Taking Care Of Home Cuidar El Hogar

There are pockets on our planet, special spaces, unlike any other spot.  The plants and animals residing there are unique, survivors of distinctive habitats, weather and climate.  Some of them are found only in this one place.  Seeing these specific plants and animals in these particular locations for many of us will be an unrealized dream.  You have to wonder if perhaps this is the best possible outcome for these areas.

One of these regions is the Galapagos Islands, set in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. Galapagos Girl Galapaguena (Children's Book Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc., September 18, 2018) written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Angela Dominguez and translated by Adriana Dominguez explores an island and one girl living there and loving everything the island offers her.  Through her discoveries we come to understand enchantment reigns in this island realm.

Valentina was born on an island formed by fire, surrounded by blue-green sea.  

Valentina nacio en una isla formada por el fuego y rodeada de un mar azul-turquesa.

One child among eleven brothers and sisters Valentina saw Sally Lightfoot crabs on the island of Floreana among the lava rocks.  She swam with inhabitants of the ocean, even penguins.  Birds, tall and pink, butterflies, blue and delicate and sneezing iguanas caught her attention.

The sounds of the water and bird calls were like music to this child of the island.  She couldn't help but dance along with the movements of the animals.  A story told to Valentina by her Papa set the course for her future.

He told her how he brought the two tortoises, Carlitos and Isabela, to their island.  He explained the threat to many of the animals on the Galapagos Islands.  Valentina knew they needed her pledge to protect them and preserve their way of living.  When it came time to leave her beloved island to further her education, she spoke aloud from the boat and made a solemn vow.

Whenever there was a break at school, Valentina came home and worked on various islands learning as much as she could about every living thing.  As a biologist she returned to act as a guide for visitors, bringing her knowledge lived and learned to each.  Those who came and left were connected to the Galapagos Islands with the same commitment and passion as their guide. 


When Marsha Diane Arnold writes we first read silently, but we can sense a lyrical quality to her carefully chosen words, asking us to read them aloud.  So we do.  In the text for this book the beauty of a place and its inhabitants is superbly woven into the day to day fascination of a little girl.  She embraces her environment with joy and respect. 

The research conducted by Marsha Diane Arnold is apparent in the details.  This is a deeply personal story about Valentina Cruz and the Galapagos Islands.  Readers like the visitors to the islands cannot help but feel a kinship to this remarkable place and this girl. 

Several times in the narrative words in Spanish are used but this is further enhanced with the matching bilingual text in Spanish.  This makes this story accessible to a larger audience.  Here are some passages.

She listened to waves crashing like cymbals against rocks.
Albatross trumpeting above steep cliffs.
Finches trilling piccolo notes.

Escuchaba las olas, que sonaban como platillos
cuando estallaban contra las rocas.
El graznido de los albatros sobre los escarpados acantilados.
Los pinzones trianado como flautines.

"But, Mama," she protested.  "I am a Galapagos girl.
I belong here with the sea lions and penguins."
"You are ready to learn about the world beyond," said Mama.
"Like the sea, you are strong and free."
"And like our islands, you have a heart full of fire," said Papa.

--Pero mama--protesto--.  Soy galapaguena.
Mi lugar esta aqui, con los lobos marinos y los pinguinos.
--Estas lista para aprender sobre el mundo mas alla de Galapagos
--dio mama--.  Eres fuerte y libre, como el mar.
--Y como nuestras islas, tienes un corazon de fuego--anadio papa.


When you look at the opened dust jacket (I am working with a digital copy.) the pure happiness exhibited by Valentina extends to the reader.  The inclusion of waved albatross, blue-footed boobies, and the marine iguanas alerts readers to a few of the species found only on the Galapagos Islands.  This spirited ocean scene extends across the spine to the back.  On the left, two sea lions bask on rocks as an albatross flies overhead.  The first sentence in the book is placed in the white bank of clouds above the grassy hills. 

Tiny images are placed on the end flaps, Valentina swimming with sea creatures and Sally Lightfoot crabs crawling on rocky outcrops.  Blue-footed boobies dance beneath the dedications, both in English and Spanish.  On the title page, between Spanish and English text, Valentina strides among blue butterflies.

Each full-color visual, rendered in pencil on illustration board with digital color, is as lively as the creatures and Valentina.  These illustrations by Angela Dominguez span two pages or single pages depending on accentuating the pacing of the text.  When Angela portrays the animals she displays their essential endearing characteristics from the dancing of the blue-footed boobies, to the graceful swimming of sea lions and the sneezing of the marine iguanas.  (They are getting rid of the salt in the water.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is of Valentina and the penguins.  It spans two pages, edge to edge.  On the left a swimsuit-wearing Valentina is upside down doing a cartwheel.  A single animated penguin is next to her.  Her blue mask, snorkel and flippers are on the sandy beach.  To the right on rocks on three more spirited penguins.  A blue-green ocean stretches behind them beneath a pale blue sky spotted with clouds.


In an Author's Note Marsha Diane Arnold says

Valentina's and my hope is that after reading this book, you too will say, "We will help to keep them safe."

