Monica Brown (author) facts for kids
Mónica Brown is an American author who writes amazing books for kids. She was born on October 24, 1969. She also teaches English at Northern Arizona University. Monica Brown is famous for her Lola Levine and Sarai chapter book series. She also writes biographies about important Latin American people like Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, and Cesar Chavez.
Her books often feature characters that show the rich and diverse experiences of Latinx people. She wants to show that kids from different cultures are whole people with a vibrant heritage. For example, her character Marisol McDonald is Peruvian, Scottish, and American.
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Monica Brown's Early Life
Monica Brown was born in Mountain View, California. Her mother was from Piura, Peru, and her father was from San Francisco. Monica has a diverse background. She is Mestiza and Romanian-Jewish on her mother's side. On her father's side, she is Hungarian Jewish, Scottish, and Italian.
Monica was raised Catholic but later became Jewish as an adult. When she was a child, she often visited her mother's family in Peru. Her mixed background inspires her writing. For example, her character Lola Levine has Jewish-Peruvian-American roots, just like Monica.
Monica Brown's Writing Career
Monica Brown studied English at several universities. She earned her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She later received her M.A. from Boston College and her Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Today, she is a professor at Northern Arizona University. There, she teaches about different types of literature, including Chicano and African American works.
Why Monica Brown Started Writing
Monica Brown began writing children's books after her daughters were born. She wanted to create stories that showed the important contributions of people from the Americas. Her Peruvian and Jewish heritage inspires her work. She is dedicated to bringing diverse stories to young readers.
Many of Monica Brown's books are published in two languages, English and Spanish. One of her books was even translated into Quechua. This is an indigenous language spoken in the Andes mountains.
Famous Books and Awards
Monica Brown's first children's book was My Name is Celia: the Life of Celia Cruz. It was published in both English and Spanish in 2004. This book won the Américas Award for Children's Literature.
In 2011, she published Waiting for the Biblioburro. This book shows how important reading and education are. It tells the story of a Colombian teacher who delivers books to faraway communities using donkeys. The book won a Christopher Award in 2012.
Her 2012 book, Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, earned her a second Américas Award for Children's Literature. In 2015, she won the Judy Goddard Award in Children's Literature. Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos was another one of her books. The New York Times chose it as one of the best illustrated books of 2017. That same year, she received a Valle del Sol Award for Latino Excellence In Art, Culture & Literature.
The Sarai Series
In 2018, Monica Brown started a new chapter-book series called Sarai. She wrote this series with child actress and internet star Sarai Gonzalez. The Sarai series is for children aged 7-10. It is inspired by real events from Sarai's life.
