Seven Latina Authors You Should Know

The children’s lit market has a treasure trove of talented Latino storytellers. Many are established writers and illustrators, while others are fresh voices with many cuentecitos yet to tell. We’ll be doing a series of posts discussing these Latino authors and illustrators on the LBBC. Some you may recognize, while others you might not. But here is a list of seven Latina authors that every Hispanic family with young children should know about. Clicking on their names will take you to their informative websites.

Alma Flor Ada is a prolific writer of Latino children’s literature. A professor at the University of San Francisco, she spends a lot of time working in schools with teachers, parents and children. She has produced a variety of work - from poetry to biographies, plays, and translations, in Spanish, English and bilingual formats. The LBBC has reviewed only a few of her books, including Mamá Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury, Gathering the Sun, I love Saturdays y domingos, The Three Golden Oranges, and The Woman Who Outshone the Sun. But I am sure many more reviews are still to come. Stop by her site and read about her childhood and how she became an author. It is a beautiful and fascinating story about the influence our family has on us and gives parents a lot to think about with regards to the raising of their own children. You can purchase your copies of Alma Flor’s works in the Folktales and Cuentecitos sections of our bookshop.

Born in El Paso, Texas, Pat Mora is an author and literacy advocate who, in addition to her many publications, is also known for being the founder of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libroshere in the States. She has written numerous books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for children and adults. Pat strongly believes in promoting literacy and often gives presentations to the public to help spread bookjoy. Her web site is beautiful and a great resource for parents, librarians and educators. The LBBC has reviewed ¡Marimba! Animales from A to Z, Listen to the Desert/Oye al Desierto. We look forward to introducing you to more of her work. You can purchase your copies of Pat’s works in the Abecedarios, Poesía, and Cuentecitos sections of our bookshop.

Librarian Lucía González was born in Cuba but has also lived in Miami, Spain, Mexico and Venezuela. Her great interest in Hispanic folklore is reflected in her work, which has received awards and accolades. I was fortunate enough to witness her in action at the Latino Children’s Literature Conference earlier this year, when she read her book, The Bossy Gallito to a group of school children. She is a talented and engaging storyteller and the LBBC has reviewed most of her books, including The Storyteller’s Candle, The Bossy Gallito and Señor Cat’s Romance. You can purchase your copies of Lucía’s works in the Cuentecitos and Folktales sections of our bookshop.

With over 25 books to her credit, Pam Muñoz Ryan is possibly best known for her book, Esperanza Rising, a passionate novel about a young woman’s loss and the changes she must embrace. Esperanza received numerous awards, including the Pura Belpré. To write the story, Pam delved deeply into her family’s history - specifically her abuelita’s – using it to develop her characters and storyline. Other titles by Pam include Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, Mice and Beans, and Nacho and Lolita. You can purchase your copies of Pam’s works in the Cuentecitos and Young Adult section of our bookshop.

Monica Brown is an Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, specializing in U.S. Latino Literature and Multicultural Literature. Inspired by her Peruvian-American heritage, Monica is best known for her biographies of Latinos for children. Her books include My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz, My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/Me llamo Gabriela: La vida de Gabriela Mistral, My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: La vida de Gabriel García Márquez, and Pelé: King of Soccer. She is a talented writer with a knack for presenting the inspirational lives of real people to young children in a way that captures their imagination. You can purchase your copies of Monica’s works in the Biographies section of our bookshop.

Raised in Puerto Rico, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand is an author who experiences more challenge because she writes in English, which is her second language. As a child, Carmen was an avid storyteller, but didn’t realize that her active imagination would lead her to become a writer. She did not begin her writing career until after she had moved to the U.S., married and had children. Initially, she contacted publishers to see if they were interested in stories in Spanish, only to be disappointed. Fortunately for us, she switched tactics and began writing in English, which won Carmen her first writing contest. Her books include Shake It, Morena! and other folklore from Puerto Rico, César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!, In The Shade Of The Nispero Tree, and Juan Bobo: Four Folktales From Puerto Rico. You can purchase your copies of Carmen’s works in the Biographies and Folktales sections of our bookshop.

Georgina Lázaro Leon is an author, poet and translator of children’s books. With numerous titles in print, some of her most recent and best-known works are biographies from the Cuando Los Grandes Eran Pequeños series, including Pablo, Jose, and Juana Inés. Her newest titles, which will be released this September, are the biographies of Jorge Luis Borges and Federico García Lorca. Other titles you might recognize: El Flamboyan Amarillo (illustrated by Lulu Delacre) and Don Quijote para siempre.  However, you can purchase your copies of Georgina’s works in the Biographies and Spanish Only sections of our bookshop.