THE TURQUOISE ROOM / EL CUARTO TURQUESA

Bilingual picture book THE TURQUOISE ROOM/EL CUARTO TURQUESA by renowned author Monica Brown and gorgeously illustrated by award-winning artist Adriana M. Garcia.

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, first Esther, then Isabel, and 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! In this loving memoir, Monica Brown has created a heartfelt story about generations of creative women in her family. From the turquoise room in Peru, first Esther, then Isabel, and then Monica draw strength and inspiration to find their own creative path. With a touch of magical realism, this story of mothers and daughters celebrates the ways stories and dreams fly from one generation to the next, and to children around the world through art and books. This book touches on themes relating to family, social-emotional ties, empowered girls/women/mothers, honoring ancestors, achieving dreams and goals, migration/immigration, honoring languages and cultures, and more. Monica Brown is an acclaimed author of children's books, which have garnered multiple starred reviews and awards, and have been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and on NPR's "All Things Considered." Most of her stories are inspired by her desire to bring diverse stories to children and by her own mixed heritage, which includes Peruvian, Scottish, Spanish, Amerindian, and Jewish ancestry. 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 is a visual artist, a muralist, and an illustrator. She is the recipient of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor for her debut picture book, All Around Us 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.