Hello everyone!!! One of my favorite posts to create…a Book Birthday post for a dear friend!!! So please, tune up your instruments and get ready to sing along for MAMIACHI AND ME! MY MAMI’S MARIACHI BAND, written by Jolene Gutiérrez and Dakota Gutiérrez and illustrated by Mirelle Ortega and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers…launching TODAY!!!

First of all, look at that cover! The joy and energy EXPLODE off the page! The illustrator did a fantastic job choosing the color palette…and her art is amazing – we feel the emotional connection between the two characters…and we become emotionally connected as well!

I was lucky enough to read the book – and the quality of the illustrations continues throughout every page. And the emotional connection comes not just from the pictures…THE TEXT hooks you from the very beginning – and pulls you into the story with every page turn!

Here is a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
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!

BELIEVE ME…if you are a teacher, you will want this book for your classroom! If you are a parent, please don’t miss this heartwarming and empowering story that your kids will want to hear over and over again!

And we are so lucky because Jolene stopped by to chat with us and share the story behind the story. WELCOME, JOLENE! It was wonderful seeing you at the NCTE conference a couple of months ago in Boston. And I’ve got my fingers crossed that we will meet up again this coming November in Denver.

JOLENE: Hello Vivian! Yes, it was great seeing you in Boston. Let’s put our positivity hats on for Denver. Thank you for helping celebrate MAMIACHI AND ME! The way Mamiachi & Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band came about is that during the pandemic, my husband watched an NPR interview with Mariachi Flor de Toloache and when he was telling me about it, he said, “I just watched this great piece with an all-female mariachi band.” 

What I *heard* was, “I just watched this great piece with an all-female mamiachi band.” 

So I said, “Did you just call them mamiachis?” 

And he said, “Um, no…” 

But my brain was already racing with a story idea. During that same time, my son was learning from home and missing out on all of the performing arts programs he used to participate in, including the mariachi program he’d planned to join his senior year. My daughter and I had just finished co-writing a manuscript (it was The Ofrenda That We Built), so I was eager to create something with my other child. Luckily, Dakota said yes and we co-wrote Mamiachi & Me.

Oh Jolene…I love that! And that just shows us that story ideas are EVERYWHERE and we need to be open and alert! Thanks so much for stopping by…and Happy Book Birthday!!!

Jolene Gutiérrez is an award-winning neurodivergent teacher librarian who has been working with neurodivergent learners at Denver Academy since 1995. Jolene writes for young readers and hopes her books will help some readers feel seen and will help others learn and grow in compassion. Her books have been printed in 10 countries and 9 languages. Jolene is an active member of SCBWI, part of the KidLitCollective group, and a co-creator of #KidlitZombieWeek and Picture Book Gold. Jolene is represented by agent Kaitlyn Sanchez and is the author of Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp (Abrams Childrens, 2026, co-authored with Minoru Tonai), Mamiachi and Me: My Mami’s Mariachi Band (Abrams/Appleseed, 2025, co-authored with her son Dakota), The Ofrenda That We Built (Chronicle, 2024, co-authored with her daughter Shaian), Too Much! An Overwhelming Day (Abrams/Appleseed, 2023), the Stars of Latin Pop series (Rourke, 2021), Bionic Beasts: Saving Animal Lives with Artificial Flippers, Legs, and Beaks (Lerner, 2020), and Mac and Cheese and the Personal Space Invader (Clear Fork/Spork, 2020). Find her online at www.jolenegutierrez.com or on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, or Threads @writerjolene.

Dakota Gutiérrez is a college student with a passion for music and writing. His 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. He will graduate with a Master’s Degree in May 2026.

Mirelle Ortega is an award-winning Mexican artist and writer for kidlit and animation based in Los Angeles, California. She is the author-illustrator of River of Mariposas and IMagic: Once Upon a Faraway Land, for which she received a 2023 Pura Belpré Award Illustration Honor and an International Latino Book Award bronze medal.

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I hope you all have a WONDERFUL WEEK!