This trilingual picture book illustrates the interdependence of life on Mother Earth.
by Jorge Argueta
Illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcantara
ISBN: 978-1-55885-967-8
Publication Date: May 31, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Imprint: Piñata Books
Ages: 4-8
This trilingual picture book written in verse recounts the
rejuvenating force of wind from the point of view of one little breeze.
by Jorge Argueta
Illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara
ISBN: 978-1-55885-945-6
Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Imprint: Piñata Books
Ages: 5-10
This story poignantly explores the Central American refugee crisis through the eyes of a young girl separated from her mother at the US/Mexico border.
by Jorge Argueta
ISBN: 978-1-55885-889-3
Publication Date: November 30, 2019
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 96
Imprint: Piñata Books
Ages: 10-15
This extraordinary bilingual poetry collection evokes the horrors of war and the loneliness of exile.
by Jorge Argueta
ISBN: 978-1-55885-838-1
Publication Date: March 31, 2017
Bind: Trade Paperback
Pages: 183
HOUSTON, TX—The Bank Street College of Education Children’s Book Committee named three new Piñata Books to its Best Children’s Books of the Year in Spanish list for 2024: Mariano’s First Glove / El primer guante de Mariano by Robert Casilla, Do I Belong Here? / ¿Es este mi lugar? by René Colato Laínez and Tierra, Tierrita / Earth, Little Earth by Jorge Argueta. Additionally, Colato Laínez’s and Argueta’s books were both starred as exceptional for cultural authenticity, engaging style and appealing illustrations, among other characteristics. In Mariano’s First Glove / El primer guante de Mariano, Robert Casilla shares the life story of New York Yankees relief pitcher and closer Mariano Rivera, from his childhood in a small fishing village in Panama to the Baseball Hall of Fame. A School Library Journal review said, “The realistic illustrations depict not only his life but the many hours he spent practicing; the bilingual …
Children’s picture book highlights the fun and power of being bilingual!
by Jorge Argueta
Illustrations by Elizabeth Gómez
ISBN: 978-1-55885-988-3
Publication Date: May 31, 2024
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32
Imprint: Piñata Books
Ages: 4-8
HOUSTON, TX—With an eye to the future, Arte Público Press has promoted Executive Editor Dr. Gabriela Baeza Ventura to deputy director in what Director Nicolás Kanellos called “a long-overdue recognition of her dedication and commitment to the work of Hispanic writers.” Baeza Ventura began working for the press as a research assistant while studying for her doctorate in Spanish at the University of Houston, which she completed in 2001. Now an associate professor of US Latino literature, she became the full-time managing editor in 1999 and executive editor in 2000. “This is such an honor,” Baeza Ventura said of her promotion. “Having worked closely with Dr. Kanellos for many years, I look forward to continuing Arte Público’s mission to promote Latino literature and expand community outreach through our various publications and programming.” In addition to overseeing the editing of Arte Público’s publications, Baeza Ventura has translated over 50 picture books …
HOUSTON, TX—A trilingual picture book about the earth we inhabit, Tierra, Tierrita / Earth, Little Earth by Jorge Argueta (ISBN 978-1-55885-967-8, hardcover, $18.95), is the winner of the 2023 Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature. Published May 31, 2023, this stirring story celebrating Mother Earth reflects the author’s indigenous roots and appreciation for the natural world. According to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, just 351 of the 3,173 children’s books it received that were published in the United States in 2022 were written by Latinos; only 231 were about Latinos. The Salinas de Alba Award seeks to stimulate the work begun by Arte Público Press and its imprint, Piñata Books, which is dedicated to the publication of children’s and young adult literature that authentically and realistically portrays themes, characters and customs unique to US Hispanic culture. In addition to the publication of the book and royalties from sales, …
HOUSTON, TX—The Bank Street College of Education Children’s Book Committee named three Piñata Books to its Best Children’s Books of the Year in Spanish list for 2023. El cumpleaños de mi hermana Dulce / My Sister Dulce’s Birthday by Erika Said, El niño de maíz / The Boy of Maize by Mario Bencastro and Viento, Vientito / Wind, Little Wind by Jorge Argueta were all recognized, and Bencastro’s book was highlighted with a star as an exceptional book for cultural authenticity in text and artwork, among other characteristics. In El cumpleaños de mi hermana Dulce / My Sister Dulce’s Birthday, Erika Said tells the story of six-year-old Dulce, who loves sweets. Vibrant illustrations by Claudia Navarro show Dulce and her sister as they search for the perfect candies to go inside the traditional Mexican birthday piñata. Midwest Book Review called it “a charmingly entertaining bilingual (Spanish/English) picture book” and “an …
HOUSTON, TX—The Academia Norteamericana de la Lengua Española (ANLE) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) awarded Jorge Argueta’s picture book, Viento, Vientito / Wind, Little Wind, the 2022 Premio Campoy-Ada Award in the Children’s Fantasy-Fiction Picture Book category. A poetic ode to the refreshing but sometimes dangerous force of wind, Viento, Vientito / Wind, Little Wind reflects the author’s indigenous roots and his appreciation for the natural world. Gorgeous illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara complement the text, depicting birds and dandelion seeds floating on the breeze and trees bent under strong gusts. Written from the perspective of a mischievous youngster in English, Spanish and Nahuat, this is the third book in a four-part series about Mother Earth. It has been lauded as a Junior Library Guild selection. Critics have praised Argueta’s previous two books in the series: “A lyrical journey through the water cycle, sure to inspire …
