TIO RICKY DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH
Please join in me in welcoming author Maritere R. Bellas to the blog. My amiga just released her new picture book TIO RICKY DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH/TIO RICKY NO HABLA INGLES and we are celebrating with this interview so you can get to know more about her, her book, and her journey.
Published by Lil’ Libros on October 14th, 2025, and illustrated by Jairy Gómez, this bilingual book will be a great addition to schools, libraries, and homes.
A bit about TIO RICKY DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH/TIO RICKY NO HABLA INGLES:
Knock, knock! Tío Ricky is in town and he needs his nephew Enrique’s help! He doesn’t speak any English, so his nephew has to translate for him at the store, the post office, and the bank. But speaking Spanish feels like such a chore…until Enrique finds himself in a situation where his bilingual skills become life-saving. Enrique soon discovers that speaking two languages isn’t just helpful—it’s powerful, and it can strengthen family ties in ways he never imagined. It’s a heartwarming story in English and Spanish that shows you don’t need a superhero cape to be a hero!
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Now on to our interview:
M. Mari, congratulations on your book’s release. I’m so happy for you! Can you share what inspired you to write this story?
MT. The book describes the reality of many Latino, bilingual homes where the child becomes the voice of loved ones that don’t speak English. It is a theme that will resonate with many kids and will let them see translating as an act of kindness and love.
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M. I agree that many children will be able to resonate with this story and see themselves in it. How beautiful to have that opportunity! How was it for you to meet the characters created by Jairy Gómez?
MT. By coincidence, Jayri Gómez illustrated my last bilingual children’s book. I adore her work and was so excited to hear she would illustrate Tío Ricky Doesn’t Speak English! She totally capture the emotions of the characters, the experiences, the essence of language and culture.
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M. How special that you got to work together in two books! I agree, she did a great job with capturing and transmitting emotions. Mari, can you tell us what was your favorite scene to write in this story and which one was the most challenging?
MT. My favorite scene is when Enrique is telling Papi that translating is exhausting and Papi chuckles and asks Enrique to look out the window where a family of birds is helping each other. An analogy that shows the boy that families support each other. The most challenging scene was when Tío gets sick. We didn’t want to upset or scare the children. We wanted to write something that would give the child agency, compassion, love.
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M. Thanks for sharing, I always like getting to know what scenes were challenging to write and why. Mari, what would you like readers to take away from this story?
MT. I want children to feel empowered to shout out to the world that speaking in two languages is a superpower!
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M. You are so right, being able to speak more than one language is truly a superpower! As Latina authors from different countries, we make sure that any Spanish words we use in our texts are universal yet there are language variations and cultural styles that some might frown upon. What are your thoughts?
MT. I think language variations and cultural styles should be honored and accepted. What a
wonderful thing that children get to learn that avocado is aguacate in Puerto Rico and
palta in Peru, for example. Or that in the story, I use the expression “Ay, vamos”, instead
of ahí, vamos because “Ay” is a Spanish interjective word that shows emotion (surprise,
pain, complaint). And in Puerto Rico, that is how we use it, an expression that describes
disappointment or frustration.
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Maritere, thanks so much for this interview and again congratulations on your book. I wish you a lot of success and many happy moments sharing this story with children and their families.
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MARITERE’S BIO
Maritere R. Bellas is a Puerto Rican award-winning author, speaker, writer, podcast host and bilingual and multicultural parenting mentor. For over two decades, she has provided education, information, resources and support to families engaging in a multilingual, multicultural lifestyle. She is the creator and co-host of the Mamás 411 Podcast, listened to in 27 countries. Mari has published two parenting books in English and Spanish and is the author of three bilingual children’s books. She is represented by Gaby Cabezut at The Seymour Literary Agency.
Maritere’s Socials – Instagram / X / LinkedIn / Facebook
Thanks for reading!
M
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Cover photo by Pixabay.
