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Sara Fajardo

@safajarwrites

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Sibert 🎖️& Ezra Jack Keats 🏅author winner. Repped by @nicolegeigerpublishing #FullCircleLiterary A TANTA WAWA FOR ABUELITO out 9/29

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Overwhelmed with gratitude it's a second starred review for A TANTA WAWA FOR ABUELITO from @ala_booklist which deemed it a "welcome addition" to books covering the traditions of Día de los Muertos which often center the more well-known celebrations from Mexico.

I could not be more honored to team up with @dudaoliva.art on this project. The review described his incredible illustrations perfectly: "Impressionistic art flows across the pages, capturing the motion of dance and flicker of candlelight with an immersive jewel-toned palette." This book is truly a work of art! I wish I could cover the walls of my house with Duda’s gorgeous work! It truly took my breath away.

Another love letter to the Andes, each anecdote is pulled straight from my family stories. Pre-order now, out on 9/29. So much gratitude for the entire team at @harperkids and my inspiring editor @capchap and my dream making agent @nicolegeigerpublishing @fullcirclelit by @safajarwrites

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2 months ago

Loving the new bling! Thank you Sibert committee @americanlibraryassociation and @mackidsbooks by @safajarwrites

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4 months ago

Author dreams coming true. Heart full from the @ejkfoundation celebration, honored to stand alongside @mokshini @tallulahfontaine @steffosterbrown @kesi.augustine and have our books celebrated. Thank you @usmdegrum and the entire EJK team for making us feel so special. Can’t believe I got to meet the @megmedinabooks @benclantoon @lclineransome and @nmillerillustration not to mention @devas_t whose books had filled my heart and home for years. So may cool librarians including the team @firstregionallibrary Spoiled by Otha and croissants and get to take home a lovely plaque and Peter doll. So many memories packed into such a few days. Gratitude in abundance! #faybkaiglerchildrensbookfestival thank you @fullcirclelit @nicolegeigerpublishing @mackidsbooks taken in The University of Southern Mississippi by @safajarwrites

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6 months ago

Doesn’t the cover of A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito look beautiful! @dudaoliva.art made our story sing! First sighting of our book in the real world. Thank you @copperfieldsnovato for being so supportive of my books. To see it next to one of my favorite books of the year @author.nydia.armendia The Women Before Us made it even more special. @copperfieldsbooks by @safajarwrites

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7 days ago

From playful cascarones to communal grieving and cutting-edge science, my stories share my love for my Andean roots and Latine pride. This Hispanic Heritage Month consider adding one of my titles to your shelves.

🥚Crack Goes the Cascarón is filled with Family Travesuras and is playfully illustrated by @denarmen published by @knopfyoungreaders @yellowboxes

🥖 A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito, features the Day of the Dead celebrations from an Andean perspective, with breathtaking art by @dudaoliva.art published by @harperkids

🥔 Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa is the biography of a groundbreaking scientist on a quest to collect and protect the potatoes of the Americas for future generations, with joyful art by @juanamartinezn that will make you feel like your walking alongside Alberto. Published by @mackidsbooks

#HispanicHeritageMonth #LatinxBookstagram #childrensbooks by @safajarwrites

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15 days ago

READ NOW! ➡️📚 It’s Tortolito’s first Día de los Muertos without his abuelito, and he honors him through his family's Peruvian and Andean traditions—including sharing a tanta wawa, a special sweet bread made for the occasion.

This heartfelt picture book celebrates traditions to help us remember and feel close to the people we miss most. ❤️

📖A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito: An Andean Day of the Dead Tradition by Sara Andrea Fajardo, illustrated by Duda Oliva by @safajarwrites

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17 days ago

It’s Tortolito’s first Día de los Muertos without his abuelito. As he misses him dearly, the boy is determined to celebrate his grandfather to the fullest, and that means collecting the most beautiful flowers, playing cards with his cousins, making sure his shoes are brightly polished and, of course, bringing a delicious tanta wawa — a traditional Andean bread — to abuelito’s grave. 🏵

Today is “A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito” book birthday and what an absolute pleasure it was developing this beautiful story! 🌻

Written by @safajarwrites , our book text is filled with heart and kindness, in a tender mix of fiction and memory, and it was a true bliss and an honour working on such a poetic, sincere and warm text. Thank you for inviting me in, Sara! (trust me, her writing is just as precious as her heart) 💛

I’d also like to thank Elaine Lopez for the marvellous art direction, support, patience and great feedback through the whole process and of course incredible @sus.penny for the opportunity, trust and care in our first partnership: it’s been an exciting and rewarding journey and I'm really proud of what we accomplished so far ✨

So, be sure to check @harperkids for this and other marvellous titles comingo out September - October and - if you’re a teacher and/or parent - feel free to suggest it to your school, friends and kids! Me and Sara can’t wait for you to meet Tortolito, learn more about Peruvian culture and share a tanta wawa or two with your loved ones!

