LOVE MAKES A FAMILY
Young Antonio learns to express his love for the two special women he calls family.

San Francisco, CA—Each family is different, just as each person is different. Though many families exist that do not fit the traditional definition of “nuclear,” very few of these families are represented in children’s books. In Antonio’s Card / La Tarjeta de Antonio, a timely and sensitive new story from Children’s Book Press, a young boy’s sense of pride in his own family blossoms.

Antonio loves to play spelling games with his mother and her partner, Leslie. Everyday after school, Antonio and Leslie enjoy sitting under a leafy tree and reading together. The kids at school make fun of Leslie’s unusual appearance. She is an artist who is very tall, has short-cropped hair, and wears paint-splattered clothes. But Antonio cherishes his afternoons with Leslie, and, for Mother’s Day, he makes a special card for both his mother and her companion. When his teacher suggests that Antonio show his card to his classmates, Antonio is afraid of what the other kids might say. Faced with a difficult choice, Antonio comes to realize that there’s no shame in having a family that’s a little different and that love is all that counts.

Award-winning author Rigoberto González has crafted with courage and hope a gentle story that honors all families. The delicate paintings of fine artist and first-time children’s book illustrator Cecilia Concepción Álvarez enhances the story with its loving detail.

• Gay parenting has been a widely discussed and debated issue in recent years. Antonio’s Card reflects the unique experiences of those who have been at the center of this issue and offers a sensitive portrayal of one such loving family.
• Unlike the few other children’s book about this topic, the main conflict of the story is not the same-gender relationship between Antonio’s mother and Leslie. Instead, their relationship serves as the setting and the story focuses on learning to accept other people’s differences.
• The 2000 U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a third of lesbian households and almost a quarter of gay households have at least one child. Same-gender families can be found in 99.3% of all U.S. counties.
• Children’s Book Press has secured a substantial amount of funding for the publicity and marketing of this book from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
• The bilingual format will be helpful in bilingual homes and classrooms.
• A free curriculum guide for teachers will be available from the Children’s Book Press website: www.childrensbookpress.org/teaching_learning.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rigoberto González was born in California and raised in Mexico. The son and grandson of migrant farm workers, he is an award-winning writer of poetry and fiction. Rigoberto’s first children’s book, Soledad Sigh-Sighs, was published in 2003. Primarily based in New York City, he is currently a visiting artist at the University of Toledo, Ohio.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Cecilia Concepción Álvarez is a gifted fine artist. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally and featured in a range of publications. She lives and works in Seattle, Washington, with her husband, and they have two young adult children. Antonio’s Card is her first book for children.

Antonio’s Card / La Tarjeta de Antonio
Children’s fiction – Full-color illustrations throughout
ISBN 0-89239-204-5– $16.95 – 8 1/2” x 11” – 32 pages
Ages 6 and up – April 2005

ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOK PRESS
Children’s Book Press is a nonprofit publisher of quality children’s literature from Latino, African American, Asian American and Native American communities. Since its inception in 1975, Children’s Book Press has been a pioneer in creating an authentic literature of inclusion that gives all young people a sense of their own ethnic history and importance. The press focuses on publishing contemporary stories of children’s experiences from these communities in the United States, often in a bilingual format. Children’s Book Press is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2005.