Angela Dominguez
American children's book author and illustrator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Angela Dominguez (born 1982) is an American children’s book author and illustrator. Her books use a diverse mix of Hispanic and Latino characters. She is author of the Stella Díaz series and worked with Sonia Sotomayor on the book Just Help! How to Build a Better World in 2022.[1]
Angela Dominguez | |
|---|---|
 Angela Dominguez at a book reading in 2022 | |
| Born | 1982 (age 43–44) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation | Artist, illustrator |
| Language | English, Spanish |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Savannah College of Art and Design (BFA) Academy of Art University (MFA) |
| Website | |
| www | |
Early life and education
Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City in 1982. She moved to North Texas in 1984, and was raised there during her childhood.[2] Angela's American English teachers discouraged her from speaking Spanish, rather than learn two languages at the same time.[3] Speaking only English, Dominguez struggled to communicate with her only Spanish-speaking family.[4] She early on learned to utilize writing and drawing as an effective form of communication.[4] This inspired her passion to draw as a child. She later took Spanish classes as an adult and is now bilingual.[4]
Dominguez attended Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) on a scholarship and graduated with a BFA in illustration.[5] She then gained an MFA in illustration at the Academy of Art University. She began teaching children’s book illustration there two years later.[6]
Career
After graduating with her MFA, she wrote Maria Had a Little Llama, her own cultural take on the folk story Mary Had a Little Lamb which received the Pura Belpré Award in 2014.[7] Dominguez aims to represent under-represented Latinx cultures in American children’s books through her fictional novels and illustrations.[4] Writing Mary Had a Little Llama sparked Dominguez’s career in writing and illustrating children’s books.[5] She has continued to illustrate and write children’s books, such as the Stella Diaz Series.[5]
She has worked with authors such as Meg Medina, Marsha Diane Arnold, and Sonia Sotomayor to represent Latino/Hispanic characters and their overall culture with the intent of diversity and inclusivity in American children's books.[5] Their book titled Just Help! How to build a Better World is a New York Times Bestseller.[8]
Dominguez is currently a professor at the Academy of Art University.[2] She is a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and PEN America.[9]
Awards and honours
- Maria had a Little Llama won the 2014 Pura Belpré Illustration Honor[5]
- Marta Big and Small was a 2016 School Library Journal Top Latinx Book, a 2017 CCBC Choices and a 2017-2018 Read on, Wisconsin! selection[10]
- Mango, Abuela and Me won the 2016 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, the 2016 Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Book, and a Notable Children's Book in 2016.[11]
- Stella Díaz Has Something To Say was a New York Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids 2018,[12] a Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Younger Readers of 2018,[13] a Sid Fleischman Award winner[14] and an American Library Association Notable book for 2019.[15][8]
- Sing, Don't Cry was Virginia Reader’s Choice 2019-2020[16]
