Category Archives: Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Multilingual Educator: The Journey Toward Literacy Begins at Birth: A Personal Narrative

DAD IS READING TO INFANT, Photo by infant’s mother Eva Lin Fahey (author’s daughter) and with permission of father, Nick Floyd 2/22

This essay by author Jean Ciborowski Fahey, Ph. D. originally appeared in the CABE 2023 Edition of Multilingual Educator. Jean’s picture book I’ll Build You a Bookcase has been translated into Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Jean Ciborowski Fahey author photo: A white woman with short white hair wearing a blue scarf

Jean Ciborowski Fahey is an author, parent educator, and speaker dedicated to promoting an early love of reading in children. She also consults for a variety of literacy initiatives and organizations and creates home literacy curriculum for parent-home visitors and early intervention specialists. She lives in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts with her husband, Tom, and dog, Indigo. Visit her online at readingfarm.net.

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Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Maya Gonzalez on Nonbinary Representation, the Language of the Nonverbal & Power of Pronouns

Award-winning kidlit creator Maya Gonzalez (illustrator of I Can Be . . . Me!) wrote a series of essays to celebrate Pride month. The excerpt below originally appeared on The Official SCBWI Blog, and Maya’s guest posts included:

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Activities and Events, Diversity, Race, and Representation, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Watch the Webinar: Centering Disabilities in the Classroom

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Thank you to all who joined us for our most recent webinar, Centering Disabilities in the Classroom featuring Patty Cisneros Prevo, two-time Paralympic gold medalist, disability advocate, and author of Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes!

If you missed it live (or just want to watch it again), you can access the webinar below, or here on YouTube. Keep reading for links to resources and booklists shared during the webinar and feel free to reach out for more information and/or a Professional Development certificate.

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Diversity, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

How the Bronx Pioneered A Genre: A Guest Post by Linda J. Acevedo

In this guest post, author Linda J. Acevedo invites readers to bust a move while learning about the history of the boogie-down Bronx in her picture book debut. Breaking to the Beat has received FIVE starred reviews and is available wherever books are sold!

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Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Multilingual Educator Q&A with Guadalupe García McCall: Author, Professor, and Educator

This Q&A with author and former teacher Guadalupe García McCall and Lee & Low Literacy Specialist Michelle Fuentes originally appeared in the CABE 2023 Edition of Multilingual Educator. Guadalupe’s latest novel, Echoes of Grace, is available wherever books are sold!

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Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Black Was the Ink Connects Past and Present

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This post by Michelle Coles originally appeared on We Need Diverse Books in November 2021. Black Was the Ink is available wherever books are sold!

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Diversity, Race, and Representation, Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

The Reality of Rural Blackness: A Guest Post by Nisi Shawl

In this guest post, author Nisi Shawl invites readers to experience rural Black life in their middle-grade debut novel. Speculation is available wherever books are sold!

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Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Banned: Why We Need Young Adult Fiction: A Guest Post by Stephane Dunn

This post by Stephane Dunn originally appeared on SLJ Teen Librarian Toolbox. Snitchers is available now wherever books are sold!

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Educator Resources, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

Watch Now: Foster Multilingual Learners Through Story: In Conversation with Lee & Low Authors

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Thank you to all who joined the “Foster Multilingual Learners Through Story: In Conversation with Lee & Low Authors” panel on November 8, 2022. The NYC Department of Education hosted this panel as part of their Beyond Access Forum.

Click here to register and watch on demand! It’s FREE and open to everyone.

In this webinar, the panelists discussed how high-quality bilingual and dual language picture books celebrate the voices and cultures of young readers’ lived experiences and affirm and validate a child’s identity. Hear from Ying-Hwa Hu (Ten Blocks to the Big Wok); Claudia Guadalupe Martínez (Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando); and Xelena González (Where Wonder Grows and Donde las maravillas crecen) as they discuss their books, their role as storytellers, and their hope for the future of bilingual and dual language children’s literature.

Purchase the books from the webinar here:

Ten Blocks to the Big Wok
Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando
Where Wonder Grows and Donde las maravillas crecen

Additional recommended resources:

Recursos en español para educadores y familias
Authentic Spanish Books List
10 Reasons To Celebrate Bilingual Books
Dual Language Learners Deserve Research-Backed Resources

Diversity, Race, and Representation, Educator Resources, Guest Blogger Post, Interviews with Authors and Illustrators

On the Fluidity of the Border and Repatriation: A Guest Post by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez

In this guest post, author Claudia Guadalupe Martínez reflects on the universal story of coming and going across a border while emphasizing the forgotten history of Mexican Repatriation. Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando is available wherever books are sold.

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