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Daybreak Press and Global Bookstore  was one of our Platinum Sponsors and this fine organization offered up a really cleverly written book called Sophia’s Journey by Najiyah Diana Maxfield.

Sophia’s Journal is for middle school and above readers.

“Her cell phone is dead and she has no idea where she is. After a bad fall in the river, 16 year-old Sophia suddenly finds herself in nineteenth century Kansas. She struggles to adjust to new food, new entertainment and a new family. She is still a twenty-first century Muslim girl, though, so slavery is intolerable and the way Native Americans are treated is unacceptable. Sophia copes the best she can as she tries to understand how she got there, how she can help those she’s met, and if she will ever get back.Sophia’s Journal is a fresh take on a pivotal moment in American history. Filled with adventure, romance and self-discovery, it offers a glimpse into a world half-forgotten, from a vantage point like no other.”-Sophia’s Journal

Sophia’s Journal does a very fine job of weaving, yes… weaving… as in the weaving a story based on the parts of the past and the realities of modern-day life. It all starts with a 21st century Muslim teenager, Sophia, who experiences a bad fall into a river. This dramatic tumble sends her back to the year 1857 and all the details and issues that are a part of that era. This beautifully written book looks at the idea of race, religion, and bigotry from a multi-century view. This enchanting story gives us a front row seat and a glimpse into pivotal moments of American history as well as what it’s like to be a practicing Muslim in the 21st century.

Sophia struggles to get used to new foods (and some times the lack of food) new entertainment such as knitting and a new family. Sophia also gets a first-hand view of slavery and the life of the Native Americans in the year 1857. The characters in the story are well-developed and the sense of adventure and self discovery are greatly inspiring.

One of the things that really struck me as I read this book is that it dispels the “over there” mentally that we can so easily become a participant in. For example: “Muslims are those people ‘over there’…….” and the real life fact that they oftentimes viewed as the enemy. This myth is dispelled as author Najiyah Diana Maxfield intersperses the daily rhythms and gentle practices of the world’s Muslims into this thoughtful coming-of-age tale. This is later reflected when the slave William is also a Muslim from Africa.

In Sophia’s Journal, Sophia needs to deal with the ideas of slavery, slave owners and the abolition movement as well as the poor view and treatment of Native Americans. There is even a mention or two of the suffragette movement. We could so easily say, that happened “then” and doesn’t concern us “now.” Not so. These topics are still very much alive today and currently continue to unfold.

I greatly admire this book and recommend it. First because is gives a positive light to both teenagers and Muslims. Secondly because it is a well written story that is so captivating that I couldn’t put it down.

Something To Do

In the back of Sophia’s Journal are a couple of wonderful recipes as well as two glossaries. One for the 1850’s and the other of Arabic terms commonly used by Muslims around the world.

For our “Something to Do” we are going to create a Time Traveler’s Journal where we will write notes about our explorations into 1850’s Kansas as well as Islam.

Take a blank sheet or journal, pens, photos that you have printed off the computer and some glue and create a beautiful Common Book Journal about your journey into the world of Sophia.

A Look into Slavery

Slavery in America began in 1607 and continued until 1865. These links tell you more about this controversial but for a long time legal practice.

Here are some great book resources as well.

A Look at the Native Americans of Kansas

Kansas, a word readily recognizable as derived from the Native American tribal name Kansa, or “Wind People,” is a state possessing a rich Native American heritage.

The land we now call Kansas had been home to many Native American tribes. The Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kansa, Kiowa, Osage, Pawnee, and Wichita are tribes that are considered native to present day Kansas.

To learn more about the traditions of the Kansas Plains Native Americans I found Big Orrin’s website to have many facts geared towards children.

To learn more about these tribes and the history of the region please have a look here.

A Look into Prairie Life in Kansas

Here’s a good look at life on the Kansas prairie in 1850.

Want to know more about Sod Houses and how to build them ? Have a look here.

A fun reading history book list about the prairies.

A Look at Islam

Islam is a world religion practiced by 1.7 billion people. PBS has put together this fact sheet about muslims and the religion of Islam and here’s another look from CNN.

