Nosotros--my familia

List, more list, and Yuyilist

This is the time when children's books lists naming the best of the year sprout. You might have seen them already too:

The NY public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing10 for '10: Best Books for Youth on social Justice and Intercultural UnderstandingKirkus 2010 Best Children's Books
Publishers Weekly Best Children's books 2010The New York times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 1010
The Huffington Post Best Picture Books 2010School Library Journal Best Books 2010: Picture Books2010 Horn Book Fanfare

Even a couple of my favorite literary people make their own well informed list:

Fuse #8 100 Magnificent Children's books of 2010
Richie's picks: The Best of 2010

and many more.

So, why not a Yuyilist? Ok, unlike reviewers, I don't get to see even a minimal part of the about 5,000 children's books that are published every year. So my list would have to be different; it wouldn't be about naming the best of the year according to me. Instead it will have to be about 2010 books that caught my eye, that surprised me, that kept me reading late at night. And so here they are:


Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin. Duncan Tonatiuh (what a magnificent name; The Sun God) illustrated this book with an style that brings to modern days the indigenous art of Mexico. Notice the painting of people facing sideways like in the Mayan and Aztec art. The more I look at this book the more I admire it.


Chavela's Magic Bubble Gum. Yes, this book is illustrated by my sister Magaly, and, of course, I naturally feel close to anything she produces. But when I went to the store and looked inside the shelves, and even though I have seen the illustrations while it was being made, guess which book caught my eye? Yes, it was hers, with its warm colors and the magic of the bubble gum harvested from the sapodilla tress, with Abuelita's sweet face and pretty dresses, and the chicleros's whistling songs while they work.


Henry in Love= Yuyi in Love. To me this book is the epitome of a picture book: simple, elegant, beautiful, charming, carefully illustrated; in my opinion the right direction for picture books. An inspiration.


Me, Frida, to date the best work of David Diaz. Oh-huh, does that mean that he could win the...? He could win anything, indeed!


The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy). What a book! I loved peeking inside the little pages inserted between spread that show Susy's writing about her famous father Mark Twain. But what I loved even more what the cleverness of the compositions, the play of the illustrating elements, the light, and the use of lines.


Tortilla Sun. This middle grade novel kept transporting myself to the desert to make and savor tortillas in a different style from the one I learned when I was a child. While I didn't necessarily think of this book as magical realism (the way it has been publicized), I enjoyed it for the narrative, the landscapes it portrayed, and the familiarity I felt with the characters in this story.


Shadow. Susy Lee keeps coming with books that leave me thinking, leave inspired, and even leave me a little scared sometimes. There very few words in her books, but her designs makes for great narratives where feelings are abundant.


Petit, the Monster. Is Petit bad or is he good?. He is bad when he lies, but then he is good when he tells stories, right? I used to have the same problem as Petit; as a child I couldn't figure out if I was good or bad. I actually think, like this story suggest that, like in Petit's case, duality simply runs in my family.


Any Small Goodness: A small Novel of The Barrio. OK, I know, I know. This is not a 2010 book. I know! But it was only this year that I read Tony's novel, and I was wowed. This book is a little jewel, like a secret kept inside a little box in Abuelita's closet. What a pleasant surprise to find a book with inexplicable characters like Abuelita who arrived from Aguascalientes on a Norteño bus carrying her prayer book, a photograph of Grandfather, and her lava grinding stone molcajete. Or Mami, who's got possum-pavor, because she is convinced that they will give her tlacuachazos big possum hits when she take the garbage out at night. One of my favorite reads this year.


Now I must confess, I got a soft spot for City Dog, Country Frog. At first I wasn't warmed up to the image in the cover, but open it up and the images are tender, engaging, and funny. A book to love.

Other books I greatly enjoyed:
Little Owl Lost
The Dreamer
Side to Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez
My Shoes and I
The Boss Baby
Dave the potter (what an elegant and beautiful book)

One book I haven't gotten to see yet, but that I am awaiting to read before the year is finished is Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrush. this is a graphic novel, and I am very taken with the description and the art in the cover. Take a look.


