Claudia Rueda

Episode 7 – Claudia Rueda How did a woman bent on changing the world make her way from law school and political cartoons to children's books?In this episode of My First Book Story, Meredith Davis talks with New York Times bestselling Colombian author and illustrator Claudia Rueda—creator of over 30 picture books translated into 17 languages—about the path that led to her first published book. Claudia shares how a Zen-inspired story about a boy, his grandfather, and a runaway horse became her first published work (through an award in Mexico), and how a conversation with an art director at an SCBWI conference opened the door to her American publishing career. Claudia shares her story with warmth, wisdom, and a contagious love of playfulness and creativity.Books mentionedLa suerte de Ozu/Ozu’s Luck (https://claudiarueda.com/#/ozus-luck/— first published in Mexico, 2003)Let's Play in the Forest While the Wolf Is Not Around (https://claudiarueda.com/#/lets-play-in-the-forest/)My Little Polar Bear (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Little-Polar-Bear-Claudia-Rueda/dp/0545146003)Here Comes the Easter Cat (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Easter-Deborah-Underwood/dp/0803739397)Here Comes Santa Cat (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Santa-Deborah-Underwood/dp/0803741006)Here Comes Valentine Cat (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Valentine-Deborah-Underwood/dp/0525429158)Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Tooth-Fairy-Cat/dp/0525427740)Meet the Smushkins (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Meet-Smushkins-Claudia-Rueda/dp/1536236586)The Smushkins: Colors (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Smushkins-Colors-Claudia-Rueda/dp/1536236594)The Smushkins: ABC Zoinks (Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Smushkins-ABC-Zoinks-Claudia-Rueda/dp/1536236608)LinksClaudia Rueda (https://claudiarueda.com)Meredith Davis (https://meredithldavis.com)Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (https://www.scbwi.org)Scholastic Press (https://www.scholastic.com)Penguin Random House (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com)Chronicle Books (https://www.chroniclebooks.com)Abrams Books (https://www.abramsbooks.com)Episode Webpage (https://meredithdavis.substack.com/p/claudia-ruedas-first-book-story)Theme music by Nate DavisProduced by Clay Davis