Another way to meet your world is through literature. Multicultural Children’s Books Day is such a celebration which has created a vast resource of multicultural books and authors on our website.

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End of Summer Audrey Press Book Sale!!

Summer is slowly winding down and thoughts are turning to the upcoming school year and reads that will take us into (and through) the colder months ahead. Instead of being sad to see summer go, I choose to Celebrate! And what better way to do it than with an End of Summer Audrey Press Book Sale. For two weeks only readers can get a great deal on two of my most popular books. But don’t delay; this super special sale ends August 14, 2015!

First up The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired #homeschool. And for a limited time, this best-selling book by Donna Ashton, The Waldorf #Homeschool Handbook is now only $17.95 until August 14th, 2015 ! http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT

Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. AND, it’s on sale until August 14th ! Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” http://amzn.to/1DTVnuX

Two great children’s books-Your choice, $17.95 each!

The post Middle Eastern & North African Heritage Month-Sophia’s Journal appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

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Can you believe it’s AUGUST already?! Summer is almost over and our Discover Your World Summer Reading Extravaganza is winding down. To say I have been blessed by amazing guest bloggers during this even would be an understatment and today’s post is no different. I’d like to give a huge “Thank You” to Frances from one of my favorite multicultural blogs for being a part of the fun. Welcome, Frances!

Fiesta Fiasco by Ann Whitford Paul {Guest Post by Frances from Discovering the World Through Her Son’s Eyes}

Title: Fiesta Fiasco

Author: Ann Whitford Paul

Illustrator: Ethan Long

Age Range: 4 and up

Grade Level: Preschool and up

Paperback: 32 pages

Publisher: Holiday House 2007

Language: English some Spanish words

About the author

Author Ann Whitford Paul loved reading for as long as she can remember. Her inspiration for writing children’s book came upon years of reading bedtime stories to her three children. She studied sociology at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, and social work at Columbia University.   She’s published 19 different award-winning books.

About the book

Fiesta Fiasco is set in the desert where everyone is getting ready for a party!   It’s Snake’s birthday, and his friends, Iguana, Tortoise, and Rabbit are shopping for presents to bring to his fiesta. Instead of getting gifts for Snake, Rabbit convinces them to buy a shirt, pants, and hat. At the fiesta Snake is disappointed because they’re gifts that he couldn’t use. They weren’t for him after all!   The sneaky Rabbit takes it away, and tries them on. Snake is so upset that he asks Snake to go away.

Review

The children’s book Fiesta Fiasco was given to my son on his birthday as a gift. It could not have come at a better time for both of us! One because it was our child’s birthday, and he just had a fiesta; and two because it was a new book for me to review for the Discover Your World Summer Reading Extravaganza.

My child loves books with animal characters in it, and I love it because although it’s in English it has various Spanish words throughout the book. Therefore, helping my bilingual child expand his Spanish vocabulary words. The glossary at the beginning is a major plus for Spanish vocabulary word building, and pronunciation.

The book’s illustration are colorful and whimsical appealing to our eyes. This is a tale about friendship, learning from our mistakes, and forgiveness. We both enjoyed Fiesta Fiasco!

Activity

With this book the possibilities for activities are endless. Life lessons and relationship skills, science, math, literature and Spanish can be learned from this book.

Little one and I talked about what he got for his birthday fiesta. I asked how would he feel if someone gave him a gift and took it away? We talked about feelings, and how Rabbit made things right by coming back with the gifts that Snake would love to have. Rabbit had made a mistake, and Snake forgave him.

We also talked about the different habitats of the animals. Comparing the desert with the rainforest, and discussed the different types of animals that live there.

We practiced simple math skills with play money. I asked him how many dollars would I need to buy a camisa (shirt)? If it was $6, how many $1 or $5 bills did he need to give me.

We reviewed the Spanish words using flash cards and making mini-books in Spanish.

This book was truly entertaining, and fun! My son laughed most of the time, and I was all smiles!

For more extension activities you can visit the author’s website, and download free printables to use with this book.

Frances is a part-time blogger, mommy and wife of a beautiful multicultural familia. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a certification in Human Resources. She blogs about heritage, culture, bilingualism, multicultural children’s books, and Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, hence the name of her blog.   You can connect with her onFacebook, Twitter,Google +, and Pinterest.