What I am anticipating to see next year are two books with art from two of my favorite illustrators, Rafael Lopez and John Parra respectively, La Cazuela That The Farm Maiden Stirred (just look at this artwork!)


and Waiting For The Biblioburro.



I, for once, can't wait.

Ways to give a book

In preparation for the holiday giving, Mother Reader has posted her 105 ways to give a book, and I am very, very inspired with her ideas. A book has always seemed to me a present good enough to be given on its own, but matching a book with something that relates to that particular book's experience, seems to me the ultimate gift. And, so, in preparation for my own holiday giving, and inspired by Mother Reader's ideas, here I am offering some ideas for giving books. These books are among my recent favorites. They are also particular to what I know; my own cultural experience. I would love to hear your own ideas for your favorite books.

1.Give Chavela and the Magic Bubble with some pieces of Mexican bubble gum. I went to my local Mexican produces store and I found a few choices, but I ultimately decided to order online a bag of Chicles Motita, which were the classic gum I chewed when I was a child. They were not easy to find, but here is where you can order them too.


Now, here is a second idea for giving Chavela and the Magic Bubble; pair it with a hand made doll in a blue dress, like the one that is featured and shared by the protagonist of this book. I am a firm believer and practitioner of handmade gifts and here are some places and tutorials to make a doll:

You can learn how to make a cloth and paper clay doll at Jane Desrosier's online group for a yearly fee of $10 (I am a member of this group).


A tutorial for making a felt doll can be found here at The Purl Bee.

Or perhaps even a corn husk doll. The skirt can be dyed blue following these instructions.



2. Me, Frida.

This gorgeous book can be paired with a handmade portfolio and easel. Tutorial at the Giver's Log.

Or with a Frida paper doll by Donal Hendricks.


3. Diego, Bigger than life is one of my favorite books ever.

This poetic exploration of the life and artwork of the Mexican Muralist Diego Rivera can be given along a set of homemade stripey sidewalk chalk like this one:

Once more find the tutorial for this fabulous chunky clacks at the Giver's Log.


4. Playing Loteria/El Juego de la Loteria book can be wrapped together with a Loteria Game set. Then have a family day of playing loteria. A traditional set can be purchased here, and here, as well as a Day of the Dead Loteria here. But you can also make your own loteria. Here is a tutorial from Maison Celeste. In need of inspiration? Look at this Space Loteria by Chepo Peña!

5. P is for Piñata: A Mexican Alphabet, is a book full of riches. Every time I read this book I find myself traveling trough the Mexican landscape of the paintings of John Parra. It is a nostalgic book for me and I plan to give it to people I love so that they themselves discover the tomb of the Mayan king Pakal, and learn how the Aztecs used to drink chocolate cold, bitter, and mixed with flowers. This book is so packed with information that the choices of what to pair it with are endless. But here I am going with a piñata.


From Simply Modern Mom, here are instructions for a beautiful ice cream piñata.


Except making piñatas can prove laborious. Here is a tutorial for an easy star piñata. And here one to make a piñata from a paper bag.

Now, my mother, who worked for many years as an elementary school teacher in Mexico, also knew that piñatas can be dangerous. So here is a safe piñata version like the ones she used to make for her students. This one from Ikatbag is to be pulled by hanging ribbons rather than hit with a stick.

6.The Dreamer. This novel based in the childhood of the poet Pablo Neruda can be given together with a magnetic poetry kit.

Even better, how about pairing it with these poetry kit cookies? I found the instructions at The Decorated Cookie blog.


7. Since seven is my favorite number, here is (for now) my last book to give away. The Lacuna surprised me, delighted me, infuriated me too! It is a book to provoke many emotions. More than anything else I was surprised at how I believed that the author had been there, at every moment of the story, in a country that is mine, with characters that are part of my history, and yet showing me something new and unexpected.

I would give this book to any adult friend (and also to some big kids I know) along with a box of pan dulce.

Freshly backed Mexican pan dulce can be found at your local Mexican bakery or store. But, if you are adventurous enough to make the beard yourself, here is a recipe from Joy the Baker.

Happy giving.

