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My Review
The Mirabel Sisters is a wonderful and also sad children's book that shines a spotlight on four sisters who stood up for freedom and the rights of the people in the Dominican Republic. Three of the sisters paid the ultimate price.
While this is a children's book, it may be a bit difficult for younger readers to really grasp and understand. It also does touch on the topic of death (murder), which may open up discussion with young readers about why bad people do bad things. Older readers, however, may be able to handle the book more easily, but still want to discuss things.
I thought the addition of some Spanish words/phrases with a nice touch. It's a way for kids to learn another new thing, and the provided glossary at the back of the book with translations/meanings of those words and phrases is helpful.
The illustrations really bring this tragic story to life. And while it is tragic, it's also inspiring and shows just how much power the people really can have if they only stand up for what's right and try to make a difference.
The legacy of the Mirabel sisters lives on thanks to the efforts of the sister who survived, and now this book can also be a part of that legacy.
A must-read for people of all ages and cultures.
5 stars!
Guest Post
The story
behind my writing
The idea of writing about Hispanic women
developed at different stages. I work at a public library, and one day, I was
looking for children’s books to display for Hispanic Heritage Month. I then
realized that, although there are quite a lot of children’s books about African
American figures, I couldn’t find one about Hispanics. So I thought, “hmmm…
maybe my library just doesn’t carry any?”
A search on Amazon revealed that my library didn’t have those types of books because there were none published! Immediately I got in a kind of “author mode” and started thinking, “what if I write one…”
The first idea that came to my mind was to write about Mama Tingo, a famous female farmer and activist from the Dominican Republic who was killed for defending the land. I thought writing about her and not a male figure (like one of our founding fathers) because throughout history, women have been undermined, oppressed, and underrepresented. At different points in history, women have not been able to go out in public, to drive cars, to study, to work, to vote, or even to take credit for their accomplishments.
At that moment, it did not occur to me to look for a literary agent. I was so… eager to have that book published (since no other book about Mama Tingo was out there–and still isn’t), that I decided to publish it myself. I created my own editorial house, Cayena Press, Inc., and today, we have published five bilingual biographies for children.
Self-publishing is not easy though! Between creating the legal structure of Cayena Press and publishing our first book, Mama Tingo, I am broke. But more than the financial aspect of it, the burden of self-publishing is that you have to take care of everything: hiring editors (for both English and Spanish), looking for an illustrator, formatting the book, press kits…. a lot of details go into it. I thought that after that first book, it would be easier, but it has not been. As I gain more experience I want to do more, and implement new things for the next book!
The sense of accomplishment and seeing my first proof arrive in the mail is priceless though!
Enter the Giveaway:
The Mirabal Sisters: From Caterpillars to Butterflies Book Tour Giveaway
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