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Our Discover Your World Summer Reading Extravaganza is rolling right along and I am truly hoping that our Summer Reading Extravaganza has shown reading families some amazing and fresh summer reading ideas thanks to the many book bloggers who have graced the pages of this blog over the last month and a half.

Today is no exception and I am pleased to have Jodie Rodriguez from Growing Book by Book with us to share a multicultural children’s book that is a family favorite. Welcome Jodie!

Cooking with Books:  Lucky Birthday Noodles

As a former classroom teacher and now parent, I diligently look for books that will expose my kids to the world.  Luckily, it has become easier to do this over the years with more and more choices (although the publishing world still has a long way to go).  I also have a love of books that involve food or cooking.  The book I’m sharing with you today fits with both of these passions!

Mei-Mei’s Lucky Birthday Noodles by Shan-Shan Chen and Heidi Goodman  is a loving story of adoption, Chinese culture and a special birthday treat. This brand-new book published by Tuttle Publishing has been read several times in our house.  Mei-Mei is Chinese.  She was adopted by a family who flew across the world to get her.  It’s important for Mei-Mei’s family to help her learn about her roots and culture.  So, on her birthday, Mei-Mei’s mom makes the traditional Chinese dish- long noodles which represent a happy long life.   This year Mei-Mei is old enough to help in the dinner preparation.  Readers are taken through the day of this birthday celebration.  And, the book even includes a recipe for Lucky Birthday Noodles at the end.

I love that the Goodman’s illustrations compliment the text beautifully.  And, Mei-Mei’s 6th birthday cake looks as yummy as the noodle dish!  This is a book that children of all ages will appreciate.

Author Shan-Shan Chen comes from a long line of restauranteurs.  She is often a guest on television where she shows viewers how to prepare Chinese dishes. Chen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.  She loves to share Chinese traditions with her family and the public. Chen hopes that this new book will help children learn and celebrate a culture through food.

This book is perfect for encouraging families to get in the kitchen and cook together.  My boys enjoyed making and eating the Lucky Birthday Noodle recipe in the back of the book.  The kids tried some new foods including bamboo shoots and bok choy.  There were also lots of familiar ingredients too!  I’ve found that if kids help to prepare or even grow the meal, they are more likely to eat it.  We planted a large garden with our neighbor this year.  My kids are learning so much about how food grows.

There are so many literacy benefits to having kids work with you in the kitchen.  Children work on following directions, reading, listening, developing vocabulary and developing oral communication skills.  I aim to have my kids cook or bake at least one recipe a week with me.

I really love the idea of exploring cultures through food.  I think we will try to find a book each month that inspires us to explore another culture and cook a native cuisine.

Do you have a favorite book that has inspired you to try a new dish?  I’d love to hear your recommendations!

Jodie Rodriguez has a passion for helping caregivers nurture our youngest readers.  As a former National Board Certified early-childhood and elementary teacher and administrator she has worked with thousands of families and educators providing best literacy practices.  She now stays home with home with her two young sons (ages 2 and 3) and is the creator/founder of Growing Book by Book.

Visit Jodie’s blog, Growing Book by Book. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google +.

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We are so excited to be participating in Multi-Cultural Kids Blogs Read Around the World Summer Series.   You can find great reads on their Pinterest Page or just click on the logo below.

One of our favorite books is Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin.

The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can’t help but notice the village’s peculiar inhabitants and their problems-where has the innkeeper’s son gone? Why are Master Chao and Widow Yan always arguing? What is the crying sound Rendi keeps hearing? And how can crazy, old Mr. Shan not know if his pet is a toad or a rabbit?

But one day, a mysterious lady arrives at the Inn with the gift of storytelling, and slowly transforms the villagers and Rendi himself. As she tells more stories and the days pass in the Village of Clear Sky, Rendi begins to realize that perhaps it is his own story that holds the answers to all those questions.

You can read the full book review complete with activities here.

