Cover Reveal of ISABEL AND HER COLORES GO TO SCHOOL by Alexandra Alessandri

3/31/2021

When I started kindergarten in the fall of 1984 in Queens, New York, I walked into the brick building knowing, perhaps, only a handful of English words. Until that moment, my world had been colored strictly with Spanish. It’s what we spoke at home, between ourselves and with our extended family and friends. I don’t have too many memories of this time, but one sticks out like a blazing sun. My teacher had instructed everyone to prepare for recess, only I had misunderstood her. While everyone filed in a line, I slipped toward the back to get my book bag and lunch box. Then I realized everyone had left. I remember weeping in the hallway because I felt lost and forgotten. Thankfully, a kind teacher found me and reunited me with my class.

The emotional impact of that moment has stuck with me throughout the years, and it’s what inspired Isabel and Her Colores Go to School, which is beautifully illustrated by Courtney Dawson and which releases this July 15, 2021 from Sleeping Bear Press as an English and Spanish edition.

About the book: English, with its blustery blues and whites, just feels wrong to Isabel. She prefers the warm oranges and pinks of Spanish. As she prepares for class at a new school, she knows she's going to have to learn--and she would rather not! Her first day is uncomfortable, until she discovers there's more than one way to communicate with friends. This is a universal story about feeling new and making new friends.

Without further ado…I’m so thrilled to share the gorgeous cover for Isabel and Her Colores Go to School here on Las Musas!

I’m absolutely in love with Courtney Dawson’s illustrations and can’t wait to share this book with the world!

Isabel and Her Colores Go to School is available for preorder now. Personalized copies can be purchased through Books & Books. It’s also available through Bookshop, IndieBound, B&N, and Amazon, and you can add it to your Goodreads.

Giveaway Alert!

Sleeping Bear Press is graciously sponsoring a giveaway of one (1) copy of Isabel and Her Colores Go to School written by Alexandra Alessandri and illustrated by Courtney Dawson.

To enter:

Follow @LasMusasBooks on Twitter
Retweet Cover Reveal blogpost
BONUS ENTRY: Sign-up for Las Musas newsletter

Terms:

Giveaway will run from March 31, 2021 to April 30, 2021
Winners will be drawn on April 30, 2021
No giveaway accounts
U.S. mailing addresses only. please no PO boxes
Prize provided by Sleeping Bear Press

About the Author

Alexandra Alessandri is the Colombian American author of Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! (Albert Whitman) and Isabel and Her Colores go to School (Sleeping Bear Press, 2021). She is also Associate Professor of English at Broward College and a poet, with some of her work appearing in The Acentos Review, Rio Grande Review, Atlanta Review, and YARN. Alexandra lives in Florida with her husband and son. For more information, visit her at
http://alexandraalessandri.com.

About the Illustrator

Courtney Dawson is an illustrator and picture book artist living in the sunny little town of Ventura, California. She has a deep love of reading, her mom’s chilaquiles, and most kinds of ice cream. Her work is inspired by the world around us and all the good that’s in it. When she’s not working, she can be found riding her bike, painting to Sam Cooke’s music, or enjoying a rainy day with her partner, her baby, and her cute cat, Tuesday. For more information, visit her at
https://www.courtneyjdawson.com.