2025 Author Recap: Publishing Children’s Books, Promoting Bilingualism, and Visiting Schools in Puerto Rico

I’ve been so swamped with the day-to-day life that I haven’t taken a moment to celebrate the wins and accomplishments that I had professionally as an author during 2025.

I finally, adapted the original version of Coco, la Cotorra Puertorriqueña into an easy reader. I realized that my own students were having difficulty reading the book so I made an easy reader version for struggling and/or beginning readers.

Later in the year, I self-published a children’s book with a topic that is near and dear to my heart: about bilingualism! I wrote  ¡Mis Superpoderes Bilingües! / My Bilingual Superpowers! (Bilingual Spanish and English Edition) and it became an Amazon Hot New Release!

 

I was also interviewed by Read Your World on an Instagram Live to talk about my book.

 

In between interviews and writing books, I also had the honor of serving as a judge for the International Latino Book Awards and enjoyed reading and evaluating some truly wonderful books!  Including an aweosome collaboration with educators on an Instagran Live to talk about easy Spanish readers including Coco, la Cotorra.  You could watch the replay here.

I visited virtually 2 schools in Puerto Rico to read  ¡Mis Superpoderes Bilingües! / My Bilingual Superpowers!  One of the visits was especially special because it was with the third-grade class of my great-nephew, who inspired one of the main characters in my story.  I am so grateful to his teacher for allowing me to virtually visit her classroom and greet her students. It fills my heart to know that John proudly affirms that his bilingualism is his superpower, and I hope that this story will inspire other bilingual students to value their gift, as well as those who are learning English to discover the superpower they are developing.

During Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, I visited a local middle school to share why we celebrate this month, speaking with a room full of parents and more than 100 students. Watch here.

While in Puerto Rico during the month of December I visited LEAP STEAM + Science & Technology University School.

This school visit was especially meaningful because it was my first one in Puerto Rico. I had the opportunity to read my beloved Coco, la cotorra puertorriqueña to six groups of first- and second-grade students, and their energy, excitement, and feedback were incredible. Many of them already knew about the Puerto Rican parrot and El Yunque, and some even had the book and the Coco plush at home!

Living in the diaspora, opportunities to do in-person read-alouds in Puerto Rico don’t come often, which made this experience even more special. I loved seeing how familiar the students were with Coco and how deeply invested they were in her story. Watching their reactions felt like a powerful full-circle moment, one I will carry with me for a long time. My heart is full.

I’m incredibly grateful to the school coordinator for the invitation, and especially to my sister, who doubled as my Uber driver, photographer, and videographer, and to John for coming along as well. 🙂

If you’re a teacher, librarian, or school interested in hosting an author visit, I’d love to visit your students either in person or virtually! Connecting with young readers and talking about books, Puerto Rico, and bilingualism is always a highlight for me. Please feel free to reach out for more information.