Q&A with Colorín Colorado: Encouraging Little Girls to Be Fearless

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Cynthia

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I did this Q & A with Colorín Colorado recently where I talked about the inspiration behind my book Lucía the Luchadora, my childhood memories of lucha libre, and why this story was meant to be a picture book. Check it out.

While you’re on their website, you should also check out the terrific booklists they’ve created for children and young adults – all celebrating a wide range of cultures, languages, perspectives and experiences. Basically, books that represent my every day world and experience. Yes, yes and yes!

Colorín Colorado is really a gem of a website, full of resources for educators, families and students who are English language learners (ELLs) in grades preK-12. They are an educational service of WETA, the local PBS station in Washington, DC, and are supported by the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association. So of course, they also have great booklists for educators who work with ELLs.

Ah, I can’t get enough of booklists. Thanks Colorín Colorado for the great questions.

 

 



Curriculum Guide download for Lucía the Luchadora

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Cynthia
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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

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Cynthia

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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

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Cynthia

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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!

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Cynthia

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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.


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Lucía the Luchadora Cover

Posted on September 7, 2016 by luchalady

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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.


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Lucía the Luchadora Picture Book Deal Announced in Publishers Weekly

Posted on June 2, 2016 by luchalady

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.

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My first picture book is getting published

Posted on May 4, 2016 by luchalady

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.

 


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