Welcome!
My books use folk arts from around the world to illustrate basic concepts for children. The current series employs handicrafts commissioned from artisans in Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico to teach children the alphabet, opposites, colors, numbers, jobs and animal sounds in Spanish and English.
It takes two to four years to create the artwork in my books. Each piece is hand made by artisanal families living in rural areas of the country. Because I end up spending so much time with the families, I'm invited to my fair share of weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras and other events. We get to know each other really well! The pieces are so unique that they are part of the permanent MesoAmerican collection at the Field Museum of Chicago.
If you want to know more about my work or need to reach me, please use the facebook link on left.
My newest book, Let's Work was published in September 2019. Each figure is no larger than a quarter and was hand woven by masters artisans of Chigmecatitlán, Puebla. Like all of the artisans who make the work for these books it takes tremendous skill and patience to weave each figure. The artisans of this region have been making this craft since before the arrival of the Spanish. More information about how the art was made.
One of my favorite books is Opuestos. See the short video, link on the right, about Martin and Quirino Santiago or tap the Opuestos book icon. Martin and Quirino live in a hamlet in the northern sierra of Oaxaca. They hand carved each of the whimsical figures depicted. Teacher resources.
You can purchase my books through Cinco Puntos Press at www.cincopuntos.com. See the Cinco Puntos website for power points and lesson plans based on my work.
You can also tap some of the book icons for more information about each work. Look for the appropriate links on the webpages.
Follow the urls for a wonderful song to use with Colores de la vida and for more information about ABeCedarios.
Sadly, Ten Mice for Tet is no longer in print. An e-book version of Ten Mice for Tet is available through Chronicle. Contact me if you would like to purchase a print version. The original embroideries, hand sewn by Pham Viet Dinh from "Ten Mice for Tet" were acquired by the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota. The Kerlan is the finest repository of original work related to children's literature in the world.