Donna Barba Higuera
Donna Barba Higuera was born in 1969, in a small town in Central California. As a child, her interests lay in stories, often dialing the library’s dial-a-story service and fabricating her own eerie narratives inspired by an off-limits pioneer cemetery. This early fascination with storytelling, combined with her life experiences and influences from history and folklore, led her to become a critically acclaimed author of middle grade and picture books, revered for her engaging storylines and her distinctive Spanglish narrative voice.
Higuera’s literary journey began in earnest with the publication of »Lupe Wong Won’t Dance« (2020), a story applauded for its vibrant character portrayal and captivating plot. Her next significant work, »El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!« (2021), continued to affirm her unique storytelling skills. »The Last Cuentista« (2021), is a testament to her enduring narrative power as well as her most recent publication, »Alebrijes« (2023).
»New York Times bestseller« is but one of many accolades Higuera has received. Her books have been lauded with prestigious honors such as the Newbery Medal, the Pura Belpré Medal and Honor, the PNBA Best Book of the Year Award, and the Sid Fleischman Award for the best children’s humor book of the year. Moreover, her works have appeared on numerous end-of-the-year book lists, including those curated by »Time«, the »Wall Street Journal«, the »Boston Globe«, »Publishers Weekly«, »School Library Journal«, »Kirkus Reviews«, the Chicago Public Library, and the New York Public Library.
Barba Higuera resides in the Pacific Northwest near the Olympic National Forest in Washington State.
Lupe Wong Won’t Dance
Levine Querido
New York, 2020
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!
Abrams Books for Young Readers
New York, 2021
Die letzte Erzählerin
Dragonfly
Hamburg, 2023
[Ü: Jennifer Michalski]
