Cover Reveal: MAMIACHI AND ME

Posted on by

Hurray!!!! It’s a cover reveal for a book I can’t wait to add to my collection, written by one of my dearest kid-lit friends and her son, Jolene and Dakota Gutierrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega.

Just look at that cover! The art by Mirelle jumps right off the page and into your heart! Her color palette sings and is the perfect accompaniment to the text by Jolene and Dakota.

Here’s a little bit about the book from the publisher’s website:
Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book written by Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega, winner of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor, about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.

Today’s the day! Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But as they fasten the shiny botonaduras and tie the moños on their charra suits, Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t like her? Is she ready to perform?

With her “mamiachi” and madrinas by her side, Rosa’s stage fright is soothed away by the sound of trumpets, guitars, and violins. Centering on the power of sisterhood, community, and music, the warm and lively text by mother-and-son writing duo Jolene and Dakota Gutiérrez—joined by Mirelle Ortega’s beautiful illustrations—provides a unique perspective to the male-dominated world of mariachi. Back matter includes additional context on the history of the beloved Mexican tradition and the rise of all-female mariachi groups, as well as a glossary, a bibliography, further reading, and a fun, detailed look at a mariachi’s signature charro suit!

And here’s a little bit about these three amazing creatives:

All his life, Dakota Gutiérrez has been involved in music. He’s played violin and sang in choir and musicals, and when a year of virtual learning meant he couldn’t join his school’s mariachi band, he worked with his mom to write about an all-female mariachi group. Dakota’s family has roots in Jalostotitlan, Jalisco, Mexico, where some of his favorite memories are of visiting the plaza to watch the mariachi bands perform on the weekends. Dakota is a student at the Colorado School of Mines where he is majoring in Civil Engineering and is active in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and intramural sports. 

When Jolene Gutiérrez was growing up, mariachi music always meant a special occasion. Jolene loves music and was fortunate to be able to participate in music education programs when she was a child. When her own kids were little, she was overjoyed that their school district offered a robust performing arts program. Mamiachi and Me is important to Jolene because it shows the strength and beauty of women performing in what historically has been a male-dominated art form. Jolene is the author of Too Much! An Overwhelming Day as well as other books for young readers. Find her online at www.jolenegutierrez.com. 

Mirelle Ortega is the author-illustrator of Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, for which she received a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and an International Latino Book Award, and River of Mariposas, which School Library Journal praised in a starred review as “a heartfelt ode to Mexico and the power of children’s imaginations.” Mirelle was born and raised near the Papaloapan River in Veracruz, Mexico, surrounded by amazing mariachi music and Son Jarocho. She now lives in Los Angeles, California. Learn more at https://www.mirelleortega.com/

Dear friends…how can we help upcoming books become successful? MAMIACHI AND ME launches January 7, 2025…but we can do several things before then:
We can purchase the book: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/mamiachi-me_9781419767159/

We can add the book to our Goodreads WANT TO READ SHELF and review them:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207004628-mamiachi-me

We can request the title at our local library.

And we can tell our friends by sharing this post on social media platforms.

I’ve added it to my Goodreads WANT TO READ shelf – and shared on social media.
How will you help?


Things are heating up around here as we continue to gather prizes for #50PreciousWords and I continue to cycle to other blogs for guest posts to help launch PEDAL. Today I’m over at Kathy Temean’s blog. And a huge thank you to everyone who has been supporting my Facebook Birthday fundraiser to benefit the Stuart Kirkfield Scholarship at the Highlights Foundation. We are already half-way to the goal. It means the world.

33 thoughts on “Cover Reveal: MAMIACHI AND ME”

  4. How amazing that you and your son collaborated on this, Jolene, and what a dynamic topic! I can’t wait to read it. Thank you, Vivian, for this wonderful piece.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • It was during quarantine when my family and I were all together. . .there’s another announcement for a beautiful book with my daughter coming soon. 😀 I’m so grateful to have been able to work with them in that way to create lovely books during a dark time. Thank you so much for your support, Hilary!

      Like

      Reply ↓

  7. What an exciting cover, full of color, movement, and music! I look forward to reading the story, as I did not know that women now performed mariachi! Congratulations, all!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  13. Jolene, the cover is absolutely fantastic! Mirelle’s art looks like a perfect complement to yours and Dakota’s words. Congratulations!🎺🎸🎶

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

Leave a reply to Adriana Gutierrez Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.