Today we celebrate the book birthday of Painting the Sky with Love, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel and written by Mary E. Haque. We sat down with Musa Tatiana to learn more about the inspiration behind this book. 

A child flings open her arms to the sky, “painting it” with love. Hearts cascade and float and bounce down, while at the same time, people looking up at the sky open their hearts. This surreal, glorious expansiveness tapers down to tiny moments of love and kindness.

​Read more about this magical tale after the link...

 Today we celebrate the book birthday of Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers by Steena Hernandez, gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Castillo. We sat down with Musa Steena Hernandez to learn about the inspiration behind this book. 

Lupita's big ballet recital is approaching. The music is perfect. Her ballet moves are strong. But her peachy pink ballet slippers don't match her skin tone. Lupita searches for the right pair only to discover it will take hard work--and messy measures--in order for her shoes to dance with her.

Inspired by Steena's own experiences as a Latina dancer, Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers is a charming story filled with determination. The final few spreads teach readers about the history of ballet slippers as well as the crucial changes the industry has seen for dancers of all races and ethnicities.

It sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

Read more about this book after the link...

Today we celebrate the book birthday of Xavier's Voice illustrated by Musa Tatiana Gardel and written by Ashley Franklin. We sat down with Tatiana to learn more about the inspiration behind this book.
​
Xavier wishes his small voice was bigger and the anxious feeling he gets when trying to make friends was smaller. He makes many attempts to be louder, but he still isn't able to connect with any of his classmates. As Xavier withdraws into the world of his sketchbook, he wonders will he ever be able to make friends with such a small voice?

What a sweet story! Learn more after the link...

In Not Far From Here, mama tells her children a story that began when their papá was a little boy, not far from here. Their hardworking abuelitas told stories of their antepasados, and their abuelo, a blacksmith, taught their papá how to make art from earth and fire. These ancestral figures would leave a lasting imprint on papá. When abuelo died, papá took all those lessons to heart and crossed la frontera al norte to follow his sueños. There, he worked and overcame
barriers to forge his own obra maestra: a beautiful familia of his very own.

So inspiring...

Our World Cuba is a boardbook about the everyday life of a Cuban toddler. From waking up to a besito from Mami, to having café con leche and buttered toast for breakfast to riding the bus to la playa and playing a los escondidos, it is a joyous and sweet book about a young Cuban child. It is peppered with words in Spanish with full explanations in the back.

Sounds lovely.

Little Sebastian has a lot of opinions when it comes to food, so his parents call him their own baby food critic! He even has a personal rating system, from one to five binkies, and he’s prepared to knock off a binky or two if his food is too gooey, doesn’t smell quite right, or is touching other food. When a restaurant outing throws him for a loop, a one-binky review seems inevitable . . . but then his parents save the day and Sebastian realizes the special ingredient they’ve been adding to every meal—one that definitely deserves five binkies!

Today we celebrate the book birthday of Mercedes Sosa: Voice of the People by Musa and author-illustrator Aixa Perez- Prado. We sat down with Aixa to learn more about the inspiration behind this book.

Have you ever heard a song that made your heart soar?
A canción that captured your corazón?
A voice so powerful that it made you feel ready to change the world?
This is the story of a singer whose voice sailed through the air like the wings of a condor,  inspiring people everywhere!

Written and illustrated by Aixa Pérez-Prado, Mercedes Sosa: Voice of the People is the powerful biography of Argentinean folksinger and human rights advocate Mercedes Sosa. Affectionately known as La Negra, Mercedes used her musical talents and powerful voice to speak out against poverty and inequality in her home country. In the face of a cruel dictatorship, Mercedes refused to be silenced. She bravely stepped on stage to lend a "voice to the voiceless" with uplifting songs of empathy and empowerment. Her unforgettable music and messages of hope continue to resonate with people across the world to this day.

Want to learn more about this moving story? Read on after the link...

In Agent Unicorn, Unicorn longs to be a cool, case-crackin’ undercover agent, just like his
hero, Agent Sparrow. And he’s finally gotten his big break—a job at Agent Goat’s Detective Agency! True, he might be sweeping the floors for now, but it’s one step closer to his dream.
When Unicorn intercepts the case of a missing pet bird, he leaps into action! He’s sure he’s
ready to be a detective even though he has no actual experience. With the best disguises and
coolest gadgets, how hard can it be? But before long, he’ll discover that there’s more to being
an agent than sneaky moves and looking cool. He’ll have to track down the humility and heart
of a true detective and avoid getting distracted by the annoying bunny that keeps following
him—a bunny that might just bear some resemblance to the missing pet—if he ever hopes to
officially become Agent Unicorn.

I am intrigued.