LAS MUSAS BOOK BIRTHDAY - Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas

Today we celebrate the book birthday of Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas. We sat down with  Alexandra Alessandri to learn all about the inspiration behind this book.

But first, a little bit about the book: 

Kindness can be shown during even the harshest of storms.

Shutters rattled. Wind howled. As a ferocious hurricane descends upon her town, Lupita finds two baby birds who have fallen out of their nest and brings them inside to shelter them from the storm. While Lupita and her family wait out the tempest, she focuses on protecting the palomitas to alleviate her own fears and hopes she can soon reunite them with their mother.

Perfect for families living in hurricane-prone states or with children who have storm-related anxieties, Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas offers a gentle, soothing story about extending a hand of kindness to others even while facing fears of our own. The picture book includes Spanish-language vocabulary words and a glossary in the back. 

Where did you get the idea to write this particular story?
The seeds for Lupita’s Hurricane Palomitas were planted during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. As my family and I prepared for the hurricane, my son discovered a pair of baby mourning doves. Upon closer inspection, we realized they had been knocked down from our palm trees by some of the early wind gusts. The mama bird was nearby and she kept fluttering to and from. We knew we couldn’t leave the babies out there with the possibility of a strong hurricane making landfall soon. So we quickly did some research, found an old shoe box (thank goodness for school projects!), added some shredded paper and some water, and settled the baby doves there. We tried to bring the mama too, but she flew away. Then we hunkered down—us, our son, the abuelitas, our pup, and the baby doves—while the storm passed.

Afterwards, as we cleaned up the mess left behind, we repurposed a hanging planter into a nest for the baby mourning doves. We watched and waited, hoping their mama would return. And she did! Mama found her babies and brought them food, then nestled into the nest with her babies. We got to witness their growth and, later, flight. And for a while after they flew from their nest, we had two mourning doves come visit. It was a beautiful experience within the chaos of a hurricane, and I couldn’t help but think: There’s a story here. And indeed there was.

How would you describe your main character? Why did you create your character that way?
Lupita is on the quiet side and an introvert. She’s a natural observer, taking in the world around her. She also worries a lot, especially with something as big as a hurricane. She’s kind and loves animals, and she loves spending time with her dog Lucky (Lucky was named after a childhood pup of mine!).

In many ways, Lupita is like my son—and me. We worry often, especially with things out of our control. We’re introverts who can extrovert, but often when we’re in a room with people we don’t know, we’re quiet, choosing to first observe our surroundings before diving in. But also, worry and fear are universal emotions, and in creating a character who has to face those emotions, I wanted to show how we can navigate our fears by caring for others.

What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story?
I’m hoping readers will take away that even in the midst of storms—both literal and figurative—we can find ways to lend a helping hand, care for others, and show kindness.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a writer until now?
Every book has its own journey, and just because something worked with another story doesn’t mean it’ll work for this one too. Some stories will come fast and furious; others will take their sweet (and frustrating) time. And that’s okay.

What books are on your to-be-read list?
There are so many upcoming picture books I’m looking forward to this summer, like Ismée Williams’ and Tatiana Gardel’s Abuelo, the Sea, and Me; Jackie Morera’s Abuelo’s Flower Shop, Arlene Abundis’ Into the Mighty Sea, and Paola Santos’ How to Eat a Mango. There are so many more, too, coming from Las Musas authors: lasmusasbooks.com/2024-releases.

Alexandra Alessandri is the award-winning author of several books for children, including Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela!, Isabel and Her Colores go to School, The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía, and Our World: Colombia. The daughter of Colombian immigrants, she is also an educator and a poet. Alexandra lives in Florida with her husband and son. You can learn more about Alexandra and her books at alexandraalessandri.com, or find her online on Twitter or Instagram.