Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña

For Valentina, living on the Galápagos islands means spending her days outside, observing the natural world around her. She greets sea lions splashing on the shore, scampers over lava rocks with Sally-lightfoot crabs, and swims with manta rays. She is a Galápagos girl, and there is no other place she’d rather be!

But this wondrous world is fragile, and when Valentina learns her wild companions are under threat, she vows to help protect them and the islands.

Whimsical illustrations by Pura Belpré Honoree Angela Dominguez transport readers to the unique Galápagos islands, which shelter a number of diverse plant and animal species that can be found nowhere else on the planet. Come discover this beautiful world with Valentina and her animal friends (Source).

Marsha Diane Arnold is an award-winning picture book author whose 21st book, Lights Out!, will be published in fall 2020. Her books have sold over one million copies! Among Marsha’s honors are the Ridgeway Award for Best First Book, state Children’s Choice awards, IRA Distinguished Book, and Smithsonian Notable Book. Recently, her bilingual book Galápagos Girl was selected as a 2019 Bank Street Best Books of the Year, a Campoy-Ada honor book, and a 2019 Green Prize in Sustainable Literature. The media has referred to her as, “a born storyteller.” Educators have called her a “true literary artist” whose books show “warmth and respect for one’s self.” Marsha grew up in Kansas, surrounded by wheat fields and dairy cows. When she married her husband, they moved to Sonoma County, California, where they raised their two amazing children. In 2015, they journeyed to Florida to be closer to their family. She’s lived on the West Coast, the East Coast, and in The Middle and has loved them all. What does Marsha love most? She loves to be with her family. She also loves to visit schools and meet her young readers. She travels nationally and internationally as a presenter for schools and book festivals. And then there’s bicycling, swimming, gardening, and scuba diving! Plus reading and writing (Source).

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in North Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia. She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time Pura Belpré Illustration Honoree. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. She recently illustrated the New York Times Bestseller, Just Help! How to Build a Better World, written by Sonia Sotomayor. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both (Source).

Excerpt from the book.
Excerpt from the book.

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