HOUSTON, TX—The Bank Street College of Education Children’s Book Committee named two new Piñata Books to its Best Children’s Books of the Year in Spanish (2025 edition): Pedro and the Monster Eaters / Pedro y los devoradores de monstruos by Xequina María Berbér and It Feels Like Family / Se siente como familia by Diane de Anda. Twenty-five titles reflecting the rich heritage and cultural traditions of the Spanish-speaking world were selected for inclusion.
Loosely based on the life of artist Pedro Linares, Xequina María Berbér’s bilingual picture book, Pedro and the Monster Eaters / Pedro y los devoradores de monstruos, pairs the fascinating origin story of one of Mexico’s most well-known folk arts with C. Rod-Unalt’s striking illustrations of the magical creatures. It was praised by School Library Journal as “an engaging and bright treatment of a Mexican sculptor that will inspire burgeoning artists.”
Xequina María Berbér is the author of Santora, the Good Daughter (Xipactli, 2001), The Mermaid Girl (Bedazzled Ink, 2013) and a collection of short stories, The Only Female Cross Dresser in Memphis (Bedazzled Ink, 2021), and she co-edited Dispatches from Lesbian America (Bedazzled Ink, 2017). She has master’s degrees in library and information science and women’s spirituality. A traditional Mexican healer, she lives in Oakland, California.
C. Rod. Unalt has illustrated numerous books for kids, including ¡A bailar! / Let’s Dance!(Piñata Books, 2011), educational textbooks and publications such as Spider Magazine. An assistant professor and program director of a BFA Illustration program in New Jersey, she earned her MFA in Illustration at the University of Hartford.
In Diane de Anda’s bilingual picture book for young readers, It Feels Like Family / Se siente como familia, the author explores a difficult subject experienced by many children—divorce and the resulting changes in their lives—while highlighting the importance of relationships with extended family members.
Diane de Anda is the author of numerous books for young readers that feature Latino themes and families. Her picture books include The Patchwork Garden (Arte Público Press, 2013), The Day Abuelo Got Lost (Albert Whitman & Company, 2019) and Mango Moon (Albert Whitman & Company, 2021), winner of a Paterson Prize for Books for Young People and a Skipping Stones Honor Award. Her books have received numerous awards and been named to multiple recommended reading lists such as the New York Public Library’s Best Books in Spanish. A retired UCLA professor who prepared social workers to help kids and their families, she lives in Los Angeles.
Roberta Collier-Morales has illustrated numerous books for kids, including Sofi Paints Her Dreams / Sofi pinta sus sueños (Piñata Books, 2019) and Salsa (Piñata Books, 1998). A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she lives and works in Longmont, Colorado.
Arte Público Press is the nation’s largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by US Latino 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 connecting home and school to support family literacy and elementary education. Based at the University of Houston, Arte Público Press, Piñata Books and the Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage program provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Latino literary arts and creativity. For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.
