Piece by Piece: Ernestine's Gift for President Roosevelt

  

Written by Lupe Ruiz-Flores 

Illustrated by Anna López Real 

 

Publisher: ‎Millbrook Press 

Language: ‎English

Hardcover: ‎32 pages

ISBN-10: ‎1728460433

ISBN-13: ‎978-1728460437

 

During the Great Depression, Ernestine Guerrero's family didn't have much.

 

The Mexican American teen was so grateful for the government food aid they received in San Antonio, Texas, that she wanted to personally thank President Roosevelt. But how? After seeing the plans for a very difficult woodworking project, she decided she would make it herself and send it to the president. Piece by piece, that's exactly what she did. And the clock case she built remains on display in the Roosevelt Presidential Library to this day.

 

With stunning illustrations from Anna López Real, this picture book tells the inspiring true story of a girl who proved that if you look closely, treasure can be found in unexpected places.

 

"Sensitive, soft-hued illustrations complement the engaging text, which outlines the arduous step-by-step tasks involved in transforming dirty, thrown-away crates into a work of art." ― Booklist

 

 

Lupe Ruiz-Flores is the author of six bilingual picture books. She is a former Regional Advisor for the Southwest Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and until recently its newsletter editor. Lupe has won the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grant, the SCBWI/Amazon Work-in-Progress Grant, and the SCBWI Martha Weston Award. She is a member of the Writers League of Texas, Texas Library Association, Las Musas, and Kindling Words. She was awarded the Tejas Star Book Award for three consecutive years. Her poetry and short stories have been published in anthologies, including Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. She was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

 

Anna López Real is a freelance illustrator based in Guadalajara, Mexico. She spent her early years in a small town with a big lake, in a bilingual home full of books, movies, diverse music and art. She has a BD in Graphic Design from Universidad de Guadalajara. Since she was young, she has needed to feel colors, shadows, textures and shapes with her own hands, which inspired her to use traditional techniques. She is also the co-founder of a local stationary company. She is passionate about human rights, animal rights and has a great love for nature.