Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of many verse novels, memoirs, and picture books, including The Surrender Tree, All the Way to Havana, Bravo!, Drum Dream Girl, and Dancing Hands. Awards include a Newbery Honor, Pura Belpré Medals, Golden Kite Award, Walter Honor, Jane Addams Award, PEN U.S.A., and NSK Neustadt Prize, among others. Margarita served as the national 2017-2019 Young People's Poet Laureate. Margarita was born in Los Angeles, but developed a deep attachment to her mother's homeland during childhood summers with relatives on the island. She studied agronomy and botany along with creative writing, and now lives in central California.

Juliet Menéndez is a Guatemalan American author and illustrator living between Guatemala City, Paris, and New York. While working as a bilingual teacher in New York City's public schools, Juliet noted the need for more books that depicted children like the ones in her classrooms. She studied design and illustration in Paris and now spends her days with her watercolors and notebook.

"No matter when the subjects lived or what they did, Engle highlights their creativity, -dignity, and the impact they had on their worlds. Accompanying Engle's direct, concentrated free verse with similar power, Menéndez's full-page illustrations blend blocky, mural-like characterizations with vibrant colors as bold as the lives of the heroes. . .The message is clear: Latin -America's past and present are filled with individuals whose examples can inspire -readers in pursuing their passions today. . .An uplifting collection of Latinx -heroes united by their tenacity, ideal for those in need of inspiration." -School Library Journal, starred review

"Menéndez's watercolor artwork shines throughout each hero's double-page spread, depicting these immense figures in bold form against mostly monochromatic backgrounds of warm colors. . .Worthy songs of praise for Latine legends." -Kirkus

"Each brief two- or three-stanza selection is written in free style and includes a bit of historical context, as well as first-person commentary that encourages relevancy and immediacy. . .Eye-catching, detailed full-page portraits reflect Latin American folk art motifs" -Booklist