Marta Arroyo's Books

By  Marta Arroyo 

Hello, Familia!

I am Marta Arroyo, author of the following bilingual children’s books for ages five and above.  All of these titles are available on Amazon.com. 

            LA FIESTA Y EL MARIACHI (2007) BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOK

LUPITA GOES TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FIESTA WITH HER PARENTS.  SHE ENJOYS THE EXCITING MARIACHI MUSIC AND THE BEAUTIFUL SHINY INSTRUMENTS.  AT THE FIESTA, LUPITA MEETS HER SCHOOL TEACHER AND GETS TO DANCE TO THE MARIACHI MUSIC.  FIND OUT MORE.

            THE STORY OF SEÑORA TAMALES (2010) BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOK

LA SEÑORA TAMALES, AS SHE IS CALLED BY HER FRIENDS, LOVES TO COOK MEXICAN FOOD FOR HER FAMILY.  SHE HAS A SPECIAL FOOD SHE COOKS:  TAMALES.  HER ENTIRE FAMILY LOVES HER DELICIOUS TAMALES.  HOWEVER, WHY DOES SHE MAKE THEM ALL BY HERSELF?  THE FRIENDS DECIDE TO HELP OUT. 

            JORGE AND THE LOST COOKIE JAR (2017) 

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK FOR AGES FIVE THRU SEVEN, 

PUBLISHED BY DAYTON PUBLISHING

JORGE IS A CURIOUS, SMART BOY WHO LOST SOMETHING.  THE HISPANIC FAMILY JUST MOVED TO A BIGGER HOME TO ACCOMMODATE THE GRANDPARENTS.  JORGE HAS BEEN HELPING HIS BROTHER AND SISTERS WITH THE UNPACKING.  WHEN IT’S TIME FOR A COOKIE BREAK, HE CAN’T FIND THE COOKIE JAR.  JORGE ASKS ALL IN THE NEW HOME FOR THIS FAMILY TREASURE.  DURING THIS SEARCH HE BECOMES FAMILIAR WITH HIS FAMILY’S NEW HOME AND GETS ANSWERS ABOUT THE COOKIE JAR’S WHEREABOUTS.  AT LAST, HE FINDS IT, BUT TO HIS SURPRISE, IT HAS NO COOKIES! 

JORGE Y EL JARRO DE GALLETAS PERDIDO (2018) 

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

ES UN DÍA DE MUDANZA.  JORGE Y SU FAMILIA (HERMANO, HERMANAS, MAMÁ Y PAPÁ Y ABUELOS) SE ESTÁN MUDANDO A SU NUEVO HOGAR.  HAN ESTADO TRABAJANDO DURO, DESEMPACANDO, Y JORGE ESTÁ LISTO PARA UNA GALLETA.  PERO, ¿DÓNDE ESTA EL JARRO DE GALLETAS?  SE DISPONE A ENCONTRAR ESTE TESORO FAMILIAR, BUSCANDO EN LO ALTO Y EN LO BAJO. ¡LA HISTORIA TERMINA FELIZMENTE, CON EL ÉXITO DE JORGE, Y GALLETAS!

                                                           

My First Inspiration

My inspiration for writing came primarily from the many positive, memorable pieces of family life. They labored hard times, my dad in the fields and mamá as a homemaker.  She and daddy were fiercely good at bringing us in a good place in the San Joaquin Valley.  It’s many, many years ago since they’ve both made the ultimate trip to Heaven.  But my brothers and sisters hold them in our hearts forever.  We hold on to treasured childhood memories. 

I appreciate so very much the wholesome Love that my parents gave to us.  We are a family of Hispanos, with strong Mexican values.  We lived poorly, but brightly, because all of the love our parents had for us came through in the drive for hard work and good cooking, as shown by our mamá and her passion for excellent meals.   So, when Concha cooked her tamales, I learned too, that she amazed me and everyone else.  You could say that watching her cook became my first inspiration for writing.  I knew I’d publish the story of Señora Tamales one day. It was important to tell about her.   And yes, I did.  After that, I continued to learn more and more about our lives in the United States, and how writing about our lives in one way or another must connect to our culture. 

Additionally, my teaching experience in the bilingual classroom allowed me to become sensitive to the needs of our students learning to read and write.  I enjoyed working with the kids on the writing process and promoting their own love of story-telling. This experience confirmed in me the need I had to publish my own stories.