Watsonville Family Arts & Literacy Night featuring bestselling author Pam Muñoz Ryan

Bookshop Santa Cruz, in partnership with the County Office of Education and Pajaro Valley Unified School District, is excited to bring acclaimed children’s author Pam Muñoz Ryan to Watsonville on Monday, March 30th for a fun-filled family event, where Pam Muñoz Ryan will share and sign Mañanaland, a timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow that has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity.

Festivities will include visual arts and theater activities. The first 90 students of Pajaro Valley Unified School District (and all Santa Cruz County public schools) who attend the event will receive a free copy of Pam Muñoz Ryan’s newest book. One book per family.

This FREE public event will be hosted at Radcliff Elementary School (550 Rodriguez St, Watsonville, CA 95076) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Seating will be open, and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request special accommodations, please e-mail [email protected].

Cosponsored by Arts Council of Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance, and the City of Watsonville.

About Mañanaland:

Maximiliano Córdoba loves stories, especially the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow.

If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated fútbol team and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papá won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret--involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety--he decides to seek answers on his own.

With a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and Buelo's legend as his only guides, he sets out on a perilous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.

This timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity.

About the Author:

Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the Newbery Honor Medal and the Kirkus Prize for her New York Times bestselling novel, Echo, as well as the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature for her body of work. Her celebrated novels, Echo, Esperanza Rising, The Dreamer, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi Léon, and Paint the Wind, have received countless accolades, among them two Pura Belpré Awards, a NAPPA Gold Award, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and two Américas Awards. Her acclaimed picture books include Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and When Marian Sang, both illustrated by Brian Selznick, and Tony Baloney, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, as well as a beginning reader series featuring Tony Baloney. Ryan lives near San Diego, California, with her family.