Juanita: La nina que contaba estrellas (The Girl Who Counted the Stars)

Gold Medal in the 2021 International Latino Book Awards. A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night. Juanita lived in Santa Catarina Palopo, a pretty little village next to a beautiful lake, surrounded by three huge volcanoes. She loved her pueblo and their people. Women there helped their families by weaving huipiles from silk, wool, and cotton thread while men worked the land. Juanita wanted to be of help, so she always cooked for her family her favorite meal, tortillas. At night, when the sun cleared the way for the moon to shine bright, Juanita would run onto the roof of the house for her nighttime routine: counting stars. The sky was so clear she could almost touch it.

But one day, Juanita's mom became very ill, and she couldn't work at her loom. Juanita wanted to help but didn't know how to. It appears the sky had been listening to her all the time and had a big surprise stored for her...



Medalla de Oro en los International Latino Book Awards de 2021. La magica historia de una nina de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de maiz y contar estrellas cada noche. Juanita vivia en Santa Catarina Palopo, un pueblito encantador junto a un hermoso lago, rodeado por tres enormes volcanes. Para ella era el mejor lugar del mundo donde vivia la gente mas buena. Las mujeres ayudaban a sus familias tejiendo huipiles de seda, lana e hilo de algodon, mientras los hombres trabajaban la tierra. Juanita queria ser de ayuda, y por eso siempre cocinaba para su familia su plato favorito: tortitas de maiz. Por la noche, cuando el sol se marchaba para abrir paso a la luna, Juanita corria escaleras arriba hacia el atico para su rutina nocturna: contar estrellas. El cielo estaba tan despejado que casi podia tocarlo.

Pero un dia, la mama de Juanita se puso muy enferma y no podia trabajar en su telar. Juanita queria ayudar pero no sabia como. Al parecer, el cielo la habia estado escuchando todo el tiempo y tenia una gran sorpresa preparada para ella...