, a book of essays, and The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, from the University of Washington Press. A member of the Ópata Nation, Kathleen makes her home on Suquamish territory.

Exclusive Cover Reveal: Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience by Raj Tawney

Latinx in Publishing is pleased to exclusively reveal the cover for COLORFUL PALATE written by Raj Tawney, publishing October 3, 2023 from Empire State Editions/Fordham University Press. Read on for the official book synopsis and to view the gorgeous cover!

A timely self-examination of the "mixed" American experience featuring exclusive recipes and photographs from the author’s multicultural family.

Designer: Mark Lerner; Photo: Jeppestown

As citizens continue to evolve and diversify within the United States, the ingredients that comprise each flavorful household are waiting to be discovered and devoured. In Colorful Palate, author Raj Tawney shares his coming-of-age memoir as a young man born into an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian-American family, his struggles with understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen.

While the world outside can be cruel and unforgiving, it's even more complicated for a mixed-race kid, unsure of his place in the world. Turning to his mother and grandmother for guidance, Tawney’s assistance in the kitchen provided intimate moments and candor as he listened to the tales behind each culinary delicacy and the women who perfected them. Each lovingly prepared meal offered another opportunity to learn more about his extraordinary heritage. The ability to create delicious fare with his family wasn’t just a duty for the grand ladies who raised him; they were a survival tactic for navigating new and unknown cultures, not always willing to accept them at first or even a hundredth glance. As Tawney examines both himself and his loved ones through the formative stages of his life, from boyhood through adulthood, he begins to realize, through all of the chaos and confusion, just how "American" he actually was. 

In this contemporary coming-of-age tale, Tawney tackles personal hot-button issues about race and identity through poignant, heartfelt moments centered around delicious meals. From succulent tandoori chicken to delectable arroz con habichuelas to scrumptious spaghetti and meatballs, Tawney shares his family recipes along with the intimate stories he overheard in the kitchen as he played sous chef to hundreds of recipes that not only span continents but come with their own personal histories attached. Colorful Palate is a tale of the mixed experience, one of the millions that rarely gets told, undefined by a single group or birthright, and unapologetic about its lack of classification. 

Raj Tawney is a writer and journalist whose work largely reflects his New York upbringing and sensibility. Raised in an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian-American household, Tawney has explored his own race and identity through stories published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, USA Today, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other outlets throughout the country.

Exclusive Cover Reveal: LOS MONSTRUOS FELICE AND THE WAILING WOMAN by Diana López with Cover Art by Pablo Leon

Latinx in Publishing is thrilled to exclusively reveal the cover for the new middle grade novel by beloved Tejana author Diana López, LOS MONSTRUOS: FELICE AND THE WAILING WOMAN, coming from Kokila Books/Penguin in April 2023. The fantastic cover artwork is by Guatemalan comic and animation artist Pablo Leon.

When twelve-year old Felice learns that she’s the daughter of La Llorona, she stows away and lands in the magical town of Tres Leches, where her mother is said to be haunting the river. Growing up with her uncle Clem in Corpus Christi, Felice knew that she had been rescued from drowning—it’s where her intense fear of water comes from—but she had no idea her mother remained trapped between worlds, looking for her. Guided by the town’s eccentric mayor, Felice vows to help her mother make peace with events that have turned her into the most famous monstruo of US-Mexico border lore. Along the way, she meets the children of other monstruos—like La Lechuza and The Dancing Devil—and together, they free Tres Leches from magical and metaphorical curses that have haunted them all for generations.

The first in a series, Felice and the Wailing Woman brims with high stakes adventure, Mexican folklore, and a dash of magic that will have you staying up all night to finish reading. Diana López reframes lore with a positive feminist representation of the La Llorona myth, a perfect conversation starter for book clubs and classrooms. And there will be more books to come --subsequent books will follow the children of other monstruos, La Lechuza and The Dancing Devil.

Cover design by Kaitlin Yang with art direction by Theresa Evangelista.

Diana López

Diana López is the author of the adult novella Sofia’s Saints and numerous middle grade novels, including Confetti Girl, Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel, Nothing Up My Sleeve, and Lucky Luna. Her debut picture book, Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla, is available in English and Spanish. She also wrote Coco: A Story about Music, Shoes and Family, the novel adaptation of the Disney/Pixar film Coco. Diana retired after a career in education at both the middle grade and college levels, but she still enjoys meeting with students when she visits schools to chat about books and writing. She is a past mentor in the Latinx in Publishing Writer Mentorship Program, and currently serves as the President of the Texas Institute of Letters. Diana lives in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Pablo Leon

Pablo Leon is a Guatemalan author and artist. He currently lives in Los Angeles, jumping between working in the TV animation industry and comics. His original comic “The Journey,” about the true accounts of people migrating from Central America to the U.S., was a 2019 Eisner Award nominee. Some of his clients include Warner Brothers Animation, OddBot Inc, DreamWorks Animation, Bento Box Entertainment, and more. He is the illustrator for the bestselling and award nominated Miles Morales: Shock Waves for the Marvel/Scholastic partnership, and its sequel, Miles Morales: Stranger Tides. His forthcoming YA graphic novel, Silenced Voices, about two sisters during the Guatemalan civil war, comes out with Harper Alley in 2024.

Exclusive Cover Reveal: My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, Illustrated by Zeke Peña

A celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood, by an award-winning author and illustrator duo.

We are super excited to share the cover for My Papi Has A Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña. Read below for more on the book and check out the duo covers in English and Spanish on the left.

When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. 

But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.

With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.

 The book is available for pre-order now. Click here for more information.