This heartfelt children’s book by Argelia Atilano with vivid illustrations by Anna Alvarado covers 12 inspirational Latinas that have broke barriers and changed perceptions of what Latinas can do in the U.S.

Most of them are well-known like Rita Moreno, AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for those who don’t know the popular acronym for the representative), J.Lo., Sandra Cisneros, etc. so kids would be sure to pick up the book to learn more about these popular figures and maybe find one or two new ones.

What makes this book very special (besides possibly being the only book solely on Latinas. At least from what I’ve seen) is that it is a bilingual book with three pages on each women in English, and then three pages in Spanish so kids can connect to their heritage or practice their Spanish skills.

Furthermore, you can really feel the passion and emotion behind from the author as each profile ends with encouragement for girls to reach for their dreams, lead with integrity and dignity, and care for their community. Maybe it’s a bit didactic but the intention is genuine and is perfect book to share between mothers and their daughters.

I do have two minor quibbles. The section with Selena obviously talks about her short life and that she died when she was only 23. It doesn’t mention how she died, that she was murdered. Maybe they didn’t want to get into the sensationalistic aspect of her stalker and untimely stabbing and focus more on the cultural impact, but I still think kids could handle it.

The other is that someone made a typo with the dates in the Laurie Hernandez section. It states she was born on June 9, 2000 and that she won the US Junior National champion in 2015 when she was 12 years old. If you are born in 2000, you would be 15 in 2015 not 12. It goes on to say that four years later she made the US Olympic team for the 2016 Olympics when she was 16. So someone made a typo somewhere with the 12 in 2015 business.

Anyway, perfect for those who want to learn more about some notable women and the latinas who helped pave the way-Si Se Pueda.