This is us!
We came from Argentina and Venezuela. Our love for picture books joined us… in Canada!
Cynthia Rodríguez
Born and raised in Caracas, where I inherited the love for books from my grandmother and mom, I later transformed it into my profession, working as a journalist and in the publishing industry.
Since I was eight years old, I have collected picture books and have never stopped.
As a mom, one of my most significant ambitions is to preserve the Spanish language in my daughter, who is growing up in multilingual and multicultural Montreal. That’s why I launched UpaUpa Español, to help other Hispanic moms do the same, wherever they are.
I have many favorite albums, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Margarita, by Rubén Darío, illustrated by Monika Dopper, from Ekaré. That book synthesizes many of the reasons why this project exists.
Marcela Mangarelli
Not long ago, I fell in love with picture books and their way of making words and images interact on a page to tell a story.
I have more than fifteen years of experience working in the publishing industry. Born and raised in Argentina, I came to Canada in 2003, and I've been working with books in Spanish for children in my bookstore Double Dutch.
I have a Master's Degree in Books and Children's Literature (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), a Certificate in Publishing from Ryerson University, and a Master's Degree in Reading to children and young adults (Universidad e Zaragoza).
One of my favorite albums is Nana de Tela: La Vida Tejida de Louise Bourgeois, by Amy Novesky and Isabelle Arsenault.
It's very close to my heart.