Alma Flor Ada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alma Flor Ada
Born	Alma Flor Ada Lafuente 3 January 1938 Camagüey, Cuba
Occupation	Writer, Educator, University Professor
Nationality	Cuban-American
Genre	poetry, children's literature, adult novels, memoirs, pedagogy, educational materials
Subject	literature, language, education
Literary movement	critical pedagogy, transformative education
Notable works	My Name is María Isabel, Gathering the Sun, Yes! We are Latinos, A Magical Encounter, Authors in the Classroom

Alma Flor Ada (born January 3, 1938) is a Cuban-American author. She writes books for children, poetry, and novels. She used to be a professor at the University of San Francisco. She is known for helping to improve education for students who speak more than one language and for celebrating different cultures in the United States.

About Her Life

Alma Flor Ada was born in Camagüey, Cuba, on January 3, 1938. Her parents were Modesto Ada Rey and Alma Lafuente. She grew up in a house called La Quinta Simoni. This house belonged to the family of a Cuban hero named Ignacio Agramonte.

Alma Flor grew up in a family of storytellers, poets, and teachers. She loved hearing old tales from her grandmother, father, and uncle. When she was 15, she chose to go to summer school in the United States instead of having a traditional quinceañera party. This was the start of her life as a person who speaks two languages.

After finishing high school in Cuba, she won a scholarship to go to Loretto Heights College. There, she saw how some people were treated unfairly because they were Mexican-American. This experience inspired her to work for fairness and to help people appreciate different cultures.

She studied at a few universities, including Barry College in Miami. She earned a special diploma in Hispanic Studies from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She then got her Ph.D. (a very high degree) from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. She also received a special grant to study at Harvard University. There, she worked on publishing her important research paper, Pedro Salinas: El diálogo creador.

In 1970, Alma Flor Ada and her four children moved to the United States for good. Today, she lives in California and has nine grandchildren.

Her Work

Dr. Ada started her teaching career in Lima, Peru. She taught at schools where students learned in two or three languages. In the United States, she became a professor at several universities. These included Emory University, Mercy College, and the University of San Francisco. She later retired from the University of San Francisco as a Professor Emerita. This means she was a respected professor who retired but kept her title.

At the University of San Francisco, she guided many students who were writing their Ph.D. papers. These papers were about international multicultural education. She also taught as a visiting professor at many other universities around the world. She often gave speeches at big meetings, sharing her ideas about education.

In 2014, she gave a main speech at a conference in San Diego. There, she received the Ohtli award from the Mexican Government. This award honored her for helping Mexican communities outside of Mexico. She did this through projects like the Pajaro Valley Literacy Project. In 2008, a group called the California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE) created an award in her honor. It's called "The Alma Flor Ada Teachership Award."

Alma Flor Ada has greatly helped the idea of "critical pedagogy." This is a way of teaching that helps students understand the world better. It also helps them realize their own potential and work for fairness in society. This teaching style includes using the experiences and knowledge of parents and students in the classroom. She has written many educational books and materials. Some of these include Authors in the Classroom: A Transformation Education Process and A Magical Encounter: Latino Children's Literature in the Classroom.

She has also created reading programs for many big publishers. Dr. Ada has been on many important advisory boards. These include boards for shows like Sesame Street in Spanish and Between the Lions. She also helped start The National Association for Bilingual Education Journal. She has written parts of many other books about education.

Her Books

Alma Flor Ada has written many books for both children and adults. She writes in both Spanish and English.

For adults, she has written two novels, A pesar del amor and En clave de sol. She also wrote her life story, called Vivir en dos idiomas.

Her children's books come in many different styles:

• Books about her own life: These books are based on her childhood memories and include characters from her family. Examples are Where the Flame Trees Bloom and Under the Royal Palms. The latter won the Pura Belpré Award in 2000.
• Traditional Folktales: These are old stories passed down through generations. Some she wrote are Tales Our Abuelitas Told (with Isabel Campoy), The Lizard and the Sun, and Three Golden Oranges.
• Original Folktale Picture Books: These are new stories written in the style of folktales. Examples include The Gold Coin (which won a Christopher Award in 1991), The Malachite Palace, and Jordi's Star.
• Fractured-Fairytale Picture Books: These books take classic fairy tales and tell them in a new, funny way. Examples are Dear Peter Rabbit and Yours Truly Goldilocks.
• Other Picture Books: These include books like Friend Frog and Let Me Help.

The lives of Latino children in the United States have inspired much of her work. Gathering the Sun is a poetry ABC book that celebrates farm workers. The picture book I Love Saturdays, y dominos and the chapter book My Name is María Isabel are popular. She also wrote two novels for middle schoolers with her son, Gabriel Zubizarreta: Dancing Home and Love, Amalia. All these books focus on celebrating Latino heritage while living in the United States. Yes! We are Latinos, written with Isabel Campoy, uses poetry and facts to show the rich Latino heritage.

Two books about Alma Flor Ada, called Alma Flor Ada and You, explain how she gets ideas for her books.

Alma Flor Ada has also translated many books from English into Spanish. She has translated works by famous authors like Judy Blume and Jane Yolen. She also worked with Isabel Campoy to translate books by authors like Lois Ehlert.

Awards and Honors

Academic Honors

• Fulbright Scholar, 1965–1967
• Radcliffe Institute Scholar, 1965–1967
• Distinguished Research Award, University of San Francisco, 1984
• University of San Francisco Outstanding Teaching Award, 1985
• California PTA Association Award, 1990
• Los Angeles Bilingual Directors Association Award, 1991
• American Research Association Hispanic Issues Award, 2010
• California Association for Bilingual Education Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010
• American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, 2011

Literary Awards

• Marta Salotti Gold Medal (Argentina) 1989 – Encaje de piedra
• Christopher Award 1992 – The Gold Coin
• Notable Book (National Council for Social Studies/Children's Book Council) – The Gold Coin
• Parent's Choice Honor 1995 – Dear Peter Rabbit
• Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Association 1995 – Medio Pollito/Half Chicken
• American Bookseller Pick-of-the-List 1995 – Medio Pollito/Half Chicken
• Once Upon the World Award, Museum of Tolerance 1998 – Gathering the Sun
• Gold Medal, Parenting Magazine 1998 – The Lizard and the Sun
• Pura Belpre, American Library Association 2000 – Under the Royal Palms
• Best Ten Books for Babies, Center for Early Literacy 2004 – ¡Pío Peep!
• 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2004 – ¡Pío Peep!
• Best Book Selection, American Library Association 2006 – Tales Our Abuelitas Told

She has also received awards for her entire writing career:

• Reading the World Award 2005 (University of San Francisco)
• Virginia Hamilton Award 2012
• Ohtli Award 2014

See also

In Spanish: Alma Flor Ada para niños