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We are delighted to host the cover reveal for NoNieqa Ramos’s debut picture book, Your Mama, which will be published by Versify on April 6, 2021!

A sweet twist on the age-old “yo mama” joke, celebrating fierce moms everywhere with playful lyricism and gorgeous illustrations. Perfect for Mother’s Day.

Yo’ mama so sweet, she could be a bakery. She dresses so fine, that she could have her clothing line. And, even when you mess up, she’s so forgiving that she lets you keep on living. Heartwarming and richly imagined, YOUR MAMA twists an old joke into a point of pride that honors the love, hard work, and dedication of mamas everywhere.

 

First, here is some information about the creators:

 

NoNieqa Ramos wrote The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary, a 2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens, a 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection, and a 2019 In the Margins Award Top Ten pick. Hip Latina named The Truth Is “10 of the Best Latinx Young Adult Books of 2019.”  Remezcla included The Truth Is in the “15 Best Books by Latino and Latin American Authors of 2019.”

Versify will publish her debut picture book Beauty Woke and Your Mama in 2021. Lerner will publish Hair Story in 2021. For more information about NoNieqa, check out Las Musas and the Soaring 20s. She is also on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Jacqueline Alcántara is a freelance illustrator and artist who spends her days drawing, writing and globe-trotting with her dog Possum. She is particularly excited about promoting inclusiveness and diversity in children’s literature and the illustration field in general. Her debut picture book, The Field, written by Baptiste Paul,was named a Best Book of 2018 by School Library Journal, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, and Shelf Awareness. Freedom Soup, written by Tami Charles, has been named a Kids IndieNext Pick, a Kirkus Best Book of 2019, and has received four starred reviews! Jacqueline lives in Chicago, Illinois.

 

Now, some insight about the book from NoNieqa and Jacqueline:

Picture books and poetry are my first literary loves. The publication of my debut book YOUR MAMA has been a montage of dreams-come-true. I have been able to work with poet, educator, New York Times Bestselling and Newbery Award winner Kwame Alexander on his new imprint Versify! I’ve witnessed the life-changing effect of his work with my middle grade students, so it’s an immense honor to be part of his artistic mission to “change the world one word at a time.” And with work like Kip Wilson’s WHITE ROSE and creations by Raúl the Third, they are doing it!

My new editor Erika Turner has written about books, race, romance, and sexuality for Bustle, BuzzFeed, Black Girl Dangerous, and other pubs. She has been absolutely integral to getting my manuscripts to the next level and honoring the Latinidad and queerness of my work. FYI: She’s also an editor-for-hire and a photographer. Check out her website https://www.magicmultiverses.com/faq!

I jumped up and down when I found out the illustrator for YOUR MAMA would be Jacqueline Alcántara! I still remember standing in awe in a children’s bookstore and gazing at her dynamic work in THE FIELD, written by Baptiste Paul. Her second book FREEDOM SOUP, written by goddess Tami Charles,  is displayed front and center in my Latinx kitchen library. Jackie’s illustrations for YOUR MAMA took my breath away.  Her work amplified the spirit, the verve, the essence, and the fire of my words. I am so proud of this cover and fully intend on blowing it up to gigantic proportions and framing it–and trying to find me a pair of rose-covered black boots!

And from Reina Jacqueline Alcántara herself: “I had only read through the first few stanzas of NoNieqa’s manuscript when I got pings of excitement and started to imagine the characters’ overall style, relationship, and adventures together! The words are filled with spirit, energy and love—there was so much I wanted to pour into this world. For the cover, I chose a moment when they are dancing, and this super cool, confident, beautiful mama and her child are filled with energy, reading each other’s next move. I chose to illustrate the moment juuuussttt before they touch hands (I often try to find great decisive moments to illustrate), because it is filled with so much anticipation and excitement, and it encourages readers to imagine what might happen next.  It feels like the perfect place for this story to begin!”

Shout out to designer Andrea Miller who is fusing both our work into a beautiful final product. We can’t wait to share YOUR MAMA with the world April 6, 2021!

 

Finally, here is the cover of Your Mama:

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Ta-da!

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GORGEOUS! Can’t wait to read it!

Your Mama is available now for pre-order!