Fall Feast
On Recipes and Books
Recipe for a series
I recently wrote a guest blog post for fellow author Uma Krishnaswami where I reveal the recipe on how to write a successful early reader series. The closing title of the Rafi and Rosi Coquí series, Rafi and Rosi Menu! contains recipes. In it the irrepressible tree frog duo plunges into the joys of cooking in Puerto Rico as they surmount challenges to achieve their goal: helping Abuela assemble 60 pasteles to fulfill an order. I spent over twenty years developing the beloved savory root dish featured in the book, pasteles puertorriqueños. The same amount of time I spent figuring out the right ingredients for a long-lasting beginner series.
For me, it all starts with the following steps,
1) Open a sketchbook
2) Remember a childhood nocturnal animal, whose lullaby you yearn for
3) Draw characters based on this animal
4) Imbue your characters with irresistible personalities based on people you know
5) Place your characters in a familiar setting
6) Create a problem for your characters
7) Let them solve the problem and …
Should you want the complete recipe, continue reading here.
Now, if you were interested in my pasteles puertorriqueños recipe, click on the image below to access the great resources created by my publisher.
ACCOLADES FOR RAFI AND ROSI
The reception for Rafi and Rosi Menu! and Rafi y Rosi ¡Menú! has been heartwarming. School Library Journal calls it “a fun read for primary school students and a must buy in either version.”
And Booklist has awarded it a star!
More on it at Las Musas interview, in the conversation with Read Your World, and in the in-depth chat with Bilingual Book Buddies.
SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
Rafi and Rosi Coquí at ncte
I feed off the energy at the NCTE annual conventions. If you’ve been to one, you know what I’m talking about. Educators can be immensely creative. Should you be attending this year, please join me at one of the panels I’m in, along with fellow authors Gaby Belt, Terry Catasús Jennings, Sara Fajardo, M. García Peña, and Lourdes Heuer. I can’t wait to see what panelists and attendees will brainstorm together!
It would be great to meet you personally during my signing of Rafi and Rosi Menu! on Friday November 21st. Do swing by to grab your copy!
Author Visits
sharing Cool Green in Rwanda
I love to travel and visit elementary schools in the countries I visit. This summer I had the joy of witnessing how, in today’s Rwanda, public schools teach conservation. It was heartening to discover that Cool Green: Amazing Remarkable Trees is aligned with their curriculum. Reading and discussing the book made all the more sense.