Donna Barba Higuera – författare

A boy and his monster confront their mutual fears in this unlikely friendship story that’s rooted in Mexican folkloreRamón is a little boy who can’t sleep. He is nervous for his first day at a new school.And El Cucuy is the monster who lives in Ramón’s cactus pot. He can’t sleep, either.It turns out that El Cucuy is scared, too!This gentle, perceptive story explores the worries that can accompany moving to a new place and beginning a new journey—and reveals how comfort, bravery, and strength can be found through even the most unexpected of friendships.

A boy and his monster-under-the-bed celebrate Navidad—Christmas—in this festive, bilingual companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!, from Newbery Medal–winning author Donna Barba Higuera and illustrator Juliana PerdomoRamón is a little boy who can’t wait for Navidad.El Cucuy is the friendly monster who lives in Ramón’s bedroom. He’s not so sure that Christmas is for him. The lights are too bright, and the snowman is scary!So if El Cucuy is hesitant to embrace the holiday cheer, then Ramón will have to bring the spirit of Navidad to him.A tender, heartwarming story about facing the unknown with a friend by your side, this companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! explores the magic of the holidays and coming together as a community.

An unforgettable journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human. The incredible Newbery Medal-winning novel from Donna Barba Higuera."Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes - truly a beautiful cuento."- NEW YORK TIMESHabía una vez . . .There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.But Petra's world is ending. Earth will soon be destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether.Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

An unforgettable journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human. The incredible Newbery Medal-winning novel from Donna Barba Higuera."Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes - truly a beautiful cuento." New York TimesHabía una vez . . .There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.But Petra's world is ending. Earth will soon be destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether.Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?An unforgettable journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

NOMINATED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2025.This is the story as it was told to me by Leandro the Mighty.For 400 years, Earth has been a barren wasteland. The few humans that survive scrape together an existence in the cruel city of Pocatel - or go it alone in the wilderness beyond, filled with wandering spirits and wyrms. They don't last long. Thirteen-year-old pickpocket Leandro and his sister Gabi do what they can to forge a life in Pocatel. The city does not take kindly to Cascabel like them - the descendants of those who worked the San Joaquin Valley for generations. When Gabi is caught stealing precious fruit from the Pocatelan elite, Leandro takes the fall. But his exile proves more than he ever could have imagined - far from a simple banishment, his consciousness is placed inside an ancient drone and left to fend on its own. But beyond the walls of Pocatel lie other alebrijes like Leandro who seek for a better world - as well as mutant monsters, wasteland pirates, a hidden oasis, and the truth. A thought-provoking and beautifully written novel, creating a whole new imaginative world that holds a mirror to our own.Praise for The Last Storyteller: 'Truly a beautiful cuento' New York Times

From New York Times bestselling author Donna Barba Higuera, Firesnake delivers a triumphant finale to the story that began with the Newbery Medal-winning The Last Storyteller and continued in the Pura Belpré Honor-winning Alebrijes.Itzel has never known a life on Earth. Growing up on Sagan, the granddaughter of the Cuentista, her years have been spent among the dactyls, griblets, and billow seeds of their new planet. But when a mysterious message arrives from across the cosmos, Itzel realizes that the home they thought destroyed hundreds of years ago has survived...and with it, another community of humans. Will she and the other Saganites brave the journey back to Earth? And what will they find? For they are not the only ones who have received this message...Master storyteller Donna Barba Higuera brings her beloved Cuentista trilogy to a close in a book full of old friends and new, jaw-dropping twists, and a journey to the stars and back.