We are so excited to have Michael Genhart join us today to share information about Family Tradition Picture Books!
Michael Genhart, PhD, is the author of the newly released Spanish Is the Language of My Family/El Español Es la Lengua de Mi Familia (illustrated by John Parra; published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House) - which has received 5 starred reviews and is a Junior Library Guild Selection His upcoming books include Edie for Equality: Edie Windsor Stands Up for Marriage Equality (illustrated by Cheryl Thuesday; Lee & Low Books, 2025) and another picture book biography which has not yet been announced. Other titles include May Your Life Be Deliciosa (illustrated by Loris Lora, Cameron Kids/Abrams, 2021) which was awarded a 2022 Pura Belpré Honor and ALA Notable Book and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist and They’re So Flamboyant (illustrated by Tony Neal, Magination Press, 2021); Love Is Love (illustrated by Ken Min, Little Pickle Press/Sourcebooks Jabberwocky); Ouch! Moments: When Words Are Used in Hurtful Ways (illustrated by Viviana Garofoli); So Many Smarts! (illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown); I See You (illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff); a series about nourishing friendships (illustrated by Steve Mack) Peanut Butter & Jellyous, Mac & Geeeez!, Cake & I Scream!; and Rainbow: A First Book of Pride (illustrated by Anne Passchier) — all published by Magination Press, the children’s books imprint of the American Psychological Association. Michael is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in San Francisco, California. He received his BA in psychology from the University of California, San Diego and his PhD in clinical and community psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has been a member of APA for over thirty years, SCBWI since 2011, and is a book reviewer for the New York Journal of Books. When he is not in his office treating patients or writing books for kids, he is outdoors gardening, hiking, reading, traveling, and enjoying celebrating family traditions with family and friends. He and his husband are proud parents of a newly minted elementary school teacher. He lives with his family in Marin County.
Growing up in a multicultural family meant lots of fun gatherings and celebrations throughout the year. Love of family was the common thread that ran through these events, though the music and food that filled our home were decidedly different. When my Swiss-born paternal grandparents came to visit, my father would put on their favorite polka music, and if it was holiday time, my grandmother would make her yummy lebkuchen (a honey gingerbread). If my Mexican-American maternal grandparents were visiting, my mother would play ranchera music and prepare a variety of scrumptious dishes: arroz con pollo, albonigas soup (a meatball soup), or enchiladas.
I wrote ACCORDIONLY: ABUELA AND OPA MAKE MUSIC (illustrated by Priscilla Burris; published by Magination Press) to show what happened when both sets of grandparents came to visit at the same time. They didn’t speak the same language – but when my father played the accordion (an instrument popular in both cultures), music connected us all. Gathering at Christmas became a family tradition, with my father pumping out accordion songs (polka, ranchera, holiday hymns), my grandfathers amplifying the music with their energetic yodels and gritos, while the aromas of international cuisine wafted from the kitchen throughout the day.
As a child, one of my favorite days of the year was Nochebuena (Christmas Eve). During the day, the women and girls gathered for a tamalada, a tamale-making party. Being the only boy in the room didn’t seem to matter because there was a lot of work to do, and another set of hands meant more help. But it was also so much fun. We played music, danced, and told stories…all while making dozens and dozens of tamales. In MAY YOUR LIFE BE DELICIOSA (illustrated by Loris Lora, who won a Pura Belpré Honor for her illustrations; published by Cameron Kids/Abrams), I hoped to capture the essence of this beloved family tradition: how food, music, and storytelling brought everyone together in celebration of heritage culture, and language. I also wanted to showcase the importance of oral history in families: how stories (and recipes) are passed on from one generation to the next – just like how Abuela imparts her wisdoms about making a delicious life as she demonstrates to Rosie, her nieta, how to make a delicious tamale.
In my newest book, SPANISH IS THE LANGUAGE OF MY FAMILY (illustrated by John Parra; published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House), I tell a story of love of family and family tradition - through a celebration of language. A little boy enters the National Spanish Spelling Bee. His abuela helps him study, and during this time she shares with him that she was not allowed to speak Spanish when she was a young girl in school. In fact, anyone who did so was punished. Her story of shaming is revealed through the spelling words. Ultimately, this story is about healing and the reclaiming of Spanish for a family where the tradition of speaking Spanish has deep roots.
Clearly, I love drawing from my family traditions to tell stories that I hope will have universal appeal. In fact, when I share these books with children, the excited responses I get back include: “That’s like my family!” “We have family traditions, too!” “Now I want to tell my family stories!” And it’s that kind of inspired feedback from child readers that makes the author in me smile for days. Likewise, I hope that these books will inspire my fellow writers to celebrate their own family traditions and find ways to tell those stories that reach the hearts and imaginations of children.