HOUSTON, TX—Generations of Hispanic children in US schools had to do without books reflecting their culture and heritage. In 2023, according to the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 398 of the 3,491 children’s books published in the United States were written by Latinos (11.4%); only 300 were about Latinos (8.6%). To fill that gap, Arte Público Press is accepting children’s book manuscripts to be considered for two awards: the Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature and the Reyes-Olivas Award for Best First Book of Latino Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Both seek 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 realistically portrays themes, characters and customs unique to US Hispanic culture. In addition to the publication of the book and royalties from sales, the winning authors will receive a …

HOUSTON, TX—Arte Público Press and the University of Houston played a pivotal role in the 2025 UANLeer Feria Universitaria del Libro that took place at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) in Monterrey, Mexico, March 12-16, 2025. Arte Público, the largest and most prestigious publisher of US Latino literature, was the “editorial invitada,” or honored publisher. Its founder and director, Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, the Brown Foundation Professor of Hispanic Studies, was awarded the “Mérito Editorial,” or Publisher Award.“Our work, creating and making accessible Latino literature and cultural history, is so important to communities in the United States, and it’s gratifying to know that it is valued in Mexico as well,” Dr. Kanellos said. The University of Houston was the “invitado de honor,” or the honored organization. President Renu Khator spoke at the opening ceremony and was on hand to accept the award conferred by the UANL president, Dr. Santos …

HOUSTON, TX—The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey has recognized two Piñata Books as co-winners in their respective categories for the 2025 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. The prize comes with a cash award. Adriana Camacho-Church’s bilingual children’s picture book, Grandma, Where Will Your Love Go? / Abuela, ¿adónde irá tu amor? (Piñata Books, 2023), tied for the prize in the Pre-K-Grade 3 category with The Heights of Love by Boyd Bauman. Beautifully illustrated by Gastón Hauviller, Camacho-Church’s sweet story depicts the loving relationship between a young girl and her grandmother and the girl’s growing realization that her grandmother will not always be physically present. In the Grades 7-12 category, A Bridge Home (Piñata Books, 2024) by Mona Alvarado Frazier tied for the prize with Beware the Smart Kids by Matthew J. Kushin. Alvarado Frazier’s engaging young adult novel introduces readers to Jacqueline Bravo, …

A Poem Can Do Anything Imaginative First Children’s Book Wins AwardHOUSTON, TX—A bilingual picture book that explores the joy of writing poetry, ¿Qué es un poema? / What Is a Poem? by Jovi de la Jara (ISBN 979-8-89375-016-4, hardcover, $18.95), is the winner of the 2025 Reyes-Olivas Award for Best First Book of Latino Children’s and Young Adult Literature.In this playful story forthcoming May 31, 2025, Jovi de la Jara describes all the things a poem can do, like: “Puppies can be / planets / and flowers / can be kittens” and “the moon can be / square / and rain can be / laughter.” Simple text describes the endless possibilities available in writing poetry; words can rhyme, run off the page or even be invented! Poems can be very long or super short. The author’s fun black-and-white illustrations cleverly depict the humorous ideas: a dog’s face looks like a planet …