Interview with picture book author Gabriella Aldeman

We are thrilled to interview author Gabriella Aldeman on our blog today! Read below about her latest book, Squawk of Spanish:

KLiC: What was your inspiration for Squawk of Spanish?

GA: Squawk of Spanish is inspired by my own family. I’m Panamanian American and fully
bilingual. But for my son, Spanish doesn’t come easy. Sometimes his words knot in his
throat and refuse to come out. When his grandmother visits from Panama, they speak in board games, video games, hugs, and food. Then after a while, my son’s Spanish words start
tumbling out dry and rusty. He is like Max, the main character of the story. And, like Max,
he began to learn that trying is what counts and that there’s nothing wrong with having an
accent.

In this book, I explore the issue some children face when they don’t feel comfortable
speaking their heritage language. This is a book that celebrates effort over outcome, with a
bit of squawk-out-loud humor.


KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book?
​
GA: The first (few) drafts of this story were titled The Parrot Who Refused to Speak
Spanish. The storyline was similar, but Lorito (the parrot) was the one to refuse to speak
Spanish and Max (the boy) was the one who cheered him on. I queried agents with this
story and got rejected quite a lot.

Finally, an author friend who read my manuscript said three magic words: “No one cares.”
But of course! Who cares if a parrot speaks Spanish or not? The manuscript was lacking
“heart” because Max needed to be the one who refused to speak his grandmother’s
language. With this, I revised madly and changed the title.

This was the biggest change as I had to rewrite the whole story. Once the book was sold,
there were a few more changes during the editing process. We added cousins and Abuela
got her own dialogue lines, which added even more depth and heart to the story.

From start to finish it took a bit over three years.

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?
​
GA: Learning a second language is hard. It can be harder when that language is our heritage language and it’s so tied to our own identity. As a matter of fact, learning anything is hard. It puts us in a very vulnerable space where we have to be courageous because we don’t know how well we’re going to do. Are we going to learn fast or slow? Will we like it? How will we perform in comparison with our peers?

As a bilingual and bicultural mom, what I want from my kids, what I want from Max, and from young readers is to realize that perfection is never the goal; perfection doesn’t even exist. What matters is to have the courage to embark on the learning journey. 

At the end of the book, we see that Max still can’t roll his Rs, his words still get stuck in his throat. But he tells us he is practicing every weekend with Abuela and Lorito to untangle those long words in Spanish. That, to me, is what counts. Trying our best is what counts. And it’s what we can control. 

KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?
GA: Find community. We pour a lot of ourselves into our books. And it can feel very vulnerable, especially because there’s a lot of rejection involved in the publishing journey. It really makes a difference to have a community of writers who are going through a similar process. 

KLiC: What’s next for you?
GA: My next picture book doesn’t come out until 2027. It’s titled Sometimes A Dream and it’s coming out with Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins. It’s about a girl named Alma who has many dreams, and they change with the changing of the seasons. The central question she asks is: How does a dream come true? With the help of her grandfather and armed with pencils, papers, and a cozy hammock she learns just how to work hard for each one of those dreams. 

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Gabriella Aldeman is a Panamanian American author. She writes picture books in hopes that more children become readers and that all readers feel seen. She is also a professional translator of academic resources and children’s books. Gabriella holds degrees from Georgetown University and the College of William and Mary. Her books include Paula’s Patches (Free Spirit, 2023) and Squawk of Spanish (Charlesbridge, 2024). She lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her husband and two children. Please visit her at www.writebetween.com or @write_between on Twitter or Instagram.

Order a copy of Squawk of Spanish here: 
https://bookshop.org/p/books/squawk-of-spanish-gabriella-aldeman/21303064?ean=9781623543921

Illustrator full name: Romina Galotta