Christmas WS's!
Continuing our series where we introduce children’s book authors, today Bonita Herold tells us about her success with bilingual books.
By Bonita Herold
At least, I beat Grandma Moses’ record. She was discovered at age eighty; it happened to me three days short of my sixtieth birthday.
After I taught ESL for a few years, I decided that I might lack Grandma Moses’ stamina, so I stopped teaching and focused on writing. Thanks to email, rejections came within days rather than months.
Contest Winner, Illustrated Fiction
But I knew my luck had changed when my name was announced at my first-ever writing conference: Bonita Herold, First Place, Illustrated Fiction, Southern Breeze SCBWI Annual Contest. I just knew good things were about to happen. Well, they didn’t, although I started getting more personalized rejections due to my subject line: “Winner, Illustrated Fiction.” Ah, those agents and editors were ever so hopeful.
The Infinity Child Literacy Program Contest
Despite hearing—and reading—that morals weren’t flying, I wrote a picture book with a moral. Surprisingly enough, I found the perfect venue: The Infinity Child Literacy Program Contest. As stipulated by contest requirements, I changed my English-worded story to include a Spanish counterpart and sent my story off . . . and won!
Promoting Child Literacy in Hispanic Communities
After receiving additional information afterwards, I realized that my Spanish-sounding name, Bonita, may have played a part in the selection process. In addition to promoting child literacy in Hispanic communities, the information reveals a predilection to promote Hispanic authors. When the director of the program informed me of their decision by phone and asked what the R. stood for in Bonita R. Herold, I don’t suppose Rose cleared up anything at all. (This would be a good time for you to use your pen name Maria.)
Free Books for Subscribers
Anyway, the beautiful thing about Read Conmigo is the free distribution of books. Although anyone can sign up, the program’s primary focus is to reach into the homes and hearts of Hispanic children.
Joining up is simple. Just go to Read Conmigo and sign up for Club Read. Educators who enlist receive 20 copies of the first book and a monthly book thereafter. Parents who sign up get a free book every month.
To do so by mail, write to:
Infinity Insurance
ATTN: Club Read
PO BOX 830189
Birmingham, AL 35282-9801
Read Conmigo is a non-profit subsidiary of Infinity Insurance, a nationwide auto insurance company based out of Birmingham. Its press, Monarca Press, publishes colorful paperback books with the intent of giving something back to the community.
