Join us in celebrating How to Speak in Spanglish book birthday! We sat down with Musa Mónica Mancillas to learn all about the inspiration behind the this book. But first, a little bit about the book: In this charming and delightful picture book, Sami shares the joys of Spanglish with his skeptical abuela and diverse community. Sami loves to speak both English and Spanish. But he doesn’t just speak them one at a time. He speaks in Spanglish! Sometimes, he makes brand-new words — like lonche — and sometimes, he puts the languages together in one sentence, like when he’s hungry for jambuergers con papas fritas. But not everyone likes Spanglish. Abuela thinks that Spanish should be spoken at home and English at school. And to make matters more complicated, Sami’s not allowed to write his homework in Spanglish. At first, Sami feels confused and frustrated. But with the support of his family, friends, and neighbors, Sami soon realizes that his unique identity should be celebrated. Hooray, muy bien, Sami! Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? I moved from México to the United States when I was only two years old, at a time when I was still building my vocabulary. And like a lot of kids growing up in bilingual/bicultural households, that meant that I did a lot of code switching (often mixing words from both languages together). It was a source of embarrassment for me throughout my childhood, and even as an adult, because I so often felt like I was failing by not being able to speak Spanish “perfectly”. I began toying with the idea for this book a few years ago because I really wanted to write something that spoke to kids going through the same thing. I wanted them to not only see themselves in my story, but embrace the fact that they speak two languages, even if sometimes imperfectly. What’s more, I wanted to highlight the widespread tradition of code switching that exists in so many multicultural households around the world. Speaking Spanglish (or Hinglish, Taglish, whatever the case may be) is fun, and something that should be celebrated! Can you share a bit about your path to publication? My agent and I went on submission with HOW TO SPEAK IN SPANGLISH in August of 2021, just a few weeks after selling my sophomore picture book, THE WORRY BALLOON. My fantastic editor, Elizabeth Lee, had just transitioned to Penguin Workshop and was looking to start building her list. She was particularly interested in acquiring positively themed books by and about BIPOC people, and HOW TO SPEAK IN SPANGLISH felt like the perfect fit for her (and Elizabeth and PW, the perfect fit for the book)! What was your favorite part of the publication process of this story? I can honestly say that working with Elizabeth and the team from Penguin Workshop has been a delight from start to finish. Elizabeth is one of those editors that makes the process a joy. She is so great at getting to the heart of the story during the revision process, is wonderful with communication, and really champions her books and authors in order to ensure that they have the best chance of succeeding. What message do you hope your readers will take away from this book? I really hope that anyone who reads Sami’s story will be inspired to celebrate their own identity, whatever it may be, and become curious about the languages and cultural traditions of those around them. I would love to see educators and caregivers use the book to open up conversations with young readers about the languages they speak at home and give them room to feel excited about code switching in whatever form that takes. What comes next for you as an author? I am so thrilled to say that, after the publication of SPANGLISH, I’ll be venturing into the Middle Grade market. My debut MG novel, SING IT LIKE CELIA, is scheduled for publication through Penguin Workshop on April 2nd of 2024. I have another unannounced MG project coming out later that year. In 2025, I have a non-fiction compendium of biographies called LEYENDAS/LEGENDS, celebrating the lives of 60 notable Latine figures, coming out through Chronicle. My second (unannounced) MG novel with Penguin Workshop will be coming out that year as well. That is so exciting. We can't wait!
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