Jackie’s Books
I write across genres and age categories but primarily focus on picture books and young adult novels. My published and upcoming books can be found below!
Abuelo’s Flower Shop
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"Te recuerdo y te extraño." I remember you, and I miss you.
Elena is finally old enough to sell flowers with her abuelo in his shop. But she notices that many of the people who visit have tears in their eyes. Abuelo tells her the shop is the last stop before people visit the garden beyond the gate. A place for telling the ones you've loved and lost, "Te recuerdo y te extraño," I remember you, and I miss you.
Tender and insightful, Abuelo's Flower Shop celebrates the beauty of intergenerational love while gently teaching readers about grieving the loss of a loved one. Grandparents and grandchildren will delight in Elena and Abuelo's heartfelt relationship, and readers of all ages will be inspired to find their own ways to say, "I remember you, and I miss you." This thoughtful story is the perfect resource for navigating difficult conversations about grief.
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Publisher: Beaming Books, 1517 Media
Format: Hardcover, eBook
ISBN: 9781506487557
eBook ISBN: 9781506487564
Age: Preschool (3-5 years); Early Grades (5-8 years)
Dimensions: 8.75 x 10.25
Pages: 32
Publication Date: June 4, 2024
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“This is a great depiction of one important aspect of mourning: that visiting loved ones in cemeteries is a way of remembering them.”
—School Library Journal
Coming Soon
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Together We Remember
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In this tender debut picture book about finding joy despite grief, a little girl wishes to make Father’s Day even better by using imagination to honor and remember their happiest memories with a lost loved one.
Giselle and Papi are happy together, but there was a time when their two was three, and sometimes remembering is painful. It can also be a lot of fun! They embark on an imagination adventure that includes rainforest hikes, intergalactic planet-hopping, and most of all, remembering Mami through her favorite activity—creating stories and new memories.
This book’s vivid, emotive prose makes the complicated themes of grief and absence accessible for young readers in this personal story that centers family, love, and journeys that memory can lead us on. -
Publisher: Make Me a World, Random House Children’s Books
Format: Hardcover, eBook
ISBN: 9780593805640
eBook ISBN: 9780593805664
Age: Early Grades (4-8 years)
Dimensions: 11 x 9
Pages: 32
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
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"Add this father-daughter book to a Father’s Day collection that conveys the author’s message about the power of memories while celebrating the freedom to daydream."
—The Bulletin, starred review
“An imaginative journey through grief, love, and the promise of adventures yet to come.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In Morera and Encarnación’s wistful bilingual story, imagination-fueled play helps ‘chase the blues away’ for a father and child…loving work about a family’s bond.”
—Publishers Weekly
In Case of las Moscas
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A tiny misunderstanding snowballs into a wild adventure in this playful picture book that pokes gentle fun at what’s lost in translation between Spanish and English.
When Diego hears Abuela preparing “por si las moscas,” in case of the flies, alarm bells go off in his mind and he preps his schoolmates for an epic attack of winged insects. Except. . . some phrases don’t translate literally.
What follows is a zany adventure filled with tactical meetings at recess, combat training in gym class, and keeping watch from the highest point of the playground, with illustrations that incorporate English and Spanish, and enough silliness for readers to enjoy in whatever language they speak. -
Publisher: Make Me a World, Random House Children’s Books
Format: Hardcover, eBook
ISBN: 9780593902752
eBook ISBN: 9780593902776
Age: Preschool - 3 (4-8 years)
Dimensions: 9 x 11
Pages: 40
Publication Date: September 8, 2026
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“Both peppy and quirky, Ruiz Johnson’s bright artwork offers just the right amount of spark. Whimsical fun, infused with food for thought on language.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Good-humored … a lively work in which linguistic confusion becomes an opportunity for cultural connection.”
—Publishers Weekly