Mango Abuela y Yo

You might have seen that the International Book Awards were announced on Friday. I'm a little late to the game because I was in Pennsylvania, But behold the (seriously long) list of amazing titles that have won and take note, mi gente, of the new voices coming to the table. If you’re unfamiliar with the work of these authors, please take the chance now to gather their books and enjoy. All the winners – some of them my heroes and dear friends (...looking at you Isabel Campoy, Pam Muñoz, Sonia Manzano, Margarita Engle, Daniel José Older, and more...) have my deepest respect and congratulations. So, I am excited to say that Mango Abuela and Me earned second place as best picture book in English, and Burn Baby Burn earned an honorable mention in Young Adult. But I am hugely proud to announce that Teresa Mlawer won first place in translation for both Mango Abuela y Yo and Yaqui Delgado Quiere Darte Una Paliza.  An industry veteran, Teresa has translated the likes of Where the Wild Things Are and Harold and the Purple Crayon. I had the pleasure of meeting her on the faculty of the 2014 Latino National Children's Literature Conference at the University of Alabama. (Proof positive of the value of going to conferences...) So, when Candlewick hired her as my translator a couple of years later, I knew I was in good hands. Having the work of Latino authors available in translation matters. It's a statement of respect for multiple literacies,…