My Very Own Room / Mi Propio Cuartito - Paperback

by Amada Irma Perez (Author), Maya Gonzalez (Illustrator)

Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, Texas State University College of Education
Outstanding Achievement in Books, Parents' Choice Foundation

Bilingual English/Spanish. Five brothers, two parents, and a house full of visiting relatives make a young Mexican American girl feel crowded.

Five little brothers, two parents, and a house full of visiting relatives make a young Mexican American girl feel crowded. She loves her family, but how can she get a little space of her own? This delightful memoir of a California childhood, by Amada Irma Pérez, sparkles with exuberance and wit.

Renowned painter Maya Christina Gonzalez brings the captivating scenes to life with bold colors and whimsical details. My Very Own Room gently teaches a valuable lesson about the strength of family and the importance of dreams.

Author Biography

Amada Irma Pérez is a third-grade teacher in Oxnard, California, and a leading advocate of programs encouraging multicultural understanding. Like many of her students, Amada Irma was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a young child. My Very Own Room is based on her own family story. She lives with her family in Ventura, California.

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