Chicago native Mireya Saldúa found her most recent passion in writing with her first book, “Fun Day With Misa.”
“It’s the story of my kids’ dog,” Saldúa said. “I don’t have grandkids, so I treat her [Misa] like one.”
Misa, the book’s leading dog, is half mini Australian Shepard and weighs four pounds. The story centers on animated versions of Saldúa’s family spending an eventful day around Misa.
Saldúa, who was previously a human resources consultant, launched her book in Chicago at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Expo at Navy Pier.
Before her October 9 visit, Saldúa first visited her alma mater to read the book to kids attending the Saint Xavier University’s Warde Academic Center.
In addition to featuring hand-drawn illustrations, the book is bilingual. It’s also known as “Un dia divertido con Misa,” in Spanish and has parallel translation in either language. This was a key selling point which drew many customers to Saldúa’s expo stand.
One customer, Joel Velazco, who has three kids ranging in age from 7 to 16, said he bought the book to help his kids practice their Spanish.
“They only say ‘No sabo,’ and that’s all they know,” Velazco said.
Velazco emphasized the importance of knowing Spanish for the professional sphere, saying that the ability to communicate with Spanish-speakers was critical for his role at BMO Bank.
After this chapter, Saldúa plans on writing seven more books, each exploring a different adventure with Misa.
“This particular story ends with Misa dreaming about elephants,” said Saldúa. “We’ll see what happens next.”
Saldua’s first book is available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. After the expo, Saldúa has plans to show off the book at other public events in Chicago.
“I hope audiences love it,” Saldúa said.
Miguel Tsang is a Northwestern University sophomore from Alexandria, Virginia, studying journalism and psychology.
Publisher’s Notes: This story, among others, was produced by undergraduate students in the bilingual reporting class at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media & Integrated Marketing Communications. Led by Prof. Mei-Ling Hopgood, the class aims to help journalism students practice sensitive and ethical engagement and reporting with multicultural communities in Spanish and English.
Photo Credit: Miguel Tsang