Juanita: La Niña Que Contaba Estrellas (the Girl Who Counted the Stars), Hardcover

A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night.

For a long time, Guatemala has had an important place in my heart. My son has raised a beautiful family there, and I believe that when you love the places you visit, the land gives back that love in the form of unforgettable experiences.

Mayan temples, majestic volcanoes, most of them active, with the heat throbbing inside them, contrast with the lush green of the tropical forests. Rivers and lakes meander through the mountains, ending in breathtaking waterfalls, which naturally sustain the extensive coffee and corn crops.

Corn is the daily bread of Guatemala and the main food for the entire indigenous population throughout the year. Many varieties are grown, and they all are of different colors. The local women make delicious white, yellow, black, and red corn tortillas.

The inhabitants of this beautiful country are kind and loving.

I met Juanita one sunny morning. That day, Lake Atitlán woke up slowly, and we quietly sailed away, visiting the small villages that surround the lake. When we arrived in Santa Catarina Palopó, a pretty seven-year-old girl with jet-black hair and a gummy smile-she was missing two of her baby teeth-was sitting on the pier, wearing a beautiful huipil embroidered in blue tones. She looked like a little Mayan princess sitting on a wooden throne.

The huipil is a square piece of cloth with a hole in the center. Guatemalan women and girls wear it as a blouse, and in each region they weave them in different colors.

Juanita sold woven cotton bracelets. She did it to help her mother, who sat on the floor weaving a few meters away from her, while she rocked to sleep a tiny baby that she was carrying on her back.

Back in Spain, with a head full of memories, the words began to take shape on paper, until Juanita came to form a part of this little tale.

--Lola Walder

Una mágica historia de una niña de Guatemala a la que le encantaba cocinar tortitas de maíz y contar estrellas cada noche.

Desde hace tiempo, Guatemala forma parte de mi corazón: mi hijo ha formado allí una bonita familia y creo que cuando uno ama los lugares que visita, la tierra devuelve ese amor en forma de vivencias inolvidables.

Templos mayas, majestuosos volcanes, la mayoría activos, con el calor palpitando dentro de ellos, contrastan con el verde de los bosques tropicales. Ríos y lagos serpentean entre montañas por las que se escapan impresionantes cascadas de agua, alimentando de forma natural los extensos cultivos de café y maíz.

El maíz es el pan de Guatemala y el principal alimento para toda la población indígena a lo largo del año. Se cultivan muchas variedades y todas son de diferentes colores. Las mujeres preparan unas deliciosas tortitas de maíz blanco, amarillo, negro y colorado.

Los habitantes de este precioso país son amables y cariñosos.

A Juanita la conocí una mañana de sol. Ese día el lago Atitlán despertó tranquilo, navegamos en calma, visitando los pequeños pueblos que rodean el lago. Al llegar a Santa Catarina Palopó, una preciosa niña de siete años con el pelo negro azabache y la sonrisa mellada --le faltaban dos dientecitos-- nos esperaba sentada en el embarcadero; vestía un precioso huipil bordado en tonos azules. Realmente parecía una pequeña princesa maya sentada en un trono de madera.

El huipil es un trozo de tela cuadrado con un agujero en el centro. Las mujeres y niñas guatemaltecas lo usan como blusa y en cada región los tejen de diferente colores.

Juanita vendía pulseras trenzadas de algodón, lo hacía para ayudar a su mamá, que a pocos metros de ella tejía sentada en el suelo, mientras mecía a un bebé de pocos meses que portaba a su espalda.

De vuelta a España, con la memoria empapada de recuerdos, las letras empezaron a correr por el papel hasta que Juanita formó parte de esta pequeña historia.

--Lola Walder

About author(s):

Lola Walder was born and raised in Seville, but Madrid is where she belongs. She studied Cinematographic Script from ECAM, and a Master in Creative Writing (Escuela de Letras de Madrid), and felt driven by a curious and restless spirit which gradually forged her two true passions: Literature and Cinema. In the last ten years she has collaborated in several media: radio, television, and press. She currently works as a film contributor for Vanity Fair magazine and is immersed in the creation of her second novel.

Martina Peluso is an Italian award-winning illustrator born in Naples in 1980, where she currently lives and works. She has studied printing art at the Institute of Art in Naples and she has frequented courses of illustration at Sarmede and Pavia. Her picture book T-shirts aren't Napkins (Cuento de Luz, 2019) received Honorable mention in the 2019 International Latino Book Awards.