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I AM LA CHIVA

Lorena Alvarez Gómez Karol Hernández

The Colorful Bus of the Andes

For fans of The Little Blue Truck, Red Truck and The Little Engine That Could, an ode to a colorful South American bus and the collective spirit of its people.
This joyful and rhyming picture book written by a debut author and illustrated by the beloved creator of Nightlights and Hicotea, follows the iconic bus, or chiva, as it navigates the rugged Andes mountains, celebrating the rich culture and landscape of Colombia that was so beautifully showcased in Disney's Encanto. Key Selling Points: BOOKS ABOUT VEHICLES SELL: So many of our youngest readers go through their vehicle-obsessed phase, which leads to astronomical sales for well-crafted books about trucks and buses. CULTURALLY SPECIFIC TRANSPORTATION BOOK WITH HEART: Featuring the sounds of the bus and the rhyming text common to many transportation books, this story also pays homage to the cooperative and collective spirit of the people in this small Colombian town. GREAT READ-ALOUD: This is the kind of jaunty text that kids will love to read and re-read and parents won't lose their minds hearing it again and again. POPULAR ILLUSTRATOR: With over 40K followers on Instagram (@artichoke_kid) Lorena is very well-known for her work on Nightlights and Hicotea. Karol Hernández was born and raised in Colombia. She currently lives in Middle Tennessee with her husband, three kids, two dogs, and a fish. https://karolitadotcom.wordpress.com/ Lorena Alvarez Gómez is a comic artist and illustrator who loves to work with color and experiment with diverse techniques. She is the author and illustrator of Nightlights and Hicotea and she has also made illustrations for independent publications, advertising and fashion magazines. Lorena works from her home studio in Bogotá, Colombia, surrounded by music and loved ones. She loves to paint, take care of her dog and read comic books. Visit her at http://www.lorenaalvarez.com/ and on instagram at @artichoke_kid.
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Published 2024-07-09 by Dial

Comments

Alvarez Gómez makes superb use of color: the lush greens of the surrounding country, punctuated by pops of red, orange, and purple; rich earth tones for the buildings in the square; and, of course, La Chiva, a veritable rainbow.the rhyming verse bounces along as energetically as the titular bus . . . A delightful journey; readers will be eager for repeat trips.

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Author Q&A: 'I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes' by Karol Hernández Read more...

[A] charming debut picture book . . . Each colorful spread is met with four lines of sweet rhymes. Kids will enjoy looking at all the details in the vibrant illustrations . . . A bright and welcoming addition to books about vehicles, with a huge bonus of centering contemporary Colombian culture.

[A]n exuberant debut . . . . Written in buoyant rhyming quatrains . . . . Crisp rhymes in English and Spanish offer the feel of a bus bustling with animals and people, while Gómez's digitally finished sketches contribute layered and saturated images of flora and fauna.