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 English and Spanish text provide interesting and inspiring details about his life. VERDICT: An excellent picture book biography, sure to encourage children to work hard to follow their dreams.”
ROBERT CASILLA was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to parents from Puerto Rico. He has illustrated many children’s books, including Pat Mora’s The Remembering Day / El día de los muertos (Piñata Books, 2015) and First Day in Grapes (Lee & Low Books, 2014), which received a Pura Belpré Honor Award. He lives in New Fairfield, Connecticut, with his wife Carmen.
In René Colato Laínez’s Do I Belong Here? / ¿Es este mi lugar? an immigrant boy is sure he doesn’t belong at his new school, where he doesn’t speak the language. Through perseverance, he begins to recognize English words and make friends, and starts to believe, “Maybe I belong here.” Eventually, he sees a new girl looking lost on the playground, sure she doesn’t belong, and he can say with certainty, “Not yet, but you will.” With vibrant acrylic-on-wood artwork by Fabricio Vanden Broeck, author and illustrator team up once again to depict the experiences of newcomers in schools and affirm that yes! They do belong.
RENÉ COLATO LAÍNEZ is the author of numerous picture books for children, including My Shoes and I / Mis zapatos y yo (Piñata Books, 2019), Mamá the Alien / Mamá la extraterrestre (Lee & Low Books, 2016), From North to South / Del norte al sur (Children’s Book Press, 2013), René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos (Arte Público Press, 2009) and I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño (Arte Público Press, 2005). He is an elementary school teacher in Los Angeles, California.
The final book in Jorge Argueta’s four-part series about Mother Earth, Tierra, Tierrita / Earth, Little Earth reflects the author’s indigenous roots and appreciation for the natural world. Beautifully illustrated by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara, Mother Earth introduces herself in this book: “I am Mother of Water. / I am Mother of Fire. / I am Mother of Wind … I am Mother Earth, Little Earth. / I am life.” As with the other books in the series, the bilingual poem is included at the end in Nahuat, the language of the author’s Pipil Nahua ancestors. The winner of the 2023 Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature, it was also chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection.
JORGE ARGUETA, a Pipil Nahua Indian from El Salvador and the 2023 Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, is a prize-winning poet and author of more than twenty children’s picture books. His picture book about a boy who loves being able to help friends and neighbors with his bilingual skills, Bilingüe, superhéroe / Bilingual, Superhero, is forthcoming on May 31, 2024.
Arte Público Press is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Hispanic authors. Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the authentic portrayal of the themes, languages, characters and customs of Hispanic culture in the United States. Books published under the imprint serve as a bridge from home to school to support family literacy and elementary school education. Based at the University of Houston, Arte Público Press, Piñata Books and the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage project provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Latino literary arts and creativity. For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.