The Turquoise Room / El cuarto turquesa

By Monica Brown, Adriana M. Garcia
Hardcover: $20.95

Bestselling author Monica Brown takes us on a magical journey into the lives of generations of creative women in her family in this gorgeously illustrated bilingual picture book.

Monica Brown, exitosa autora, nos lleva a un viaje mágico en la vida de generaciones de mujeres creativas en su familia en este libro bilingüe bellamente ilustrado.

Description

Esther paints a map and dreams of exploring the world.

Esther’s daughter Isabel paints pictures and dreams of becoming an artist.

Isabel’s daughter Monica paints with words and dreams of telling stories.

From the turquoise room in Peru, Esther, then Isabel, then Monica draws the strength to trust her imagination and fly into the world of dreams and possibilities. Over mountains and the sea, along rivers of paint, or among the swirl of words on a page, each girl, then woman, finds her creative path.

In this loving memoir, Monica Brown has created an homage to her grandmother and mother and a legacy for her daughters. Accompanied by luminous illustrations by Adriana M. Garcia, this warm, lyrical story invites you to close your eyes, open your mind, and imagine your life!

Esther pinta un mapa y sueña con explorar el mundo.

La hija de Esther, Isabel, pinta cuadros y sueña con ser artista.

La hija de Isabel, Monica, pinta con palabras y sueña con contar historias.

Desde el cuarto turquesa en Perú, Esther, luego Isabel, y después Monica sacan fuerza para confiar en su imaginación y volar al mundo de los sueños y las posibilidades. Sobre montañas y mares, junto a ríos de pinturas, o junto a olas de palabras en una página, cada niña, ahora mujer, encuentra su camino a la creatividad.

En esta adorable memoria, Monica Brown crea homenaje a su abuela, a su madre y al legado de sus hijas. Acompañada con luminosas ilustraciones por Adriana M. Garcia, invita esta encantadora, lírica historia a cerrar los ojos, a abrir su mente, y ¡imagina tu vida!

About the Creators

Monica Brown

Monica Brown is the award-winning author of over thirty books for children, including Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/no combina, Sharuko, Maya's Blanket/la manta de Maya, Waiting for the Biblioburro, Frida and Her Animalitos, and El Cuarto Turquesa/The Turquoise Room, as well as the Lola Levine chapter book series, among many others. She is the recipient of the Christopher Award, two Américas Awards, and multiple starred reviews. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages, and has appeared in the NYTimes, The Washington Post, and on NPR's All Things Considered. When not writing for children, Brown serves as a professor of English at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches about US Latino and multicultural literature. Brown lives with her family in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her website is monicabrown.net.

Adriana M. Garcia
Adriana M. Garcia

Adriana M. Garcia is a visual artist, a muralist, and an illustrator. She is the recipient of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for Where Wonder Grows and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor for All Around Us, both picture books by Xelena González. Garcia has exhibited her artwork nationally and has presented at conferences, schools, and museums around the United States. She especially loves painting portraits of strong women to honor those who have come before and those who continue to lead by example. Garcia lives in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her online at adrianamjgarcia.com.

Awards

  • RISE: A Feminist Book Project Booklist 2023

    American Library Association (ALA)

  • Premio Campoy-Ada (Premio de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil) Winner 2022

    University of Texas at San Antonio

  • Best Children's Books of the Year in Spanish 2023

    Bank Street College of Education

  • Society of Midland Authors Award Honor 2023

    Society of Midland Authors

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild

Reviews

  • "Prolific children's book writer Brown brings a personal, intergenerational story to readers in this moving picture book about family, culture, art, and imagination."

    - Booklist
  • "This autobiographical, multigenerational tale is proof that a loving parent can encourage a child not only to embrace art, but also to view the world as a place of limitless opportunities. . . A rich portrayal of the passage of a family's artistic talents across generations."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Shades of purple and turquoise create a mysterious and magical atmosphere within the pages that beckons to readers and invites them to dream. . . A love letter to Peru, dreams, and daughters everywhere."

    - School Library Journal

Hardcover

  • ISBN 9780892394357
  • Publication Date Sep 27, 2022
  • Trim Size 9.75 × 10.25 in
  • Weight 1.125 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Imagination & Play
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Bedtime & Dreams
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Girls & Women
  • Themes Art, Bilingual, Biography / Memoir, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Cultural Diversity, Diversity, Dreams & Aspirations, Dual Language, Families, Grandparents, Imagination, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Mothers, Nonfiction
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 6 - 10
  • Grade Range Grades 1 - 5
  • Guided Reading R
  • Spanish Guided Reading R
  • DRA 40
  • Interest Level Grades K - 5
  • Reading Level 4
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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