ALSC Notable Children's Books List for 2020 Why must Luca leave the only country he's ever known? The bilingual picture book Luca's Bridge / El Puente de Luca, by Mariana Llanos with illustrations by Cozbi A. Cabrera, tells the emotional story of a boy coming to terms with his family's deportation from the United States to Mexico. A powerful meditation on home and identity at a time when our country sorely needs it.

Author Biography

Born in Lima, Peru, to two journalists, Mariana Llanos developed an early passion for writing. She studied theater in the prestigious CuatroTablas school in Lima. She has lived in Oklahoma since 2002, where she worked as a teacher in a preschool center for several years. In 2013 Mariana self-published her first book, Tristan Wolf, which won a Finalist in the 2013 Readers' Favorite Book Award. Since then, she has published seven books independently in English and Spanish and through virtual technology has chatted with students from more than 150 schools around the world to promote literacy. In December 2017 she was recognized with a Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association of Oklahoma City and the Human Rights Alliance of Oklahoma for her work promoting literacy. She lives in Oklahoma City. Anna Lopez Real is a freelance illustrator born in Guadalajara, Mexico. She spent her early years in a small town with a big lake, in a bilingual home full of books, movies, diverse music and art. She has a BD in Graphic Design from Universidad de Guadalajara. Since she was young, she has needed to feel colors, shadows, textures and shapes with her own hands, which inspired her to use traditional techniques. She is also the co-founder of a local stationary company. Her favorite place is the beach, and she loves to read and hang out with her family and her cats and dogs. She is passionate about human rights, animal rights and has a great love for nature. She lives in Guadalajara, Mexico.