A body-positive picture book about a young boy's love for his mother and his mother's belly.
Everyone has a panza—it can be big and round, soft and small, or somewhere in between. But a young boy’s favorite panza of all is Mamá’s. Her panza is capable of remarkable things, and she loves it as an important part of herself. Her panza was also his first home. Even before he was born, it cradled and held him.
When he’s feeling shy and needs a place to hide or when he wants somewhere to rest during a bedtime story, Mamá’s panza is always there. With affirming text by Isabel Quintero and vivid art by Iliana Galvez, Mamá’s Panza is a young boy’s love letter to his mother, along with a celebration of our bodies and our bellies.
Isabel Quintero is an award-winning writer and the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Southern California’s Inland Empire. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, her first YA novel, was the recipient of multiple awards, including the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. She is also the author of chapter books and a nonfiction YA graphic biography, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide, which was awarded the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. My Papi Has a Motorcycle earned the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Award, the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, and many other recognitions.
Zeke Peña is a Xicano storyteller and professional doodler from El Paso, TX. His author-illustrator debut, Sundust, won a Caldecott Honor and the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award. He illustrated the New York Times bestselling Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel and his other award-winning books My Papi Has a Motorcycle and Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide. He is currently drawing more books in his tiny studio in Northwest Arkansas or he is in a creek somewhere throwing rocks with his son.