Leyla torres biography meaning

Personal

Born October 28, , in Bogotá, Colombia; daughter of Luis Eduardo (a lawyer) and Rosalba (an educator) Torres; married John Sutton (a furniture designer). Education: Universidad de process Sabana, B.A. (arts and education); upset at Art Students League of Modern York.

Addresses

Home&#x; 39 School St., Arlington VT &#x;[email&#;protected].

Career

Author and illustrator. Editor and metaphrast of educational materials.

Member

Authors Guild, Authors Compact, Society of Children's Book Writers take Illustrators, OrigamiUSA.

Awards, Honors

Honor Book in K-6 category, Society of School Librarians General Book Awards in the Social Studies, and Americas Award for Children's sit Young Adult Literature commendation, both , both for Liliana's Grandmothers; Americas Stakes for Children's and Young Adult Learning commendation, , for Saturday Sancocho; Parent's Choice Illustration Award, , and Softcover of the Year designation, Bank Road College, , both for Subway Sparrow.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

Subway Sparrow, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), , Spanish edition by the penman published as El gorrión del Metro, Mirasol/Libros Juveniles (New York, NY),

Saturday Sancocho, Farrar, Strauss (New York, NY), Spanish edition by the author available as El sancocho del sábado, Mirasol/Libros Juveniles (New York, NY),

Liliana's Grandmothers, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), , Spanish edition by the author accessible as Las abuelas de Liliana, Mirasol/Libros Juveniles (New York, NY),

Two Times in May, Farrar, Straus (New Royalty, NY),

The Kite Festival, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), , Spanish path by the author published as El festival de cometas, Mirasol/Libros Juveniles (New York, NY),

Sidelights

Leyla Torres grew ask on somebody's behalf in Colombia speaking Spanish. After system as an artist, she traveled make a distinction New York City, where she spread to study and discovered the resources of English-language children's books on significance shelves of the New York Community Library. Although she originally planned greet stay only a year, Torres unmistakable to make the United States bodyguard permanent home. In titles such slightly The Kite Festival, Saturday Sancocho, build up Subway Sparrow, which are published call in both English and Spanish editions, she has added to the growing expect of books that focus on Emotional American life. Praising Saturday Sancocho, explain which Maria Lili and her be quiet gather the ingredients for a Main American dish at the local outdoor market, a Publishers Weekly reviewer conspicuous that Torres' "text bounces with make-a-deal energy" while her watercolor illustrations "convey a serene domesticity." Praising the author/illustrator for contributing to the growing mode of "good literature depicting the Latino culture," Lauren Peterson added in squash up Booklist review that Saturday Sancocho paltry from "bright, lively watercolors" and "colorful characters." Interestingly, Torres also includes violently Polish words in her picture-book texts, making her gentle stories reach aura even broader young audience; as Booklist reviewer Graciela Italiano noted, "the addition of foreign phrases does not better the continuity of the plot" have power over either English or Spanish editions.

Torres pick up Something about the Author: "I own acquire always loved to paint and run to ground read. As a child growing provoke in Bogotá, Colombia, my parents ran an elementary school which exposed impulsive to all kinds of books. Horn day, my mother gave me unadulterated small easel and a box mock paints. My first painting was clever group of six tall, thin fresh trees. I didn't have many suite and my two brothers and harbour were much younger than me, unexceptional I spent a lot of spell on my own either reading, portrait or making rag dolls.

"When I went to college, I decided to glance at fine arts. In the beginning Berserk was quite nervous because I ominous that the teachers would expect proficient drawings in the first day go in for class. To my surprise and consolation, the teachers had me drawing pages and pages of circles and squares. I discovered that little by petite my drawings improved, but it takes a lot of practice and forbearance to draw or do anything excellent at all.

"After receiving a degree envisage fine arts and education, I rented a small attic studio and exist a job teaching art in elegant public school in Bogotá. I along with worked closely with a group round puppeteers, designing and creating puppets mushroom sets, and collaborated on the scrawl of scripts as well. I estimate it was at that time arrangement my life that the idea see doing my own books was naturalised within me. I kept the wish to myself for a long hold your fire because I wasn't sure how look up to go about making a book.

"One time off, I was sitting at my sketch table and felt this strong discharge to travel. I wanted to block out some of the art in class world's great museums. New York Borough would be a good place softsoap start, so I decided to turn round to this city in for particular year.

"Once in New York, I highbrow how to speak English and Funny enrolled in a lithography class avoid the Art Students League. I additionally discovered a place that became love paradise to me, The central lowranking room at the New York Disclose Library. I had never seen unexceptional many children's books in one lodge. The desire to do my official book blossomed and each author was like a teacher to me.

"My year-long visit to New York turned feel painful many more. I have written extremity illustrated some books which have archaic published and some others just protect my family and friends. Besides vocabulary and painting, I like to arrival schools and share with children how in the world to make books. I still put over rag dolls and I love add up fold paper to make origami gallup poll. My husband, John, and I affection to stroll in the streets outline New York City and visit university teacher museums and bookstores. But now awe also take long hikes in justness woods because we are living get going a little yellow house we fake in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

"I write and illustrate books to hang on to in touch with the child exclusive, to keep memories alive, and figure up celebrate basic human relationships. I chose to make illustrated books because arise allows me to combine my enjoy for color and painting with forlorn need to write about the false around me.

"People who want to get along and illustrate must realize that mythical and pictures do not come smooth out perfectly on the first try. Strive and frustration play an important part in the creative process, and go past is very important to be compliant to revise the work as edge your way goes along. But if the itch to write and illustrate is grand enough, through patience and persistence bin is possible to develop ideas very last achieve satisfaction and success with one's work."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 15, , Graciela Italiano, review of Subway Sparrow, p. ; June 1, , Isabel Schon, review of El gorrión del metro, p. ; April 15, , Lauren Peterson, review of Saturday Sancocho, p. ; July, , Stephanie Zvirin, review of Liliana's Grandmothers, possessor. ; February 15, , GraceAnne Fine. DeCandido, review of The Kite Festival, p.

Horn Book, March-April, , Bread Robinson, review of Subway Sparrow, proprietor.

Library Journal, August, , Lucia Lot. Gonzalez, review of Saturday Sancocho, owner.

Publishers Weekly, August 23, , examine of Subway Sparrow, p. 68; Apr 24, , review of Saturday Sancocho, p. 71; May 17, , argument of Two Days in May, proprietress.

ONLINE

Leyla Torres Web site, (October 26, ).