Yes, it is true. Public libraries changed my life

During the American Library Association last summer, I was asked to talk about what the public libraries meant for me. I was in my way out of the convention center, and the camera man run after me and catch me by surprise (hence my face). But what is not a surprise is that when I saw the Public Library for the first time, it changed my life.

Inspiration date

My friend Jim and I have inspiration dates each month.

Among the things that don't happen in our inspiration date are the following:

• French Kissing.

• Rampant Gossiping.

• Table dancing.

• Entering illegally into other countries.

• The hunting of animals.

• Tequila drinking.

• Bungee jumping.

• Worrying.

Instead, this is what happens in our inspiration dates:

• We meet somewhere in the bay area.

• We visit a place where we can find inspiration.

• Children's bookstores are some of the best places to find what we are looking for. Libraries and exhibit are too.

• We have adopted the mission to find at least one thing that we love: a story, images with a great style, a new artist, a great book.

• We bring our object of inspiration home. Some times we bring two or more. And some times they are not for sale.

• At the end of our date we might have time to create something together, such as this,

And this,

Ay, Llorona from Yuyi Morales on Vimeo.

During our September inspiration date we visited one of our favorite stores, The Storyteller.
There we found artwork that we loved, such as in this book illustrated by Isol


And stories and illustrations that made us laugh

And even some shocking art coincidences.

At the end, I chose my favorite.

But what we found together was rich and hard to choose only one. Here are the books that caught our attention at our date. It was hard to leave them behind.

Letter to Mrs. Horn's Class

Drawing by Leslie

Dear Mrs. Horn and the children at Galveston Elementary,

I loved receiving your letters. Thank you for all the artwork you made of Grandma Beettle and Señor Calavera. I must tell you, children, your drawings rock!
I was also happy to hear that my books made you laugh and that you put together a play where you got to act out the story of Grandma Beetle and Señor Calvera. I am sure I would have laugh seeing your play.
Some of you also had some questions for me. Here I am going to try to respond to most of them:

How did you become and artist?
I became an artist by learning and practicing doing art. I had to teach my hands how to make thins like drawing and painting, and I had to practice a lot because at first all my attempts at doing drawings were very bad. Has that ever happened to you?

When you were little were you an artist?
I believe that I was an artist when I was little.My mother has some drawings I made since when I was two-years old. Except, guess what? Those drawings weren't very good at all! They were mostly doodles and lots of scribbles. But since I have been doing it for so long now, I am kind of good now. Here is a page from a note book with drawings I made when I was about 4-years old (the pencil drawing of the face at the top-middle is not mine. My mother drew that):


How old are you?
I was born in the month of November, the year 1968. Can you tell how old am I?

Do you have a dog?
I have two dogs. One loves to eat; his name is Chacho. Then we have Luna; she is the best jumper I have even seen and she like toys. Here is a picture of Luna:

Opps, wait, that is not a good picture. Here is a more acurate one of Chacho and Luna:


Do you like playing catch?
I like playing catch, but i am not very good at it. It seems like I have to practice more. However my son, who is 16-years old, is super good at catching balls, but even better is my dog Luna.

How old were you when you made your first book?
The first book I made was published in the year 2003. Can you tell how old I was?


My favorite book is Just a Minute. What is your favorite book?
It is hard to choose just one. I love all of my books because they were fun to make and they are about the things I like the most like birthday parties, piñatas, food, children, and sometimes ghosts.

Are you married?
Yes, I am married to a very tall and skinny guy who likes music very much. His name is Tim. He is not Señor Calavera!

Drawing by Cinthia

Señor Calavera is not scary to me. Is it to you?
I am not scared of Señor calavera, actually I think he is kind of cute and I like it that he is very good at finding presents.

Do you think I rote a lot?
I think you wrote just the right amount. You most be a writer!

Will you write me back?
Always!

Drawing by Aaron

By the Way, Ericka, I think that "When I Fell Off My Bike" is a great title for a story.
Everybody keep writing your stories. Thank you again for your letters.

Sincerely yours,
Yuyi Morales

My friend Jim Averbeck and I have been in the look out for evidence in the existence of ghost; more specifically of the famous Mexican ghost of La Llorona).

