Aby and the Secret Painting / Aby y la pintura secreta
Aby and the Secret Painting / Aby y la pintura secreta
Available for preorder. Will ship in Spring 2027
Authors: Andrea Sanchez-Callejas, Belinda Lopez, Ana Grecia & Yanira Vasquez
Illustrator: Britney Garibay
A timely bilingual story about coping with being apart from someone you love.
Una oportuna historia bilingüe sobre cómo hacerle frente a estar separados de alguien a quien amamos.
Written by immigrant and first-generation young people, this bilingual Spanish/English book features twins Aby and Gabriel. The twins miss their mom, who now lives far away in Guatemala. When Aby discovers an unfinished painting her mother left behind, she gets an idea: finish it herself and send it as a birthday surprise! But keeping the project secret is a lot harder than she expects. With delightful illustrations, this charming story brings a sensitive human face to immigration and family separation.
Escrita por jóvenes inmigrantes y de primera generación, este libro bilingüe en español e inglés presenta a los gemelos Aby y Gabriel. Los gemelos extrañan a su mamá, quien vive ahora muy lejos en Guatemala. Cuando Aby descubre una pintura sin terminar que dejó su madre, se le ocurre una idea: ¡terminarla ella misma y enviársela de sorpresa como regalo de cumpleaños! Pero mantener el proyecto en secreto es más difícil de lo que esperaba. Con hermosas ilustraciones, esta historia dota de un rostro humano sensible a la inmigración y la separación de la familia.
Part of the Shout Mouse Press Beyond Borders Series | Spanish/English bilingual books written by teens.
Parte de la serie Beyond Borders de Shout Mouse Press | Libros bilingües en español e inglés escritos por adolescentes.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-92-5
Age: 4-9
Page Count: 42
Publication Date: Spring 2027
Meet the Authors
The young people at LAYC recognize the urgent need for authentic stories to provide a human face to the U.S. immigration debate. With few youth-focused books reflecting their personal narratives, they decided to boldly share their own. In the Beyond Borders series, young authors wrote children’s books centering immigrant families. Through Author Talks, book donations, and books sales, the voices of these predominantly Latinx immigrant and first-generation authors have reached readers and leaders across the country. Proceeds from their books support new authors and fund scholarships for immigrant youth.

LAYC authors of the Beyond Borders series were recently interviewed by WAMU/DCist about their experience writing children's books centering immigrant stories -- and their story aired on national radio!