Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems - Paperback

by Francisco X. Alarcón (Author), Maya Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Pura Belpré Author Award Honor, Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Notable Children's Book, Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Américas Book Award, Commended Title, Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

Bilingual English/Spanish. In their final collection of seasonal poetry, poet Francisco X. Alarcón and artist Maya Christina Gonzalez invite us to celebrate winter-by the seashore, in the magic city of San Francisco, and in the ancient redwood forests of the Sierras.

In their final collection of seasonal poetry, poet Francisco X. Alarcón and artist Maya Christina Gonzalez invite us to celebrate winter-by the seashore, in the magic city of San Francisco, and in the ancient redwood forests of the Sierras.

We see a city where people are bridges to each other and children sing poetry in two languages. A family frolic in the snow reminds the poet of the iguanas playing by his grandmother's house in Mexico. We are dazzled by the promise of seedling redwoods-like all children-destined to be the ancestors of tomorrow.

Artist Maya Christina Gonzalez has once again created a spirited family of children and adults who swing their way through colorful pages. Collages of old maps of Mexico and California provide intriguing backgrounds, and fun-loving iguanas peek out at us from the most surprising places.

Author Biography

Francisco Alarcón was a renowned poet and educator, and a three-time winner of the Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for his bilingual Magical Cycle of the Seasons series of poetry for children. His many other honors include the American Book Award, the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, the Chicano Literary Prize, and finalist for state poet laureate of California. Alarcón was also the author of several poetry collections for adults and textbooks for teaching Spanish. In addition, he directed the Spanish for Native Speakers Program at the University of California. Alarcón passed away in early 2016.

Maya Gonzalez is an author and the illustrator of many award-winning children's books published by Lee & Low. They are also a progressive educator who developed the symbol and theory of the Gender Wheel, a tool to express the dynamic, infinite, and inclusive reality of gender. Gonzalez creates gender-inclusive books and materials that focus on teaching, inspiring, and empowering children and adults to create personal and cultural change in their lives, and provides lectures and workshops to educators, parents, and caregivers. They live with their family in San Francisco, California. genderwheel.com