Tía Isa Wants a Car

One day, Tía Isa announces that she wants a car. But how will she ever save up enough money? Her niece has a secret plan… Author Meg Medina stops by the library to join Julie and Emma in the reading nook.

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PICTURE THIS: MORE FROM THE ILLUSTRATOR

“The story running in [my] family is that I drew before I could walk.” — Claudio Muñoz.

Julie's Library: Tia Isa Wants A Car illustrator Claudio Munoz — Claudio Muñoz

Claudio Muñoz has been drawing... forever! Originally from Chile, he immigrated to England in the mid-1970s, where he became a successful illustrator. Fond of drawing what he knows, Claudio based some of the characters in the book on members of his own family. As he put it, “Tía Isa is modeled on my eldest sister Anandy and on my daughter Isabel, both feisty, fiery and determined women, and the girl [is based] on my adorable grand-daughter Lili.”

Here are sketches of Tía and her niece, together! Can you spot the difference between these two drafts? What did Claudio Muñoz change as he worked?

Sketches of Tia and her niece — Courtesy of Claudio Muñoz

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY: DRAW YOUR DREAM CAR!

Tía Isa’s car is green like the ocean and its engine says “arroz, arroz, arroz.” What would your dream car look like? What sound would it make? Draw a picture of it, and tell us where you’d like to go!

Send us your dream car drawings!

THE BACKSTORY

“There is a real Tía Isa! She’s still living, she’s my Mom’s youngest sister, and she did buy the first family car. My family had come from Cuba, and this was the first major thing that they were buying. It stalled, it didn’t behave well, and my aunt drove it too slowly. There were all kinds of problems with the car. But the very first place she took us was the beach.” — Meg Medina, author of Tía Isa Wants a Car.