When I was a kid, I used to get in trouble for reading too much. It’s true. I’d lug books everywhere I went, including to the dinner table. In between bites of chicken enchiladas or a forkful of spaghetti, I’d read. I’d read right up until my mom would call …
Listen Up! 5 Reasons Audiobooks Are a Powerful Reading Tool
I have always enjoyed listening to audiobooks during long flights or road trips. A gripping thriller can quash boredom and make the time fly. So, when I signed a contract with Tantor Media to have my children’s books turned into audiobooks, I was overjoyed. …
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Book Cover Reveal Day!!
My next children's novel, The Cursed Moon, will hit bookstores in September! But the book cover reveal is TODAY!! The Cursed Moon is the scary children's story I’ve wanted to write since I was a kid. Actually, the novel's plot is inspired by a scary …
What is Día de Los Niños?
I first learned about Día de los niños or The Day of the child when I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the private school where I taught English, it was celebrated every April 30th. On this special day they allowed students to show up to school in their …
Championing Diversity: Ten Ways You Can Support Diverse Children’s Authors
I love being a children’s writer and I enjoy being part of a growing diverse literary world. As I child who loved to read, I never saw children like me or children that had a Hispanic/Latino surnames like mine in the books at our school. That absence felt …
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Banned But Not Broken: My Personal Story
In November 2022, the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) organization notified me that my children's novel, Gaby, Lost and Found, was removed from school library bookshelves throughout Florida’s Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). I was shocked by the news. At the …
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Teacher’s Pick: Me, Frida and The Secret of the Peacock Ring
Let's be honest. Most of us purchase stuff from Amazon. What once started out as an online bookstore is now the world's largest online retailer selling everything from books to bird feeders. Amazon's massive influence has shifted our shopping habits and that …
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Pura Belpré Honor Book Award for Lety Out Loud
I'm happy to announce that my children's novel, Lety Out Loud, was named a 2020 Pura Belpré Honor Book. Woo hoo! Wait! What is a Pura Belpré award? The Pura Belpré Award was named for the first Latina librarian in New York City. Annually, the American …
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Author’s Inspiration: Lety Out Loud
When I sit down to write, I always try to create the kind of stories that I craved as a young girl. Since pets were a huge part of my childhood, I write about brave, smart Latinx main characters who are determined to protect animals. Lety Out Loud was …
Three Reasons to Have Bilingual Children’s Books in The Classroom
As a children's author who conducts school visits all across the country, I've met some amazing ESOL (English for Students of Other Languages) teachers who ask me if my children's books are available in Spanish. I'm happy that I can answer YES! There are many …
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