Gloria Félix – illustratör

As the topic of immigration continues to dominate headlines, it becomes more important to educate young readers on the history of other cultures, specifically the incredible contributions made by Latinos in America. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will open a permanent exhibit on influential Latinos in 2021. Charged with the task of telling the long, complicated relationship of Latinos in the U.S.--a relationship so long, it predates the country--the gallery offers an opportunity to reflect on the stories and experiences of Latinas and Latinos throughout the U.S. today. Nuestra America highlights the incredible contributions of the following:Sylvia AcevedoLuis AlvarezPura BelpreMartha E. BernalJulia de BurgosCesar ChavezSandra CisnerosRoberto ClementeCelia CruzOlga E. CustodioOscar de la RentaJaima EscalanteMarcario GarciaEmma GonzalezLaurie HernandezJuan Felipe HerreraDolores HuertaJennifer LopezXiuhtezcatl MartinezSylvia MendezLin-Manuel MirandaC. David MolinaRita MorenoEllen OchoaJorge RamosSylvia RiveraMaria Elena SalinasSonia SotomayorDara TorresRoberto Unanue

Azaleah's big sister, Nia, has been cast as Willa Wonka in the school musical, and the entire Lane family is looking forward to the show. Azaleah has even helped plan a surprise dinner party for Nia at Avec Amour, Mummy's restaurant. But then the real drama starts. At the first rehearsal, all sorts of things go wrong: missing batteries, sets falling over, props misplaced . . . It's so many things, in fact, that Azaleah suspects "foul play". And when the special effects on Nia's costume don't work at dress rehearsal, Nia is a nervous wreck. To top it all off, the high school journalism class is covering the performance for the school blog, and the director doesn't have time to replace Nia's costume. Nia has to wear it without the special effects. Azaleah becomes determined to make sure the musical isn't ruined for Nia. Azaleah has to get to the bottom of the mysterious rehearsal troubles, and finish party preparations, before the curtain goes up.

Abuelita can't visit Lola for her birthday, so she sends her tickets to see Swan Lake. Lola loves the show so much that she decides she wants to be a ballerina. But ballet is not as easy as it seems. When Lola’s instructor announces they’ll be dancing Swan Lake for their recital, Lola is excited... until she learns her role. Rather than a graceful swan, she’ll be a background chicken! Lola must learn she can still be an important part of the show, as long as she’s comfortable in her own feathers.

Next stop, Guatemala! Lola is excited to go to Guatemala with Abuelita for a few weeks to learn about her heritage and see her relatives. But when she arrives, things don’t go as planned. Lola’s Spanish isn’t as good as she thought, and she feels out of place. To make things worse, her cousin Luis thinks Lola is a snob. Will Lola find her place and enjoy her new adventures or be stuck feeling homesick?

When Lola is accepted into a new school, Mama thinks it’s an “excellent opportunity”. Lola isn’t so sure, especially since it means changing schools in the middle of the school year! She’ll have to say goodbye to her old school and her old friends. Abuelita tries to convince Lola that she can conquer anything, but can Lola handle a new school and a bully all on her own?

Also available in an English edition, Something Happened to My Dad: A Story About Immigration and Family Separation.A Carmen le encanta hacer trucos de magia con su Papi. amp Eacute l puede hacer volar los sarapes. amp iexcl amp Eacute l puede hacer desaparecer los conejos! Pero un d amp iacute a, su Papi desaparece. Ella se siente triste y asustada cuando se entera que amp eacute l ha sido detenido porque es un inmigrante indocumentado de M amp eacute xico. Inicialmente, la familia de Carmen mantiene en secreto la detenci amp oacute n de Papi, por miedo a ser juzgados negativamente. A medida que los dem amp aacute s se dan cuenta de la situaci amp oacute n, la comunidad de Carmen se une en apoyo a su familia. Carmen aprende que, a trav amp eacute s de la comunidad y el amor, puede encontrar fuerza dentro de s amp iacute misma y mantener su conexi amp oacute n con Papi no importa lo que pase.

Alicia Alonso wouldn't let her vision impairment keep her from dancing.