Plátanos Are Love Book Tour Reflection and More Upcoming Events

Mi gente!!! My people!!! I first want to say THANK YOU so much for showing up and celebrating PLATANOS ARE LOVE with me this past month. April was amazing. We had fun!

Our first in person event in Philly at Julia De Burgos was a blast. We ate tostones, maduros/platanos amarillos, y mofongo. Thank you to Alta Cocina for sponsoring the food. We had over 70 people there and sold 46 books. YAY!!! THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN.

I am thrilled to have worked with the nonprofit Start Lighthouse. I visited their Port Morris Literacy Hub to launch my book "Plátanos are Love" illustrated by @themaribug. "Plátanos Are Love" tells the story of a little girl, her sister, and her abuela cooking plàtanos together. They discuss the significance of plátanos to their family and culture. After a read-aloud, the students reflected upon their families' favorite dishes (many including plátanos) and the stories passed down when cooking and enjoying these meals. This was my first fully bilingual author's visit. The students were so excited that I could speak and read the book to them in Spanish. I've never been more proud of being bilingual 😢 Students deserve to be heard and to know that their interests and ideas are important. The students said they couldn't wait to reread this book with their family, maybe while eating maduros :) Learn more about their mission and work here.

Then I was off to Baltimore in collaboration with the Enoch Pratt Library. They purchased 260 copies of Plátanos Are Love to give out to two groups of 130 students. It was a blast to do an interactive reading with such an eager group.

I have extensive experience as a trainer and facilitator, particularly with small groups, but this was a new experience for me. Reading my debut book to two large groups of over 100 kids each still has me zinging with joy. They were so excited to read about plátanos as many of them eat them at home with their family.

I'm also grateful that I'm bilingual. Many of the kindergarteners were more comfortable speaking in Spanish and I'm glad I was not only able to understand them but answer them in Spanish. Being bilingual affirms to the students that both of their languages are important and valuable. It teaches them to have pride in their duality. Thank you to the @prattlibrary and my publisher @simonkids for making this a reality.

The good news is the fun is far from over. I have more events coming in MAY (see below).
- The event with The Lit Bar on Saturday, May 13 is SOLD OUT.
- I hope to see you on Saturday, May 20 at 12 pm at 530 W 166th St, New York, NY 10032. I'm excited to collaborate with @dominicanwriters and @wordupbooks on this event. Nos vemos.
- On Saturday, May 27, I hope to see you at the Philly Barnes and Noble

Events in June include the following:

- The Bronx Is Reading Book Festival between June 8-11 (more details on the time to come)

- Schomburg Center Literacy Festival Marketplace on June 17 from 11 AM to 6 PM at 515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York, NY, 10037

- Hispanic Fiesta at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia on June 25th (the time is still pending)

Check out the schedule and RSVP for events at my website alyssaauthor.com/events as well as with the link in my bio.