Join Pepe as he celebrates his Mexican-American heritage by participating in a celebration of Hispanic Christmas traditions. Children will delight in seeing many Hispanic cultures proudly honored in this joyous picture book.

Pepe is excited to celebrate Christmas with his friends and family. In the town square, families are encouraged to decorate and share foods, traditions, and gifts for the holidays. With new food to taste, music to dance to, and a very special piñata to crack open, Pepe couldn’t be more excited to celebrate and share his Hispanic heritage. A day filled with joy and pride, this book joins Pepe and the Parade as a jubilant celebration of culture and identity.

Illustrated by Pura Belpré Honoree, Mirelle Ortega, and with Spanish words effortlessly included throughout, this gorgeous story is a great introduction to the Spanish language. A glossary of Spanish words, complete with English translations, and an educational author’s note provide useful tools for further learning and discussion.

From the author of Only for a Little While comes a lyrical dual-lingual picture book about the beauty of being part of two cultures.

I’m from here y soy de allá.

With lyrical text in English and Spanish, this vibrant picture book is a celebration of Hispanic American identity—showcasing the beauty of being part of two cultures. Author Gabriela Orozco Belt and Pura Belpré Award Honor Book illustrator Mirelle Ortega honor all the big and small ways that embracing both heritages are the key to being exactly who you’re meant to be.

Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book written by Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega, winner of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor, about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.

Today’s the day! Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But as they fasten the shiny botonaduras and tie the moños on their charra suits, Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t like her? Is she ready to perform?

With her “mamiachi” and madrinas by her side, Rosa’s stage fright is soothed away by the sound of trumpets, guitars, and violins. Centering on the power of sisterhood, community, and music, the warm and lively text by mother-and-son writing duo Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez—joined by Mirelle Ortega’s beautiful illustrations—provides a unique perspective to the male-dominated world of mariachi. Back matter includes additional context on the history of the beloved Mexican tradition and the rise of all-female mariachi groups, as well as a glossary, a bibliography, further reading, and a fun, detailed look at a mariachi’s signature charro suit!

From Mirelle Ortega, the author-illustrator of Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land comes River of Mariposas, a vibrant, colorful picture book story of imagination and the determination of a child to bring back the butterflies—even if she has to make them herself.

Can you imagine a time when the land and the sky belonged to the mariposas? I can . . .

A young girl dreams of the land’s historic mariposas amarillas and is determined to re-create their glory, even if her butterflies are made of paper. But when nature thwarts her plans, life, magic, and yes, even the rain, bring something more beautiful than she ever could have crafted.

Based on the author’s own memories of a hurricane that diverted the migration of thousands of butterflies through her hometown near Veracruz, Mexico, this beautiful story captures the essence of imagination and the beauty of the unexpected.

In Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, her acclaimed debut as author and illustrator, Mirelle Ortega shares her own story of growing up near her family’s pineapple farm in Mexico, where she learned the true meaning of magic.

A 2023 Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Honor Book

Growing up on a pineapple farm in Mexico, a girl discovers the true meaning of the word magic in this truly magical picture book about change and transformation of all kinds—what we can’t control, such as natural disasters and loss, and what we can. Magic can transform dirt into pineapples, seeds into trees, wool into blankets, words into stories, blank pages into pictures and stories into book.