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SLJ Starred Review for Lucía the Luchadora
The School Library Journal, the premiere publication for librarians and information specialists who work with children and teens, has given Lucía the Luchadora a Starred Review. And their verdict:
A shining debut outing for author and illustrator, this endearing and humorous title is sure to put a bit of KA-POW into storytimes! A must-have.
Wowzies. Danke. Actually, when I read the story aloud at a story time, I have the kids yell out back to me the KA-POWs and BAMs after I say them, and sometimes I have them give me a superhero pose while they say it. I call it a lucha libre warm up. It seems to make the kids hold their head up a little more, puff their chest out a bit more. Seeing this has made me think of Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on how body language shapes who you are:
Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.
For girls and boys, striking superhero poses while yelling out KA-POW and BAM isn’t just fun. I think it can actually go a long way in helping them find the hero and the courage and confidence they all have within.
Curriculum Guide download for Lucía the Luchadora
CLICK ON IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD PDF
I love teachers. Literally love them. My mother and father were both teachers. I’ve got SIL’s who are teachers, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who are teachers. I was even a teacher for a short time in between college and graduate school, many, many years ago. Educators are close to my heart, and there’s nothing I love more than seeing – no, feeling – that spark in a classroom that happens when good teaching is at work. It’s like magic, beautiful magic.
So when Lucía the Luchadora got close to the printing phase, I started thinking about creating a curriculum guide to go with the book. I turned to an education expert – well, she’s actually a good friend of mine – my comadre Giselle and asked if she knew anyone who could create a guide. OF COURSE! she said enthusiastically, and put me in touch straight away with Becky Palacios, teacher extraordinaire, whom I had met a few years ago. Becky, ahem, Dr. Rebecca Palacios, was a preschool teacher for over thirty years in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is a city not far from where I grew up (also home of Selena!!!). She’s a mover-and-shaker kind of educator, and in 2014 she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Becky is a real life luchadora!
The curriculum guide Becky created to go with Lucía the Luchadora is nothing short of awesome. Its filled with questions, lessons, ideas, and conversation starters for the classroom. It can be used for little ones and older students. And my favorite part is that it also includes lessons for English language learners.
I hope this curriculum guide inspires educators to make magic, beautiful magic in their classrooms. I’d love to hear from teachers all about it. Send me a message on Twitter anytime!
Lucía the Luchadora an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Books of the Month for March
Thrilled that the editors at Amazon.com have selected Lucía the Luchadora as one of six Best Books of the Month for March for picture books ages 3-5. Look at it, right next to Mac Barnett and R.J. Palacio books!!!!!
**faints**
Kirkus Starred Review for Lucía the Luchadora
Kirkus has given Lucía the Luchadora a Starred Review! Here’s an excerpt:
Garza shines in her children’s debut. The text bursts with infectious energy and Lucía’s endearing personality … Likewise, Bermudez’s colorful, buoyant illustrations radiate pure joy. Nifty text placement, variations in type color, and use of sound effects add to this delightful package, making it a joy for readers to root for this plucky young girl. A KA-POW kind of wonderful.
The entire review can be found here.
Got my Lucía the Luchadora Advance Copy!
And here she is, the long-awaited arrival: 1.2 lbs., 32 pages and full of spunk and splendor!
As my editor told me when she first saw the book, the photo doesn’t do this cover justice. It really is a beautiful and striking cover, and the colors just pop. I can’t wait to display this on my picture frame floating bookshelves in my office. Lucía’s illustrator Alyssa Bermudez and the whole team at POW! Kids did an outstanding job. BRAVO!
In other good news, the release date for the book has been moved up to March 7 instead of April. It’s available for pre-order now.
There’s also now an official Lucía the Luchadora Facebook fan page where we’ll list any events or info related to the book. Give it a Like! And let us know on the FB page if you have a local bookstore that you think should carry this little lucha libre libro (say that five times really fast!), and we’ll reach out to them.
Lucía the Luchadora Cover
The cover to Lucía the Luchadora has been released, and isn’t it a beauty?! The book’s amazing illustrator Alyssa Bermudez has been hard at work these past few months on the art, and I’ve gotta say, it’s been super cool to watch the story come to life. Can’t wait for it to be out in the world.
The book is set to be released April 11, 2017, but is already available for pre-order.
Lucía the Luchadora Picture Book Deal Announced in Publishers Weekly
This is the official announcement about Lucía the Luchadora in Publishers Weekly’s Rights Report. I’m super excited to be working with Alyssa and the team at Pow! Kids Books to get this out to the world next year.
My first picture book is getting published
This book deal has been a few months in the making, but now that the ink is dry between me and the publisher, I can finally let everyone know how I’m feeling on the inside:
Really, who wouldn’t be tickled pink about getting to write for children?
I’m especially proud that my first book published will be a picture book, Lucía the Luchadora. It’s a girl superhero meets lucha libre book and will be published by POW! Kids Books, the Brooklyn-based independent children’s book publisher. I’ll share more details once an official announcement is made. I’ve seen some of the early illustrations for it and it’s looking amazing. Move over Mujer Maravilla, Lucía the Luchadora has arrived.
Okay, Lucía may have some mad lucha skills, but that Wonder Woman spin is still dope.