Bertrand chosen as May 2016’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media
Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Bertrand for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here.
Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media.
About the Author:
DIANE GONZALES BERTRAND is the author of numerous books for children. They include The Story Circle / El círculo de cuentos (Piñata Books, 2016), A Bean and Cheese Taco Birthday / Un cumpleaños con tacos de frijoles con queso (2015), and Cecilia and Miguel Are Best Friends / Cecilia y Miguel son mejores amigos (2014). A lifelong resident of San Antonio, Bertrand teaches at St. Mary’s University, where she is also Writer-in-Residence.
About her latest book, The Story Circle / El círculo de cuentos
Monster storms closed the school for three days. “Carpets bubbled with mud. Green slime swallowed books.” And when the children returned, the new bookshelves in the classroom were empty. “What will we do for story circle?” they ask.
With the kids sitting around her on the new rug, the teacher tells a story about a boy who loved to fly. Afterwards, she asks them what pictures they imagined. Each one sees something different: wings like yellow sunbeams, a pond that looks like a green button and cloud horses running in the blue sky. Soon, all the children are excitedly raising their hands to tell their own stories.
Acclaimed children’s book author Diane Gonzales Bertrand returns with another charming book about the joys of telling stories and using one’s imagination. The short text combined with fanciful illustrations will spark conversations with children and spur them to write and illustrate their own stories.