Additional information
by Aida Salazar (Author), Molly Mendoza (Illustrator)
The remarkable true story of Jovita Valdovinos, a Mexican revolutionary who disguised herself as a man to fight for her rights, told by her great-niece, award-winning author, Aida Salazar!
Jovita soñaba con poder usar pantalones como sus hermanos Ramón y Luciano.
Cuando su padre y sus hermanos marcharon a la Guerra Cristera a luchar por el derecho a practicar libremente su religión, ella quiso ayudar. Entonces sobrevino la tragedia, y Jovita se vio obligada a cortarse el pelo, ponerse pantalones y continuar la lucha. Disfrazada de hombre, se puso al mando de un batallón que la siguió sin dudar.
Jovita dreamed of wearing pants like her brothers, Ramón and Luciano.
When her father and brothers joined the Cristeros War to fight for the right to practice religion freely, she wanted to help. Then tragedy struck, compelling Jovita to cut her hair, put on pants, and continue the fight. Disguised as a man, she commanded a battalion who followed her without question.
Author Biography
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the middle-grade verse novels Ultraviolet (a Golden Poppy Book Award finalist), The Moon Within (International Latino Book Award Winner), and Land of the Cranes (Américas Award Winner), as well as the picture book anthology In the Spirit of a Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color, and the Caldecott Honor Book Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter illustrated by Molly Mendoza. Salazar is a founding member of Las Musas, a Latinx kidlit debut author collective. She lives with her family of artists in Oakland, California.
Molly Mendoza is the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter by Aida Salazar. They have illustrated several other picture books including Freedom, We Sing by Amyra León, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and They Hold the Line by Dan Paley. Beyond illustrating picture books, Mendoza is a muralist, comics artist, and teacher who lives and works lives in Portland, Oregon. Visit them online at mollymendoza.com.