In Galapagos Girl Galapaguena written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Angela Dominguez and translations by Adriana Dominguez this expressed hope is realized.  The rhythmic poetic words, buoyant, vibrant illustrations and Spanish translations create a book reaching numerous readers on several levels.  We are introduced to a valuable woman in the preservation of the Galapagos Islands, we see unique creatures in their natural habitat and we understand on a new level the importance of conserving this habitat.  After the Author's Note, pages About the Galapagos Islands and Fun Facts About the Galapagos Animals You Met in the Story further acquaint readers with this marvelous place on our planet. There is also a lengthy Bibliography.  Everything is in both English and Spanish.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Marsha Diane Arnold and Angela Dominguez, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  They both have links to blogs from their websites.  Both Marsha and Angela are on Twitter.  Angela and Marsha have an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images, including one of my favorites.  On September 20, 2018 Marsha Diane Arnold visited this blog as part of the tour for this title.  Her excellent guest post is informative and insightful. 

Galapagos Girl/Galapaguena Blog Tour

I couldn't be happier to welcome author Marsha Diane Arnold back to Librarian's Quest for a guest post.  Her latest title, Galapagos Girl/Galapaguena, explores the wonder one discovers when exploring in this special place on our planet.  This book is inspired by an individual Marsha met when visiting the islands.  I can hardly wait for people to enjoy the beautiful bilingual narrative and the artwork of Angela Dominguez.

Writing a book is a solitary endeavor, but getting a book published is a team effort. I always enjoy the team part – getting together with others, either online or in person, to discuss changes, visions, and possibilities. After weeks, months, or years of solitude in my writing room, I get to be with other people! Not that my book characters aren’t fascinating!

Of all my published books, Galápagos Girl/Galapagueña had the biggest team effort. I am forever grateful for every person who had a hand in getting this book, inspired by the life of Valentina Cruz, into the most important hands of all – our young readers.

First there was my steadfast agent, Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary. Even members of my writers group sadly shook their heads and told me this manuscript would never be acquired. Yet Karen kept sending the story out until our perfect editor was found. That editor is Jessica Echeverria, wrangler extraordinaire for the Galápagos Girl team. At the end of our journey, I emailed Jessica a thank you. I mixed my metaphors (something I love to do) and wrote: “There were so many cooks in this kitchen, with you, our illustrator Angela, the copy editor, the Spanish translator, the Spanish copy editor, art directors, research experts, Valentina and me. I’m sure you felt as if you were herding cats much of the time.” It was indeed quite the team, quite the wonderful team.

The research for Galápagos Girl was challenging. I’d worked on the story in one way or another since 2007, the year I visited the Galápagos, a volcanic archipelago of thirteen major and hundreds of small islands. Things change quickly in the natural world. What was true or believed in 2007 might not be today. Also, scientists, like writers, have different opinions, different viewpoints. They don’t always agree and they don’t always have the same statistics. How was I to decide whose information to go with?

Some of the animals I researched for Galápagos Girl.

Galapagos marine iguanas enjoy sunning on lava rocks.

Sea lions are everywhere.

This blue-footed bobby seems surprised by his bright feet.

The colorful Sally Lightfoot crab can't be missed.

At one point, Jessica asked me to obtain the latest scientific count for the Galápagos penguins. The figures in my manuscript were from 2008. We were ten days away from the final editing deadline and I was worried. I considered grabbing my calculator, flying to Ecuador, and paddling around searching for those Galápagos penguins. Instead, I searched the internet. Luckily, I found a promising blog written a few months before by Daniel Francisco Unda García. I went to Facebook and looked up his name. There he was! Humbly, I private messaged him about my predicament and asked if he might help. Within seconds, he responded, “Let me ask Gustavo.” “What?! Who’s Gustavo?” Within minutes (truly), Daniel got back to me with a number, photos, and a video. Gustavo was Gustavo Jimenez-Uzcategui, the scientist in charge of the Galápagos penguin census! Daniel had taken the photos and video as he’d been on the boat with Gustavo counting those penguins just the month before! One can’t get more up-to-date than that, with people truly “outstanding (should we say ‘out sailing’?) in their field.”

I love swimming with the penguins.

This is only one example of people who helped me with research. They helped partly because they are generous, kind people, but also because they are passionate about the Galápagos and the unique animals that live there.

On the copyright page, I’ve acknowledged a few of the people who helped with scientific information. Birgit Fessl was my bird expert. She confirmed and shared things that simply weren’t stored in my brain, like Galápagos petrels nest on a volcano in the Floreana highlands and Galápagos flamingos are currently classified as an endemic sub-species, but further genetic studies may prove it to be a species. 

Galapagos flamingoes on Florence Island.

In Galápagos Girl Valentina’s father tells her “Giant tortoises still live on some Galápagos islands, but on Floreana, pirates and whalers took them all for food.” That’s why a friend had given him baby tortoises, called Carlitos and Isabela in my book, from other islands. (This was long ago. It is no longer legal to keep tortoises as pets.)

But nature is always surprising us! In 2015 over 100 tortoises were discovered near Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island that show partial ancestry from Floreana Island tortoise! Linda Cayot, Coordinator of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, helped me navigate the ongoing Galápagos tortoise puzzles and surprises.

Oh, what a journey this book has been. My hope for readers is that they will delight in the book journey Galápagos Girl gives them and that someday they may take a real journey to visit the animals of the enchanting islands called the Galápagos.

While my main website is being restored, you can find me at https://earthsvoices.wordpress.com or contact me through Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MarshaDianeArnoldAuthor/ .

All photos were taken by me, except of course, the one of me with those wondrous penguins.

Thank you, Margie, for having me on your blog. You are a super star school librarian and supporter of books and authors!

You're welcome, Marsha.  It makes for a richer reading experience when people can learn about the process of creating a book.  Whether your book is read individually or aloud, now people will know the authenticity of your story.  I am looking forward to talking more about this book in the near future with a post of my own.