HOUSTON, TX—A bilingual picture book loosely based on the life of artist Pedro Linares, Pedro and the Monster Eaters / Pedro y los devoradores de monstruos by Xequina María Berbér (ISBN 978-1-55885-991-3, hardcover, $18.95), is the winner of the 2024 Salinas de Alba Award for Latino Children’s Literature. Forthcoming May 31, 2024, this strikingly illustrated story shares with young readers the fascinating origin of one of Mexico’s most well-known folk arts: the alebrije.
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. Diversity statistics for 2023 are not yet available. 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, Berbér will receive a $5,000 prize. Submissions for the award are accepted year-round.
This award is named after Hermila Lidia Salinas de Alba (1921-2017), a mother, grandmother and primary schoolteacher who loved children and reading. Born and raised in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Hermila was educated at the Escuela Normal in Saltillo, Coahuila, and taught at a primary school in Piedras Negras. She married Samuel Alba in 1943 and together they raised 10 children. In addition to various business ventures in Piedras Negras, they pursued migrant farm work in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho before settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. She stressed the importance of education and left a legacy of love and lifelong learning for her nine surviving children, 33 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
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 children’s books, including ¡A bailar! / Let’s Dance! (Piñata Books, 2017), 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.
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 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 project provide the most widely recognized and extensive showcase for Hispanic literary arts and creativity. For more information, please visit www.artepublicopress.com.