Yuyi Morales, Mexican-American children’s book author and illustrator, celebrates her birth date as Nov. 7, 1968 ,in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, the City of flowers and springs. She is best known for her books which received the 2015 Pura Belpre Medal for illustration and the 2015 Caldecott Honor for “Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book” and “Viva Frida.”

She is the oldest of four children, and as a child loved drawing and creating stories. Raised among giant grandmothers, mossy house walls and rampaging feral gardens made a strong connection with the magical stories that run in her family. In high school, she was a motivated swimmer and studied physical education at the Universidad de Xalpa, hoping to teach gym, but finishing school she worked as a swim coach.

She met her husband Tim, and they had a son Kelly, moving to the United States in 1994. She spoke little English and was lonely, missing her family and her country, until one day her mother- in-law took her son Kelly to the San Francisco library. Yuyi was so captivated by the colorful books that she bought herself a set of paints and took a class at UC Berkeley in writing for children. Her first book, “Just A Minute,” was published in 2003. Yuyi is the first Latina to receive the Caldecott Honor.

She enjoys writing, illustrating, plants, music, dance, making stories, daydreaming, reading and creating. She is recognized as one of the most distinguished Latina children’s book authors using her family’s traditions and background as motivation.

Her new book, released in September, is “Little Rebels.”