Palm Beach Gardens resident Karol Hernández drew on her colorful childhood to pen her first book, I Am La Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes (Penguin Random House, 2024), a picture book reminiscent of Disney’s Encanto that sends young readers on a journey through the lush and rugged Andes.
“In 2020, my son asked me about a little colorful clay bus I had on the mantle,” Hernández says of her chiva replica, an icon of rural Colombian transportation. “I looked for a picture book on the topic but did not find one. And so, I Am La Chiva! was born. I worked on the manuscript for over six months, a process that allowed me to channel memories of the Andes mountains and the incredible community that surrounded me.”
Hernández was born in Colombia and lived there until age 14; when her family relocated to South Florida, she was dismayed to be met with reductive stereotypes of her home country. With her book, she aims to communicate the beauty of community work and love for one’s homeland, and its 40 pages of rhymes—brought to life with vibrant illustrations by Colombian artist Lorena Alvarez Gómez—do just that.
“I want readers to see a side of Colombia that highlights our stunning landscapes, biodiversity, and people. The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, covering seven countries, and along its ridges, there is a vast array of cultures, foods, music, and more.”
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