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Oh boy, do I love Indian food. Sometimes I think I oughta start a foodie blog. Samosas, tandoori, palak paneer—I can’t get enough of the spicy stuff. So when I heard about HOT HOT ROTI FOR DADA-JI, I knew I had to devour it. My nephew is half-Indian and the boy on the cover reminded me of him. But inside HOT HOT ROTI is a story about any grandfather and grandson, for the sentiments transcend culture and ethnicity. Inside is a story about memories, imagination, and the power of sharing family traditions.

I asked the author, Farhana Zia, to join us today. And stick around, because after the interview I have a copy of the book for you and Farhana’s personal recipe for HOT HOT ROTI!

What inspired you to write HOT HOT ROTI FOR DADA-JI?

The motivation for writing HHRFDJ was a desire to do something enduring for my three grandchildren. They are pre-readers now but one day they’ll read the book to themselves and also, not far down the road, to others important in their lives and I hope that when this happens, they’ll sense the love that’s packed inside. I wrote the book to create some good memories for them. We all need warm, lasting memories. Good memories can be so comforting at unexpected times.

The inspiration for the story came from a host of such memories of childhood…memories of sights, smells, sounds, tastes and emotions that linger on and on and are comforting. Foremost among these is the memory of snuggling up to my own grandmother for her wonderful stories.

In the book, Dada-Ji gets his power from the hot, hot roti. What food is your own personal power source?

First of all, I’ll take the liberty to use the word “food” metaphorically and say that each new day, when things generally go right, is the ultimate power source for me as well as a reason to give thanks. In addition to that, as an elementary school teacher, I can truthfully say I derive plenty of power from the energy and vibrancy of my students. They keep me on my toes and competing with their exuberance every single day! A classroom is definitely an exhilarating place to be. As far as real food, I have lots of favorite power sources. At the risk of surprising you I’m going to put a steaming, tongue burning, pepperoni, mushroom, anchovy pizza at the top of the list. This is an occasional weekend treat when I’m absolutely not in the mood to cook. My husband runs down to the local pizza place and I keep the oven nice and hot! A medium rare filet that cuts like butter is a close second in my personal favorites and falls under the, “I don’t want to cook, let’s go out to eat” category. I could go on but….a fluffy, piping hot bature (deep fried leavened bread), puffed up to the size of a volley ball, with a spicy potato can hit the spot when one is very, very hungry. Trust me!

It’s refreshing to see the South Asian/Indian culture in a picture book–that’s rare in the market. How can children from different cultures relate to this story?

I wrote the book for all children, regardless of nationality and ethnicity. While the book definitely has cultural elements, the underlying themes and attributes are universal. I like to think that the story is a testimony to the unfailing creativity and initiative present in all children.

When kids read about Aneel making roti for his grandfather, they’ll recognize their own innate inventiveness. I witness it every day in my classroom. Kids also love to take charge. They can surprise you with their cleverness and their ability to offer creative solutions. They can also be so helpful and they especially love to feel responsible. I think all young readers will recognize and revel in these traits. Besides, Hot, Hot Roti for Dadaji is a fun story mixed with a bit of fantasy and tall tale and what child doesn’t like that? The book is also very strongly a story about inter generational relationships which happen to be universal. All children know about grandparents who love to spend time with them, play with them and spoil them. Whether it’s Dadaji or Grandpa, Gramps, or Pop-Pop the relationship is the same… special and immediately recognizable. Lastly, the book is about food and kids love food, in one form, or another.

My niece me once that when she read the book in her daughter’s kindergarten, she had all kids crying out, “Wah!” Now that’s music to my ears!

Do you have a recipe for hot, hot roti to share with us?

Certainly!

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour (Chapati Flour, available in Indian grocery stores) – 2 cups. Reserve 2 Tablespoons for rolling and dusting.
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Warm Water – 3/4 cup

Method:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour and salt.
2. Gradually add warm water to form a medium soft dough ball. The dough should not be too stiff, nor too sticky. Knead the dough about fifty times. Cover the bowl and set it aside for 15 minutes
3. Heat a skillet on medium heat until a water droplet sizzles and evaporates immediately.
4. Divide the dough into 8 golf ball size balls.
5. Coat one ball in the reserved four and roll it out into a thin disc (the thickness of a penny), approximately 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle more flour on the rolling board to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling surface.
6. Shake or rub off excess flour from the roti and place it onto the hot skillet for about 10-15 seconds.
7. Flip to the other side and allow the roti to cook for 10-15 seconds until you see bubbles appear. Use a paper towel to move the roti around on the skillet for even heat distribution.
8. Flip the roti one last time. You should see scattered golden brown spots. Gently press down on various places using the paper towel. This will make the roti puff up with the built up steam. Be careful that escaping steam does not scald you!
9. Remove the roti from heat and keep it covered with a towel. Repeat the process for the remaining dough.

