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, 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 in Oaxaca, Mexico. The pieces are so unique that they are part of the permanent MesoAmerican collection at the Field Museum of Chicago.
One of my favorite books is Opuestos. See the short video, link on the right, about Martin and Quirino Santiago. Martin and Quirino live in a hamlet in the northern sierra of Oaxaca. They hand carved each of the whimsical figures depicted.
Delighted to report that Cinco Puntos will publish my next book, Let's Work: Mexican folk art trabajos in English and Spanish in 2019. This book features miniature palm weavings from Puebla, Mexico.
If you need to reach me, send a message on Facebook. See link on the left.
You can purchase my books through Cinco Puntos Press at www.cincopuntos.com. Paper back versions are available to teachers through Club Leo at Scholastic for: ABeCedarios, Opuestos, Colores de la vida, Mi Familia Calaca and Animal Talk. See the Cinco Puntos website for power points and lesson plans based on my work.
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.