Silvia Lopez

A Cuba native, Silvia López arrived in Miami in 1960 as a child, with one suitcase and no English. Eventually, she became a National Board-Certified media specialist with degrees in English and Educational Technology and a Masters in Library Science. For nearly four decades, Silvia served hundreds of children as librarian in schools and public libraries in Miami-Dade County. Silvia's eBook Zunzuncito: a Tale of Cuba's Bee Hummingbird (in English and Spanish) won an International Latino Book Award. The eBooks are available on her website, as well as in paperback versions on Amazon.

Silvia became a traditionally published author in March 2018 with the release of her first picture book Just Right Family: An Adoption Story (Ziyue Chen, illus.) which went on to receive the 2018 Florida Book Award.

Her book Queen of Tejano Music: Selena (Paola Escobar illus.), won the 2020 Florida Book Award and was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature. Both the English and Spanish versions of that book were chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. They were followed by Pacho Nacho, illustrated by Pablo Pino.

Silvia is also the author of the English and Spanish versions of My Little Golden Book About Frida Kahlo, (Elisa Chavarri illus.), and My Little Golden Book About Sonia Sotomayor, (Nomar Pérez illus.) Silvia’s book Uno Más, One More: A Latino Retelling of an Old Scottish Ballad, (Olivia Sua illus.) received a starred review in School Library Journal.

With co-author Susan Rose, Silvia has written a series of three bilingual Easy Readers: José and El Perro, José and Feliz Play Fútbol, and Happy Birthday, José and Feliz (Gloria Felix illus.) Three more of Silvia’s books are scheduled for release in 2026 and 2027: Please Pass the Tamales! a collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, Where are the Pink Pájaros? also co-authored with Susan Rose (Nomar Pérez illus.), and In the Sea, En el Mar (Geraldo Valério illus.) Silvia has also written for the education market, including A Collection of Tales From Latin America and the Caribbean, and Federico Fernandez Cavada: the Spy in the Hot Air Balloon.