 Today we celebrate the book birthday of Squawk of Spanish. We sat down with Gabriella Aldeman to learn about the inspiration behind this book. Tell us a little bit about the book: Max isn't confident with his Spanish, especially rolling his Rs, and his cousins always tease him about it. But he loves spending weekends baking with his Spanish-speaking abuela, while Lorito the parrot helps translate. But when Lorito disappears for a day, Max and Abuela must figure out how to communicate. Max's Spanish doesn’t have to be perfect, and Abuela can attempt a little English. Trying is what counts! I can't wait to see what happens... What 3 phrases would you use to describe your book? Squawk of Spanish features: -A multigenerational and bilingual family -Language barriers and acquisition -Reassurance and perseverance Where did you get the idea to write this particular story? Squawk of Spanish is very close to my life and family. Like Lorito the parrot, who speaks in English and Spanish, I’m fully bilingual. I live my life between two beautiful languages and two beautiful countries (Panama and the U.S.). But for my son, Spanish is not always easy. Like Max, the main character in the story, his Spanish words sometimes knot in his throat and refuse to come out. When Abuela visits us from Panama, the two of them usually begin to connect with games, hugs, and delicious food. Eventually, his words start tumbling out dry and rusty. And it’s beautiful! Because trying is what counts, and being understood is the main purpose of language. Can you share your path to publication for this book? I wrote the first draft of this book in 2021. It was called The Parrot Who Refused to Speak Spanish. As you may have guessed, the parrot was the one who had trouble speaking with Abuela. The manuscript was full of squawk-along humor but something was missing (although I didn’t know it yet). With the manuscript, I applied for a Las Musas mentorship, which I didn’t get. However, I got an email from Musa extraordinaire Zara González Hoang who had read my manuscript and said something to the effect of, “No one cares if a parrot doesn’t communicate well. The boy has to be the one who refuses to speak Spanish.” With this insight, I redrafted and applied for the Charlesbridge Connections program. That was my in! I met with then-editor Monica Perez who asked me to make some changes and submit the story for her consideration. Not only did Charlesbridge acquire the story, now titled Squawk of Spanish (yay!), but I got to nudge a couple of agents I was subbing at the time. Squawk of Spanish will be my second picture book, but it was the first to be acquired and the one that got me my wonderful agent, Delia Berrigan. What was the most challenging part of the publication process with this story? The most challenging part, aside from the wait, was one particular revision. My amazing editor, Karen Boss, asked me to include cousins. My head exploded: “Cousins?! As in plural? As in adding a bigger cast of characters to a 500-word manuscript?” Needless to say, I had to sit with the revision for a bit. More than anything, I didn’t want the cousins (or anyone else) to take away from the main relationship between Abuela and Max. In the end, of course, it worked out beautifully. Adding cousins thickened the plot, increased the stakes, and made everything more real and heartfelt. Thank you, Karen! What 3 recommendations would you give writers who are starting out? For writers who are starting out, I would recommend: 1. Read as much as you can in the genre that you are writing in. 2. Join a critique group of writers in your genre. 3. When you are ready to submit, make sure to cast a wide net. It’s important to query agents and/or editors, but make sure to take advantage of other opportunities for pre-published writers. Apply to mentorship programs, grants, and pitch contests like this one. Attend conferences and get to know people in the kidlit community, from booksellers to local creatives.
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