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Last month, we shared with excitement that TOO GREEN!, illustrator Maribel Castells’ debut board book, was shortlisted for an Inclusive Books For Children Award. Today, we’re even more thrilled to announce that TOO GREEN! has won! It was published last summer by Barefoot Books in both English and bilingual Spanish.
Inclusive Books for Children is an organization that aspires for mainstream children’s books to be inclusive, and for inclusive children’s books to be mainstream. Along the way, they hope to nurture a new generation of open-minded and inspired young book lovers. IBC makes it easy for time-pressed parents and caregivers to find and buy these excellent books with confidence by reviewing as many books as they can. Their review process is carried out by experts in children’s literature, all of whom are champions of inclusivity and diversity and free from any commercial influence.
ABOUT TOO GREEN!:
Joining the Feelings & First series: A young child helps his Mum and Mama cook a green vegetable soup, but then emphatically refuses to eat it. After carefully watching his parents enjoying the meal, the child finally agrees to taste it and discovers that he likes it after all! Full of humor and sound effects, this adorable and relatable tale offers a positive model for handling food reluctance. Also available in bilingual Spanish!
“Introducing new foods to a skeptical child, an issue faced by most every parent, is joyously tackled in this bilingual board book… This book is a welcome addition to any library, especially those seeking to expand bilingual shelves.” ―School Library Journal
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Maribel Castells is an illustrator from Mallorca, Spain. In 2020 she took part in PBChat Mentorship Program and was Daniel Wiseman’s mentee. Her work was shortlisted for the Illustrators’ Exhibition at the 2021 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, and featured at Ilustrofest 2023. Her creative voice is somewhere between folk imagery and cut-paper aesthetic language, through a bold, mixed-media style with quirky color choices and retro vibes. In addition to TOO GREEN! / !MUY VERDE!, she is the illustrator of the next book in the Feelings and Firsts series, BY MYSELF! / !YO SOLA!.
Congratulations, Maribel! Find both versions at the links below, or at your local indies: