MY BOOKS!!! MIS LIBROS!!!
Since I was seven years old, I wanted to be an author, and now the time has come. I hope you enjoy my books!
A delicious picture book about the ways plantains shape Latinx culture, community, and family, told through a young girl’s experiences in the kitchen with her abuela.
Abuela says, “plátanos are love.”
I thought they were food.
But Abuela says they feed us in more ways than one.
With every pop of the tostones, mash of the mangú, and sizzle of the maduros, a little girl learns that plátanos are her history, they are her culture, and—most importantly—they are love.
Welcome to The Bronx, New York! A picture book celebration of hometown pride including the history, landscape, cuisines, cultures, and activities unique to this vibrant community.
There's only one place where you can see bodegas and businesses bustling on every street, taste the most delicious empanadas in the world, smell the salty sea air of Pelham Bay, and pet horses at the Bronx Equestrian Center. From sunrise to sunset, Santiago and Mami have many treasures to enjoy in their neighborhood on a beautiful Saturday, including colorful birds on the Siwanoy Trail and fresh cannolis on Arthur Avenue.
Enter the classroom in this joyful story of growth that will help new students find their voice. With Spanish words throughout the text, this radiant picture book is perfect for fans of Mango, Abuela, and Me.
On the first day of elementary school, Abuela soothes Gloriana’s nerves by telling her stories from their family home in la República Dominicana. But as soon as Gloriana enters the classroom, the tropical scenery crumbles and la música is replaced with English phrases she does not understand. When other kids approach her to play at recess, she freezes, uncertain about how to exist between her two homes, or how to make new friends between her two languages. Abuela recognizes echoes of her own immigration journey on this challenging day at school, and she gently guides Gloriana towards newfound confidence. This beautifully painted, imaginative picture book celebrates the magic of existing in-between, and the transformative power of self-soothing to build confidence.
Gloriana Presente: A First Day of School Book
Enter the classroom in this joyful story of growth that will help new students find their voice. With Spanish words throughout the text, this radiant picture book is perfect for fans of Mango, Abuela, and Me.
On the first day of elementary school, Abuela soothes Gloriana’s nerves by telling her stories from their family home in la República Dominicana. But as soon as Gloriana enters the classroom, the tropical scenery crumbles and la música is replaced with English phrases she does not understand. When other kids approach her to play at recess, she freezes, uncertain about how to exist between her two homes, or how to make new friends between her two languages. Abuela recognizes echoes of her own immigration journey on this challenging day at school, and she gently guides Gloriana towards newfound confidence. This beautifully painted, imaginative picture book celebrates the magic of existing in-between, and the transformative power of self-soothing to build confidence.
A picture book celebration of hometown pride including the history, landscape, cuisines, cultures, and activities unique to this vibrant community.
Welcome to the Bronx, New York, where you can see bodegas and businesses bustling on every street, taste the most delicious empanadas in the world, smell the salty sea air of Pelham Bay, and pet horses at the Bronx Equestrian Center. From sunrise to sunset, Santiago and Mami have many treasures to enjoy in their neighborhood on a beautiful Saturday, including colorful birds on the Siwanoy Trail and fresh cannolis on Arthur Avenue.
This energetic and joyful family story offers both a journey through and a love letter to this special borough. The Bronx Is My Home is a triumphant celebration of hometown pride, as well as a heartfelt invitation to all, for readers of My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Pena, and Saturday by Oge Mora.
Plátanos Are Love is a picture book about a young girl who learns the cultural significance of plantains while cooking alongside her abuela.
Praise for Plátanos Are Love
* "[Esme, her little sister, and her abuela] make tostones, maduros, and mangú for family and friends, and the love that goes into making each meal can be felt in every word and image in this joyous work. Sprinkled throughout with Spanish words, the narrative is lyrical and filled with fun food words that often appear in a different font and beg to be read aloud. . . The illustrations are luminous. . . A stunning, must-have picture book about food, community, and love." – School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“An ode to a beloved comfort food is also a love letter to family ties….Esme helps Abuela prepare several mouthwatering plátano dishes and hears more of their family history as they cook. Esme’s ancestors were forbidden from reading, writing, and drawing, so they memorized them and secretly passed the recipes down through generations. The tasty dishes of tostones y patacones, tajadas y maduros, and mangú y fufú are prepared with love and shared with friends and family… A cozy story for the stomach and the soul.” - KIRKUS REVIEW
“Cooking plantains with Abuela, young Esme grows to appreciate her family lineage in this intergenerationally focused first-person tale, a double author and illustrator debut that incorporates English and Spanish throughout. Shopping at the market, Esme learns from Abuela that plátanos are more than just food: “They feed us in/ more ways than one.”… Rahman’s digital illustrations use bright, warm colors for contemporary spreads and desaturated greens and browns to delineate scenes occurring in the past, contributing to a thoughtful story of legacy.” - PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY REVIEW
Reading Plátanos Are Love is like being back in my Cuban grandmother’s kitchen—smelling the frying oil, tasting the sweet and savory plantains, hearing the voices of my family, and, more than anything, feeling the immense sense of love, family, history, and community. -Alex B., Editor of Plátanos Are Love