Welcome!
¡Bienvenidos to my site! My books use folk arts from around the world to illustrate basic concepts for children. My current series, Mexican Folk Art Concepts in English and Spanish, employs handicrafts commissioned from artisans in Oaxaca, Mexico to teach children the alphabet, opposites, colors, numbers, jobs, animal sounds, modes of transport and musical instruments in Spanish and English.
It can take two to four years to create the artwork in collaboration with these rural Oaxacan artisans for each book. The pieces are hand made by families living in folk art villages and remote areas of the state. Because I spend so much time with the families, I'm invited to weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and other events. We get to know each other really well and in many cases have become lifelong friends. Each piece is especially made for my books and all are part of the permanent MesoAmerican collection at the Field Museum of Chicago.
Use this link to see the catalogue of all the pieces in the archive.
My newest book, ¡Tocamos! Mexican Folk Art Music Makers in English and Spanish was published by Lee & Low in February 2025. Each of the beautiful bird musican figures were hand made by Avelino Pérez of La Unión Tejalapam, Oaxaca, México. Otto Piron photographed each avian figure for the book. School Library Journal said, "Readers are sure to enjoy each of the beautifully carved birds, spotting new details on each wooden piece of art with every reading."
Please browse through some of the materials below to learn more about the process for making the books in the series and the wonderful artisans who make each figure.
KidLit TV blog post featuring ¡Tocamos!
De Colores: The Raza Experience for Books for Children
Blog post about the artisans who made the work for ¡Vamonos!
You-Tube video about the artisans that made the figures for Opuestos
New York Times review of Animal Talk
For school visits and other presentations contact sarah@hownowbooking.com