Mama and Me

"Vámanos," Mamá says.
"Let's go!"
Together we garden and bake.
We bike and paint a mural,
colorful and bright.
I do some things sola,
all by myself.
Mamá says, "¡Perfecto!"—
just perfect!
With Mamá, I feel like a girasol,
a sunflower, tall and proud.

For a bilingual girl and her mamá, a loving bond is about being together . . . and independent. Arthur Dorros's skillful and subtle blend of English and Spanish narrative, illustrated with bold, striking paintings by award-winning artist Rudy Gutierrez, offers readers a poignant reminder that every day with Mamá is dulce—sweet!

Arthur Dorros views being a writer like being a traveling detective. He finds ideas all around. He learned Spanish while living in Latin America, and many of his stories, such as Abuelo, grow from those experiences. Arthur is the author of many books for children, including Julio's Magic, a CLASP Américas Award Commended Title; Papá and Me, a Pura Belpré Honor Book; and the popular Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science book Ant Cities. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Rudy Gutierrez spent many days playing stickball and cards with his father and listening to stories about his life. Rudy's memories of his dad's character, honesty, and optimism inspired his illustrations in this book.

Rudy teaches at the Pratt Institute. He received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators and was commissioned to do art for the acclaimed Santana Shaman CD cover. He also illustrated Malcolm X, an ALA Notable Children's Book. Rudy lives in Bogota, New Jersey.

El trabajo del premiado artista Rudy Gutiérrez se ha exhibido por todos los Estados Unidos e internacionalmente. También creó el arte para la cubierta del CD de Santana llamado Shaman. Rudy es profesor en el Instituto Pratt y vive en Bogota, Nueva Jersey.