New Book: Letters from Heaven / Cartas del cielo

Celeste is heartbroken when her grandmother dies. But everything changes when a letter mysteriously comes in the mail—from Grandma! As letters continue to arrive from the beyond, each with a recipe of a favorite food her grandmother used to prepare, Celeste consoles herself by learning how to cook the dishes.

Meanwhile, without Grandma’s Social Security check Mami needs to get a second job to make ends meet. Celeste has to quit dance lessons, and a bully at school gloats that she will replace Celeste as the star in the upcoming recital. To top things off, her friends think that she has gone crazy . . . dead people can’t send letters!

Soon Celeste realizes that all the recipes combined make an entire meal: café con leche, guava and cheese croissants, congrí, plantain chips, ropa vieja and flan. Can she really make a Cuban feast to celebrate her cherished grandmother’s life?

Published in bilingual "flip" format by Arte Público Press, this middle-grade novel celebrates the cultural traditions of the Spanish Caribbean while tackling challenging subjects, such as trouble with friends and the death of a grandparent. The book includes six traditional Cuban recipes with easy-to-follow instructions.

 “A tender depiction of a child’s acceptance of the death of a beloved grandmother and the cultural importance of traditional foods.”

—Kirkus Reviews

 “This delightful novel is a Like Water for Chocolate for young readers. Celeste rises out of her grief by replacing her sadness with el sabor of life, by living as her grandmother did, with love and flavor."

— Judith Ortiz Cofer, author of Call Me María

 “Add one girl who misses her abuelita to a handful of coveted Cuban recipes, stir in a pinch of magic and you get a heartening tale of love, loss and the healing power of family and friendship.” 

—Laura Lacámara, author of Dalia’s Wondrous Hair / El cabello maravilloso de Dalia

 “A poignant and uplifting story about the special bond only a grandmother and a granddaughter can share. Delicious and magical!” 

—Reyna Grande, author of The Distance Between Us

Letters from Heaven / Cartas del cielo

by Lydia Gil

ISBN-13: 978-1-55885-798-8 
For children ages 8-12 

Available now from Piñata Books, Arte Público Press

Raising Bilingual, Bicultural Kids

A little over one year ago, two Latina moms, who had recently retired from TV and print journalism, decided to share their journey of bilingual parenting--roadblocks and all!--through SpanglishBaby, an online community dedicated to the joys and concerns of raising bilingual children. Their fast-growing blog offers something new everyday to parents and teachers interested in bilingualism, with content organized in categories such as "Daily Learning", "Ask an Expert", "Must Reads", "Your Story", and even a "Forum" where readers can connect and share stories.

As new mothers, Roxana Soto and Ana Flores realized that, in spite of what demographics would suggest, there was great misinformation and few resources for parents determined to raise bilingual, bicultural children in the US. And that's how SpanglishBaby was born.

According to Soto, Spanglish Baby's first year has been full of both challenges and surprises. Among the former she cites the typical trials of starting a blog: building consistent traffic and creating fresh and interesting content. A loyal readership has emerged over the past months and, to celebrate this and its successful first year, Soto and Flores completely redesigned the blog, allowing readers to navigate the site more easily and to have a more participatory role. They've also added five regular contributors who, according to the editors, provide fresh perspectives on bilingual parenting on a weekly basis.

"We're also working on a major campaign through which we hope to bring bilingual resources in the form of books, toys and games to deserving schools in need," adds Soto.

For their second year, Soto would also like to increase SpanglishBaby's male readership and, hopefully, add a male contributor to its weekly lineup.

For the rest, Soto and Flores hope SpanglishBaby continues to be the community they envisioned from the beginning: a place where parents raising bilingual/bicultural children can feel supported, understood and welcomed to participate and share.

Keep up the great work, ladies!