Hot, hot roti is ready!

Thanks, Farhana! It looks delicious!

And now HOT HOT ROTI is ready for you, too! Please leave a comment for a chance to win the book! I’ll randomly select a winner in one week. Good luck and happy eating (and reading)!

Earlier this week The New York Times published an article discussing how young Latino students are not seeing themselves in books frequently enough, and the obstacle many educators feel that omission puts in the path for enjoyment as well as for learning from books for these young children. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison of Education, which compiles statistics about the race of authors and characters in children’s books published each year, notes that in 2011 only 3 percent of the 3400 books reviewed were written by or about Latinos; this proportion is unchanged over the last decade. And yet, Hispanic students are one quarter of the nation’s public school enrollment.

Several years ago Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) initiated our Multicultural Literacy Campaign, borne from our concern with the NAEP figures we were studying from years past and the distance with which African-American, HIspanic and American Indian children continued to perform behind their Asian and Caucasian peers. Our campaign is a multi-year effort designed in part to provide children the opportunity to explore and learn about their own culture and the culture of others, the “mirrors and windows with sliding glass doors” concept as articulated by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop. One component of our effort is a yearly compilation of multicultural book sets through the generous sponsorship of Macy’s; these sets are distributed to more than 500 sites annually with the book lists and activities posted online for all to use.

RIF held the launch for the 2012 collection at the Library of Congress Young Readers’ Center with a panel made up of authors and illustrators whose books are featured in that “CELEBRATIONS” collection; the panel was chaired by Dr. Violet Harris, a literacy expert and chair of RIF’s Literature Advisory Board.

In her presentation, Dr. Harris set the context for the audience regarding the need for multicultural literature for all children, literature representing as many cultures as possible by discussing the work of Dr. Nancy Larrick, the second president (56-57) of the International Reading Association. Larrick is said to have noted the impetus for her oft-quoted study in the early 1960′s was when a five year old black girl asked her why all the children were white in the books she read. Her question came more than 20 years after Charlemae Rollins and others had begun a campaign for more positive examples of blacks and black culture in books for children. The lack of progress as well as that little girl’s sincere question compelled Dr. Larrick to investigate and produce the article “The All White World of Children’s Books” published in The Saturday Review of Books in 1965.

Rollins had published her groundbreaking We Build Together in 1948; this is a publication which “highlighted criteria for choosing books that portrayed Blacks realistically and built democratic attitudes among all people.” Rollins noted in her publication:

For many years books about Negro children followed a stereotyped pattern. The characters portrayed were the barefoot menial, or the red-lipped clown. Rarely did the Negro character in a story where there were other children ever take part in the story as equals. Illustrators, it seemed, could not resist presenting the quaint ‘pickaninny type’.

With regret we note today the change in children’s literature has not kept pace as many of us would have hoped. Similar statements can be made and are indeed written about the lack of inclusion of other cultures in children’s literature.

As Dr. Harris further noted ”…I want to emphasize…, it is a fight that goes on constantly. Each generation or even every couple of years it is two steps forward, one step back.” And further food for thought from Dr. Harris was her question to us: How can we say to the rest of the world that you need to model yourselves after us, our educational systems, our political systems, our economic systems and so forth, when we disenfranchise a significant portion of our citizenry?

You have finished a month of hard work producing ideas for picture books. As you move further into and with each idea, I challenge you to give very serious attention to the issue of children seeing themselves as well as having a window on the world. The book does not always need to be “about” diversity…perhaps it will be like HOW MANY SEEDS IN A PUMPKIN? by Margaret McNamara and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. The classroom shown through the illustrations is diverse, and I have actually heard children mention that diversity they can see in the book. The experience of seeing the diversity present in a book was new to them, but a common everyday experience in the school each attends.

