A New Bad Bunny Children's Book Is Out

Hi, it’s Julio. Happy Debate Day to our 697 subscribers. Today, I am filing a more personal post that brings me back to my early editor days in the 1990s when I was working on children’s stories for Latino public school students.

Puerto Rican global star Bad Bunny has been making political news this month for calling out what he says is political apathy on the island-colony. He is also the subject of a new children’s book from the Hispanic Star series for young readers between 8 and 12 years old. I recently connected with the driving force behind the series, Claudia Romo Edelman, to ask some questions as to why Bad Bunny would make for a good biography for kids.

Julio Ricardo Varela: Okay, so here's a fun fact about me. I started my career as a children's book editor for educational textbooks that focused on helping Latino kids see themselves in the literature. Why did you start the series in the first place?

Claudia Romo Edelman: Exactly for the same reason! Latino children often lack visible role models in school curricula and libraries. Role models who reflect children's backgrounds are crucial for their development.

We believe in the power of sharing our stories and, more importantly, in sharing them with our children. It is very well known that kids' development can be highly influenced by the books they read from an early age and the role models they can aspire to become. IF YOU CAN SEE IT YOU CAN BE IT!

With this in mind, Macmillan and the Hispanic Star partnered to launch a series of children’s books with the main purpose of inspiring every Latino kid in the country.

JRV: Do you think we have cracked the Latino representation issue in children's books? Why? Why not? Care to share specific examples?

CRE: It is concerning that so many children’s books are being banned for diversity, historical revision, or political agendas.  

I am a humanist and possibilistic. I have spent my life fighting for human rights and letting all children see diversity as something that adds to our country, not detracts from it. 

So now more than ever, I think it is important to keep producing books that tell beautiful stories about all kinds of people. We are on our way, and together, we are making progress.

JRV: Why Bad Bunny? Why write about him for kids?

CRE: We are shining our light on someone who is very much in the spotlight, not just in the United States, but all around the world. Bad Bunny, the huge, phenomenally successful King of Latin Trap. Bad Bunny is so hugely popular that his 2023 album, Un Verano Sin Ti, ranks as the most streamed album on Spotify, with more than 14 billion streams. 

We think he is an extraordinary role model because the less-told story of Bad Bunny is how much of his success is due to his Latino family values, upbringing, and life circumstances.

JRV: Do you worry if he causes controversy? What do you think about him as a role model?

CRE: Great question! I approach the project with my usual respect for letting facts surface and shaping the narrative from that.  At the same time, my life has been all about human rights and so my lens is also guided by that.

We partnered with Macmillan because of their professionalism and the passionate co-authors they bring to this project who share our focus. Together, we bring the best of these Stars to shine a light on their impact. 

JRV: How has the response been to the Hispanic Star series? Can you share specific examples?

CRE: The success of this series is measured by its impact on households and the number of families who find stories in our books that become mirrors and windows to their children. 

The work of our nonprofit, The We Are All Human Foundation, focuses on increasing the visibility and unification of Latinos and equipping companies to understand the power of diversity and inclusion. By working with more than 320 companies in the country, we’ve been able to encourage them to invest in our series and give/donate books to their employees or support specific local educational organizations. We’ve sold around 40,000 copies to companies so far! 

We’ve also received considerable support from media companies interested in learning more about our series and the importance of representation. 

JRV: Where do you go next with the series?

CRE: This series keeps expanding! We are happy to announce that the next installment in the Hispanic Star series will highlight Chilean-American Award-Winning actor Pedro Pascal, who is most known for his roles in Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us. Co-written with Karla Arenas Valenti (Hispanic Star: Selena Gomez) and translated to Spanish by Nathalie Alonso (Hispanic Star: Sonia Sotomayor and Ellen Ochoa), that book is slated to publish September 2025.

What We’ll Be Watching

On Monday, actor John Leguizamo went on his social platforms to share the trailer for the new three-part series, VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos, slated to premiere Friday, September 27, October 4, and 11, 2024, from 9:00-10:00 pm ET on PBS (check local listings), PBS.org, and the PBS app.

According to a media release about the series (listed by The New York Times as a “show to watch” this fall), the series was inspired by Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons show, which was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018.

“In this series, Leguizamo takes viewers on a captivating journey, delving into both well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history and contributions, spanning thousands of years from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s,” the press release about the series says. Here are the episode names: “Echoes of Empires,” “Threads in the American Tapestry,” and “Solidarity in A New Era.”

Personally, I am looking forward to watching the series, although I will always ask myself this, “Why did this take so long to make?” and what will be the distinction between this series and the PBS Latino Americans series from 2013? To me, it feels as if both series should have come out in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The pan-Latinism vibe was at its peak back then, and to be honest, was part of the reason I created Latino Revels in 2011. I do hope the series advances the conversation and that we begin to look at the future of our community with even more complexity. I want more complexity and less commodity, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month.

I want this series to do well. I also want to make sure this is not a “one and done” attitude from public media.

We keep at it.

Polls, Polls and More Polls

It’s been a while since we listed more links about Latinos in the 2024 cycle. In preparation for the debate, here are some polls we read about over the last couple of days, including a California one from our friends at the Latino Community Foundation:

Finally, I made a TikTok appearance.

@thelatinonewsletter

A welcome message from our founder @Julio

Enjoy the debate.

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder and interim publisher of The Latino Newsletter.