IF YOUR ABUELO IS AN ASTRONAUTA
Today we welcome my amiga and multi-published author Ana Siqueira to the blog, to celebrate her soon to be released book IF YOUR ABUELO IS AN ASTRONAUTA. Congratulations, Ana!
I’m so excited about this one because some years ago I got to provide feedback on this story, so I can’t wait to read the final version. Let me tell you it’s such a fun book with all the heartwarming and humorous moments that make Ana’s stories so special.
Illustrated by Irena Freitas and published by Simon and Schuster, this book will be hitting the bookshelves on April 14th, 2026.
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A bit about IF YOUR ABUELO IS AN ASTRONAUTA:
This hilarious, high-flying bilingual picture book from the creators of If Your Babysitter Is a Bruja captures the love between grandchildren and long- distance grandparents, the complicated relationship between siblings, and the power of imagination.
The day before Abuelo comes to visit, his grandson knows there’s more at stake than meets the eye. Abuelo comes from very far away, an astronauta from a distant planet, and his time in orbit is limited and very special. If the boy wants to have time for exciting aventuras, he must defeat the Space Invader before his abuelo’s ship touches down. As AstroKid, he ships the Space Invader off to Mars, battles her on Pluto, and chases her through asteroid showers—whatever it takes! Only…what happens when his plans work too well and Space Invader—his annoying little sister—retreats?
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Now, on to our interview:
M. Ana, as usual, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to the blog to celebrate another book, and this one sounds like so much fun. I’m so happy for you! For starters, can you please share what 3 words you would use to describe your book?
A. Imagination, Space, Familia.
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M. Excellent choices! Now, can you tell us where did you get the idea to write this particular story?
A. As usual, from my personal experiences as a child, a mom, and an Abuela/Vovó. My grandson, who lives in Seattle, and I, who live in Tampa, would play and create stories through video calls. So, I wanted a story that reflected both my virtual visits and my in-person ones, but to add challenges, I introduced a Space Invader (an intrusive little hermana).
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M. I love that experience of creating stories through video calls with your grandson. So sweet! I think there are not many books about those special virtual moments that grandkids get to experience with grandparents when they live far away. I can totally relate to that with my own family experience. Next, can you tells us about your path to publication for this book?
A. This book path was a little different from my others. The story that I sent to my editor at Simon&Schuster was about a boy building a rocket to visit Abuelo. My editor liked it to be a companion book for If Your Babysitter is a Bruja, but she requested two R&Rs where we keep making major changes together. After that, we signed a contract, but she still wanted the boy to “fight” against a real person, like the witch. And that’s when I came up with the idea of the hermanita being the space invader. After many revisions, the book was finally ready. It took six months to have it ready.
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A. Wow, it seems that the story version I gave you feedback on has changed quite a bit. It’s so realistic to have a little sibling as an antagonist in children’s books. I think many kids will be able to relate to that. Ana, what message are you hoping readers will take away from this story?
A. First of all, I want them to have fun and laugh. Second, I want them to go play with their imagination. With imagination, you can fly through space, catch comet tails and dance around Saturn’s rings. But be careful with the black hole. Third, I hope they get inspired to learn more about space. Finally, your siblings might be more fun than you imagine.
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M. Those are all great takeaways, thanks for sharing. Finally, Ana, what comes next for you as an author?
A. I am excited about Mami’s Heart coming in September (art by Nomar Perez – HarperCollins) and my chapter book series coming in 2027 – The Creepy Creature Catchers.
I’m so happy to hear that there’s always something in the works for you, amiga. I wish you the best with IF YOUR ABUELO IS AN ASTRONAUTA and all your upcoming projects. Congrats!
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Lastly, please check out this invitation to Ana’s virtual book launch and register here to attend. Thanks!
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ANA’S BIO
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Ana Siqueira is an award-winning children’s book author who writes bilingual stories filled with humor, heart, brujas, astronautas, and supercapas. Her books include Bella’s Recipe for Success (Beaming Books 2021), If Your Babysitter is a Bruja (S&S 2022), Abuela’s Super Capa(HarperCollins 2023), Our World Brazil (Barefoot Books 2024), La Mala Suerte is Following You (Charlesbridge 2024), Vera La Valiente is Scared (Beaming Books 2024), Sticky Hermana (Charlesbridge 2025), If Your Abuelo is An Astronauta (Simon & Schuster 2026), Mami’s Heart (HarperCollins 2026) among others. When she is not writing, she takes her Spanish students on a trip to the Spanish-speaking world, and her Brazilian-Cuban-American grandkids on many aventuras. Check her website for more books and aventuras: anafiction.com and her YouTube channel @AnaTeacherWriter for lesson plans and guides based on picture books.
Thanks for reading!
M
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Cover photo by Pixabay.
