Books with author Maya Christina Gonzalez

Maya longs to find brilliant, beautiful color in her world. But when the wind blows, desert sand covers everything, and turns her whole neighborhood the color of dust.With the help of a feathered friend, Maya searches high and low to find the colors in her world. And she does in the vibrant purple of her Mama's flowers, the juicy green of a prickly cactus, the hot pink clouds at sunset, and the shiny black of her Papi s hair.As they follow Maya s search for all the colors of the rainbow, little readers will be inspired to look around and ask themselves, where can I find the colors in my world?This beautiful bilingual book of colors makes a perfect gift or read-aloud book for young readers learning to explore their world."

Self-Care for Kids! This is not your usual kid’s book! This book is a call to BE, to step forward and LOVE yourself, LOVE your community, know your history and your powerful place in it and strengthen your own creative power! This book is a tool to use. I created it because I know you are an important part of our world and your strength matters.Bullying is real, but we can change the story by changing the focus. Begin with yourself. Begin the journey of art activist. You are the artist. You are the storyteller. Change yourself. Change the world!Playful ink and watercolor illustrations support a powerful journey that touches on bullying in the founding history of the US, how that history may still be impacting kids and families today, and ways to use creativity and self respect in the face of negative messages for all marginalized communities. The first part of the book briefly acknowledges the United States' past and present and shows some basic forms of activism that kids engage in. The next part talks about walking away from a bully or de-escalation and focusing on how to take care of yourself and community. Finally practical ways creativity and portraiture can be used to support self respect and spread respect in community are explored. Communities reflected include Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Chicanx, LGBTQ Americans, disabled Americans, Americans who identify as women and girls, Muslim and Sikh Americans, Jewish Americans and Asian Americans. The back includes related resources and referrals, a reading guide for adults, community project and art & witnessing worksheets to copy.This book is not a hero’s tale or the journey of a brave fight. This book is for the in between moments, the middle of the night, the long afternoon: those moments when kids are haunted by what someone said to them in the hallway, a sideways stare at the store or what they heard on the news. It’s about gathering strength for life’s every day journey and supporting a strong full self all the time.Award-winning children’s book artist and author Maya Gonzalez draws from 20 years working with kids using her Claiming Face curriculum, to provide a place for kids to land during difficult times and counteract the impact of oppression with truth, expression and personal creative power.

In this exciting and action-packed adventure by an award-winning author, a young girl discovers her secret ancient bloodline. The fate of her family, and the world, may rest in her hands... Cassie Arroyo, an American studying in Rome, has her world ripped apart when someone tries to kill her father, an art history professor at an Italian university. Is she their next target? Cassie sets out to uncover what is happening, only to learn that she is a member of an ancient bloodline that enables her to use the Spear of Destiny--a legendary object that can alter the future. Now running from a secret organization intent on killing those from her bloodline, Cassie must--with the help of some friends--decipher the clues that will lead her to the Spear. Christina Diaz Gonzalez has created a fast-paced thrill-ride of a book, rich with riddles and myth, that young readers will not want to put down.

"The Red Umbrella" is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan--an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution. In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucia alvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched. As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucia's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States--on their own. Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucia struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she "ever" see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl? "The Red Umbrella" is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home. "From the Hardcover edition."

The kids of the gender team are ready to show you the way, are you ready to color, learn, and play? Inside you'll find stories, pictures, games and more to encourage and remind you that you are free to be! Gender is something relevant to all of us because we all express gender. You may or may not be transgender. You may or may not know a transgender child. The truth is that doesn't matter. We are all on this planet together. Gender Now is meant to provide reflection and support unity by showing multiple genders standing together. It is a specific opportunity to create balance and awareness by including gender expressions that are under-represented in our current culture.

Voice begins deep within. Along the back corridors and secret passageways. Voice begins at our silent center, the core of our being where everything exists at once. Vibrating.Within each of us is a path from inside to outside. Look for it.Within each of us is a silence of truth longing to be expressed. Feel for it. Within each of us is a voice ready to spiral OUT into an enormous sky. Unfurl it.Dropping into the spaces that live within, Unfurling invites us into the dance between silence and story until we can let go into our own expression.We need your Voice. We need your Revolution The final book in the anthology trilogy from The Heart Of It Collection. Award-winning children’s book artist and author Maya Christina Gonzalez’s experimental illustrations and simple poetic narrative highlight the poems, stories, and art of 18 new and emerging diverse children’s book ArtistAuthors. Love, creativity and power fill the pages! Always pushing the limits of how children’s books can be used, Unfurling explores the possibility of what stories lay within the minds of our children and how to engage their creative agency through imagery. Featured ArtistAuthors: Ovid Amorson, Crystal Azul Barr, Adrianne Beth Galvez, Erika González, Priya Gopal, Jill Guerra, Kelly Jimenez, Rosalind Lord, Judith Nasse, Shanimarie Ogilvie, Elana Ponet, Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, Marianna Singwi-Ferrono, Karen Su, Chantra Tham, Laura Yohualtlahuiz, alida cardós whaley, Robyn Wolfe

Eight Mexican folk heroines come to vibrant life in this fascinating anthology illustrated by Pura Belpré Award-winning artist, educator and activist Maya Gonzalez. Drawing on centuries of Mexican traditions, Fiesta Feminina celebrates brave young girls, clever mythological characters and ambitious historic women leaders. With an illustrator's note by Gonzalez and fully updated interiors, Fiesta Feminina joins Barefoot's popular anthology collection as an engaging tool to weave a captivating storytime in the classroom or at home.

The Red Umbrella is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan—an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution. In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched. As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own. Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl? The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.