Librarians take over Vegas!

!Viva Las Vegas and Books!

I've always been drawn to unusual juxtapositions and this past weekend 13,000 librarians, authors, illustrators, publishers, agents, teachers and book fans descended on Vegas for the ALA Convention.
Here's some photos to document the weekend.

At the 2014 American Library Association Conference I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with old and new friends, sign books and bring home a Pura Belpré honor for illustration of Tito Puente Mambo King, El Rey del Mambo.

Two exceptional women -Literary Agent Stefanie Von Borstel  and HarperCollins Senior Editor Rosemary Brosnan

I'm so grateful to the well organized, enthusiastic team at of our publisher Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins who artfully arranged every detail at the conference and made this book happen. Gracias Rosemary Brosnan, Patty Rosati and all of the dedicated individuals who crafted an unforgettable celebration. 

Friends at the Pura Belpré Party the night before

Pura Belpré honoree, extraordinary author Margarita Engle

Grateful to attend the Pura Belpré celebration with my amazing literary agent Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary. Thanks to author Monica Brown and agent Adriana Dominguez who were there with us in spirit.

"In this vibrant, bilingual portrayal of Tito Puente, the King of Mambo, Rafael López conveys the rhythm and movement of this musical legend through the use of bold colors, swirly lines, and carefully placed word art".

Lastly to the Association for Library Service to Children/American Library Association's Pura Belpré Committee for their kind words and for recognizing this book I painted to pay tribute to a legendary musician.

The King of Mambo arrives on March 5th!

It was serious fun filming this video book trailer for Tito Puente Mambo King/Rey del Mambo at my loft/studio with author Monica Brown. Together we published our very first children's book back in 2004, My Name is Celia/Me Llamo Celia. As you can imagine we put so much passion and effort into it and then we got to actually meet each other at the Pura Belpré honor and Americas Award celebrations. When our initial efforts were recognized it solidified our friendship and launched two new careers in the world of children books.
Reuniting to tell the story of Mambo King Tito Puente has been exciting and in the book trailer we hoped to create a sense of the dance between a writer and artist as the words and images comingle.

I had the great opportunity to create the Latin Music Legend stamp celebrating Tito Puente for the United States Postal Service. During that time I read everything I could find about the godfather of salsa.  I poured over old videos of his exhilarating performances, scanned photos and immersed myself fully into his music.

Tito Puente Jr. at a stamp release celebration

That stamp gave me the chance to meet Tito Puente Jr. and our conversations reinforced my notions of his father's electric personality. I learned that Celia Cruz was his godmother. I showed him the illustrations and genuinely appreciated the support of Tito Puente Jr. for this book " Now his name and likeness will reach a brand new group of young fans who will appreciate his genius and talent".

Before he could walk, Tito was making music. He banged spoons and forks on pots and pans, windowsills and cans.

He was so loud his neighbors in Spanish Harlem said, "Get that boy some Music lessons!" 

On weekends Tito played magical mambos and beautiful cha-chas with different bands at the Palladium Ballroom 

Sketching Tito

He made music with Celia Cruz, Santana and La Lupe.

The dancers twirled, the lights swirled, and the mambo went on and on...

I'm looking forward to connecting with children about Tito's unforgettable legacy and vibrant music.