An educational book by a UB lecturer, awarded in the prestigious International Latino Book Awards
The book La Pirata Mari y la isla de Makarava, by the lecturer of the Faculty of Education of the University of Barcelona Verónica Asensio, has received the third prize in the category of the Best Educational Chapter Book, in the prestigious International Latino Book Awards.
These awards honour the best books published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese by Latin authors, in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and poetry.
The book La Pirata Mari y la isla de Makarava, by the lecturer of the Faculty of Education of the University of Barcelona Verónica Asensio, has received the third prize in the category of the Best Educational Chapter Book, in the prestigious International Latino Book Awards.
These awards honour the best books published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese by Latin authors, in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and poetry.
Asensio’s book, published by Caligrama and recommended to readers aged 6-10, tells the adventures of the pirate Mari and her friends around the Pacific Ocean, in an odyssey that has many obstacles, dangers and challenges for them. The book has a didactic chapter to work on reading through games, enigmas, math problems and songs, among others.
Asensio says the award “was a surprise”. “I did not expect that”, she notes. “Since I was a little girl, I loved to make up and write stories. In 2019, I decided to publish my first book. Now my heart is torn between musical research, writing scientific texts and writing children’s books. I love the creative part, letting the imagination run free is necessary”, says the UB lecturer.
About the book, she says she sees herself in it: “It is a personal tale, inspired by childhood experiences and dedicated to someone special. I would love for my stories to boost children’s imagination. Dreaming is very important for people’s development”.
Over the last 24 years, the International Latino Book Awards have awarded 3,470 books.