We as a nation have much to do to prepare each child as fully as possible to read well. One element and one relevant to your work is to show we indeed as a nation value each child and celebrate each child; and part of that visible celebration must be that each child sees and reads about children “just like me.”

Book People Unite!

P. S. How can I post on this blog without giving a roaring round of applause to Tara for her sponsorship of PiBoIdMo as well as personally say ‘Thank You” to her and to all who have purchased from the PiBoIdMo store where the proceeds come to RIF. We are deeply appreciative!

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Carol H. Rasco is President and CEO of RIF. She joined RIF in 2001. Throughout her life, Carol has been a devoted advocate for children, youth, and families, as a professional and as a volunteer.

Prior to this position, Carol was the executive director for government relations at the College Board. From 1997 through 2000, Carol served as the senior adviser to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, and as director of the America Reads Challenge, a four-year national campaign to promote the importance of all children reading well and independently by the end of the 3rd grade. Previously, Carol worked for four years in the White House as domestic policy adviser to the president and directed the Domestic Policy Council.

Originally from Arkansas, Carol worked as the chief policy adviser in the Arkansas governor’s office for 10 years and also served as the liaison to the National Governors Association. Additionally, Carol has extensive experience as a volunteer for arts organizations and disability advocacy groups. Carol received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and earned a master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas. She has taught in the public school system and worked as a middle school counselor.

Carol serves on the Board of Trustees of Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. She is the mother of Hamp and Mary-Margaret, and the proud grandmother of William and Charlie Marks.

Two must read articles recently published in the The New York Times: For Young Latino Readers, an Image Is Missing and Books to Match Diverse Young Readers. “Students of other races and ethnicities seldom encounter characters like themselves in books, and some education experts say that can be an obstacle to literacy.” Read what teachers, students, parents and literacy advocates have to say about this and then use The New York Times interactive page to click on book titles that feature main characters who are black, Latino, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native and read the beginning of each book.

My Life in the United States ~ by René Colato Laínez

Part 2 of 3 (Read Part 1 here)

For Christmas of 1984, my mother sent me a new pair of shoes from the United States. I still remember my father’s words, “These are good gringos shoes. These are very good shoes for the trip to the United States.”

On February 17 1985, my father and I left El Salvador. Two days later, we arrived in Mexico City. Then, we were stuck in Mexico City for almost two months. We could not continue our journey because Mexican immigration took all the money from my father. It wasn’t until April that my mother sent us more money for our trip. During my journey, my father and I crossed three countries and climbed the mountains from Tijuana to the United States. But we made it to Los Angeles. My shoes were not new anymore. They had holes everywhere. One shoe was missing the sole.

There are certain moments that mark your like forever. My journey and my new life in the United States as a new immigrant created a big impact in me and in my writing. In my book, My Shoes and I, I tell the story of my journey and in my other books I write about the new immigrant child in the United States. Most of my books are based in my life and some are autobiographical just like René Has Two Last Names/René tiene dos apellidos and I Am René, the Boy/ Soy René, el niño.

I experienced the silent period and many culture shocks. In El Salvador René is a name boy. I could not believe it that in the United States my beautiful name was a girl’s name, Renee. Children not only laughed because I had a girl’s name but also because I had two last names, “Your name is longer than an anaconda” “You have a long dinosaur’s name.”

I was able to adapt to the new country. I studied really hard and graduated with honors from high school. Then, I went to college and became a teacher. But I did not have legal papers yet. My mother became a resident thanks to the amnesty program. She applied for my papers but it was 1993 and I had not received my green card. I started to work as a teacher because I got a work permit. For two years, I received letters from LAUSD, “We need to have evidence of your legal status. Your work permit will expire soon.” But finally in 1995, I received the famous immigration letter. Yes! I had an appointment to get my green card. It was not green after all. It was pink!

The ideas to write many of my books are born in the classroom. One day, a first grader told me, “I want to write a letter to my mamá. She is in Guatemala and I miss her so much.” That night I wrote a story named