Caldecott Honor Artist Cozbi A. Cabrera

        Click here to watch the 2021 ALA Youth Media Awards press conference.

I asked Michaela Goade, Noa Denmon, Yuko Shimizu, Cozbi A. Cabrera, and Cindy Derby to answer two questions and finish two sentence starters.

Noa Denmon's Responses

Cindy Derby's Responses

Hello, Cozbi A. Cabrera! Congratulations on winning a 2021 Caldecott Honor for Me & Mama. I love learning about the CALL. What was running through your heart when the Caldecott committee was clapping and cheering for you?

Cozbi A. Cabrera: Truthfully, I was still in a state of shock. I wasn’t aware that it was ALA weekend, so I was totally off guard. I thought I heard Caldecott, but I was so flush and near faint still from the CSK news the night before. I asked them for clarification. The announcer was kind to start from the top. Then they cheered. It was a moment of shock, awe, combined with pure joy. Really humbling!

What does receiving a Caldecott Honor for Me & Mama mean to you?

Cozbi A. Cabrera: I think it means more families will get to hear and read from Me & Mama and appreciate those string of moments they spend together with eyes and hearts wide open.

Please finish the following sentence starters:

Picture books are like magic carpets to many adventures, near and far!

School libraries are portals that bring to worlds, within and beyond our reach, even closer still.

Cozbi A. Cabrera holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design. She has illustrated several books for children and is also well known for her handmade cloth dolls. Cabrera lives in Evanston, Illinois.

Borrow Me & Mama from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.