Todd Students Have an In-Person Author/Illustrator Visit

We are getting back on track; in-person spring concerts are happening across the district and Todd fifth-graders will be putting on a spring musical at the end of May. In-person author visits are also back.

Recently, kindergarteners and first-graders enjoyed a visit from author/illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal, whose lush, colorful illustrations have been featured in many books, including one by Padma Lakshmi.

A winner of multiple awards and recognitions, most notably, the prestigious Caldecott Honor in 2019 for “Alma, and How She Got Her Name,” Ms. Martinez-Neal met with all students in kindergarten and first grades in three separate sessions.

She began her presentation by telling students where she grew up in Peru and about her life as a daughter and granddaughter of artists. She also spoke about the indigenous people in Peru and shared details about the country. Students learned interesting facts, such as that there are more than 3,800 different types of potatoes in Peru.

As this was an in-person presentation, students were able to ask questions and some shared that they know people of Peruvian descent.

Ms. Martinez-Neal shared her journey of becoming an illustrator and how she eventually came up with her unique style of artwork. She also showed students photos of her studio, where she works, and her dogs.

Students had the chance to learn about her creative process as she was brainstorming ideas for illustrations for the book “La Princesa and the Pea,” written by Susan Middleton Elya.

“I knew nothing about royalty since I was from Peru,” she said, “So I decided to draw the royal family in the story based on indigenous Peruvians and their costumes.”

She then read the book to the students and drew a picture of the queen, with a cat on her hat, showing the students how they can draw it on their own.

“Think about shapes – what shape is the queen’s hat?” she asked the students.

After the event ended and the students returned to their classrooms, Ms. Martinez-Neal signed books and shared more insights about her choice of illustrations for “La Princesa and the Pea.”

“When I received the text, it was in a Word document and had some Spanish words incorporated into the English text,” she said. “I thought at first that it would be about Spanish royalty because we don’t have royalty in Peru. But since the indigenous people in Peru have been oppressed for many centuries, I asked myself, ‘what is the best way to make them feel kind of like royalty?’ so I decided to incorporate some of their beautiful clothing and costumes into the characters and background illustrations.”

Todd teacher-librarian Tara Phethean said, “We are so excited to welcome back authors and illustrators in person. The PTA supports our programs and we are thrilled to have our special guest meet us in person.”