#picturebook #kidlitart #latinamerica #childrenillustration #humanmadeart

(Animated by me; keep your AI slop away from here) by @safajarwrites

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17 days ago

Today’s the day. A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito officially hits shelves. This little piece of my heart was more than seven years in the making, countless revisions to get every word right. Filled with family anecdotes and the love I feel for the Andes. I wrote it to share Andean traditions of Day of the Dead and showcase more of our culture. But the magic really happened when @dudaoliva.art was signed on to illustrate. He brought to life my beloved Andes in ways I could never imagine possible, each color and line makes me feel so close to the land and culture I love so much. I could not be prouder of this book we’re bringing to the world. Please consider asking your library to carry it, check it out or buy a copy of your own. Beyond grateful to my agent @nicolegeigerpublishing who pushed me to make the most of each word and my editor Karen Chaplin for making this book sing. by @safajarwrites

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18 days ago

The magic of the big reveal, and did @dudaoliva.art ever bring the magic! Illustrators have so many heart lifting ways of enhancing a story, little details that make me gasp with delight, like seeing all these family photos hidden beneath the dust jacket the let you feel the love contained within its pages. I’m awestruck over how Duda added additional cultural elements, such as the weaving underneath the photos and the local artwork, it does so much to enhance the sense of place without even having to use a word can’t wait for you all to meet to Tortolito and his family, this book is my heart on the page. Can’t thank my editor @capchap enough for the vision she had for this book and teaming me up with Duda. Out 9/29 pre-order now by @safajarwrites

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22 days ago

So many wonderful Day of the Dead titles our now available, each with its own unique approach to remembrance. These are some of my favorites:

The Ofrenda that We Built written by mother-daughter team @writerjoleneand @_art_by_shai_ with inviting art by @gabbyzapata is inspired by the nursery rhyme The House that Jack Built. It’s a wonderful invitation into the tradition of building a colorful home altar or ofrenda.  Abuelita’s Gift by @marianariosr with art by @sarapalaciosart is a tender look at grief through the eyes of a young Julieta, who seeks to honor her Abuelita’s spirit but struggles to find the perfect gift.

Remembering by @xfactor.live with art by @adrianamjgarcia shares the customs of Día de los Angelitos, as a family honors the loss of a beloved pet.

Our Day of the Dead Celebration by @anarandaillustration provides a lovely overview of the rituals and traditions surrounding the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead.

An Ofrenda for Perro written by @judithvaldesb and illustrated by @carlosvelez_ilustra is a hug of a book in which Benito finds a way to celebrate the life and spirit of his beloved dog through ritual and remembrance.

Flowers for Tía Luz Maria by author-illustrator @cynthiagdelatorre introduces to sensitive Galina, who is experiencing the first loss of a loved one. This book takes us through a myriad of emotions and provides a gentle glimpse of a child coping with loss.

And finally, A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito, my picture book collaboration with @dudaoliva.art features the Andean traditions of the Day of the Dead, through the eyes of Tortolito, a tender-hearted boy mourning the loss of his Abuelito. by @safajarwrites

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a month ago

Tanta Wawa means bread baby in Quechua, a language spoken widely across the Andes. As November approaches markets across the Andes of Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru fill with these Wawas, a traditional bread that we exchange with our godparents, family members and loved ones, during the celebrations of Día de todos los Santos y Día de los fieles difuntos, November 1st and 2nd, more commonly known in the U.S. as Day of the Dead. While the tradition is widespread, the bread looks very different from town to town and region to region. In Ayacucho, where my family is from, they are decorated with sesame seeds and sprinkles and peer out at the world from raisin eyes, while in the region of Cuzco they have these lovely delicate painted faces. No matter how they look they are always delicious, I love them with a kiss of anise that brings out the most amazing sweetness.

  Learn more about our traditions in my latest book A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito, lovingly illustrated by @duda.olivaart Pre-order now at your favorite local indie bookstore, out on 9/29. @harperkids by @safajarwrites

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a month ago

Less than three weeks until A Tanta Wawa for Abuelito is out in the world. Gorgeously illustrated by @dudaoliva.art . So what’s a Tanta Wawa? It’s a baby-shaped bread that we exchange with loved ones during the Andean celebrations of Dia de todos santos y dia de los fieles difuntos more commonly known in the US as Day of the Dead. Even though it is widespread across the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, the bread itself can look very different from town to town and region to region. So take a peek at three different varieties that can be found in Peru. Get your copy on September 29th or pre-order now. @harperkids @fullcirclelit @nicolegeigerpublishing by @safajarwrites

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a month ago