I became interested since lots of children have reported to me (apparently school visits are a great way to collect testimonials) how THEY or someone in their family have seen or hear La Llorona crying. Have you?

Well, Jim and I have finally collected some terrifying footage, and in honor of my abuelita, who used to scared us children telling us stories, and in honor of all of the children who have told me their terrible tales, here is the video Jim and I put togehter. Watch it with caution:

Ay, Llorona from Yuyi Morales on Vimeo.

Originally post source: my blog Corazonadas

So you want to be a children’s book writer or illustrator?...

How does one become a children’s book writer and illustrator? A marvelous question! And so, have I ever told you that the answers to your questions and desired exist in one place called the SCBWI?
It is true!
When I first began learning how to find my way towards the children’s book world, I stumbled upon the SCBWI and have never let go. In 2000, when I was just an aspiring illustrator, I won the Don Freeman SCBWI Grant, which gave me not only some cash to further fund my learning, but also gave me the confidence I needed to see my work as valuable and valid, and keep doing it more and more. In the years I have attended conferences, gone to retreats, joined groups, made strong friendships, given workshops, been a speaker, and won awards given by the organization.
This morning, when my friend Laurent Linn sent me the link for this tribute video to SCBWI, I …how do you put it mildly? OK, I almost fainted from laughing:

SCBWI Tribute from Kimberly C. Baker on Vimeo.

Human

Copyright © 2008-2009 cimarrones.org

Logo Design: A. Flores

Fuse#8 challenge: Top Ten Picture Books

Fuse#8 announced her Picture Book poll and I decided to be brave and come up with my own list of the Top Ten Picture Books Of All Time According To Me.

Consider that, although I have read many many picture books, I still wonder which I might have missed since I began reading them fourteen years ago after I arrived to the USA. Because I was already an adult when I started, I did not grew up with the titles I am about to mention. Instead, I grew some more with them.

These books are in this list because perhaps they made me cry, or because I kept thinking about them years after I met them for the first time, or because I couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to make a book like those, or because they changed my mind, or my heart, or my body, or taught me something I still live by, or simply because I adore them with inexplicable, irrational fervor. But only ten books? I’ll do my best…

A Small Tall Tale From The Far Far North. Peter Sis.

The most powerful and unforgettable of Sis' books. I literally drank this book with my eyes when I found it.

Amos and Boris. William Steigh

My son and I would read this story at night over and over again, transpired by the sea and the love between this small mouse and a whale.

Chato’s Kitchen. Gary Soto and Susan Guevara.

Barrio cats in a picture book? I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I saw this book! Chato is some kind of Pedro Infante of the children’s literature.

The Stray dog. Marc Simont.

Marc Simont is a genius. There is such a simplicity in his art, and yet, no emotion si too big for him. I cheered so much with this book.

A Mother For Choco. Keiko Kasza.

Some of the best endings ever in a picture book.

Calling The Doves. Juan Felipe Herrera and Elly Simmons

This book is soulful. A song itself.

Going home. Eve bunting and David Diaz

There is something in this story that makes me weep. Is it the longing?

Sitti’s Secrets. Naomi Shihab Nye and Nancy Carpenter

I love the letter at the end of this book. I just found that Shihab Nye wrote a different kind of letter one day.

Good Night Gorilla. Peggy Rathmann.

For the longest time I wanted to be just like Peggy Rathmman. I still do…

The Day I Swapped My Dad For A Goldfish. Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean

Storytelling at its best. There are some many undercurrents in this story.

Dear Fuse#8, ten books would never be enough; a hundred books would never be enough…how could I leave out the following titles?

Lon PoPo. Ed Young

Monster Mama. Liz Rosenberg and Stephen Gammell

Freight Train. Donald Crews.

Madlenka’s Dog. Peter Sis.

The Arrival. Shaun Tan.

Emeline At The Circus. Marjorie Priceman.

Northern Lullaby. Nancy White Carlstrom, and Diane and DianeDillon

Wild Child. Lynn Plourde and Greg Couch

The Mountains Of Tibet. Mordicai Gerstein.

John Patrick Norman McHennessy: The Boy Who Was Always Late. John Burningham.