As a young boy, José Marti he traveled to the countryside of Cuba and fell in love with the natural beauty of the land. During this trip he also witnessed the cruelties of slavery on sugar plantations
As a young boy, José Marti he traveled to the countryside of Cuba and fell in love with the natural beauty of the land. During this trip he also witnessed the cruelties of slavery on sugar plantations. From that moment, Martí began to fight for the abolishment of slavery and for Cuban independence from Spain through his writing. By age seventeen, he was declared an enemy of Spain and was forced to leave his beloved island.
Marti traveled the world and eventually settled in New York City. But the longer he stayed away from his homeland, the sicker and weaker he became. On doctor's orders he traveled to the Catskill Mountains, where nature inspired him once again to fight for freedom.
Here is a beautiful tribute to José Martí, written in verse with excerpts from his seminal work, Versos sencillos. He will always be remembered as a courageous fighter for freedom and peace among all men and women.
EMMA OTHEGUY is a Ph.D. candidate in History at New York University, focusing on Spain and colonial Latin America. Her academic article, "Sermonizing in New York: The Children's Magazines of Mary Mapes Dodge and José Martí" was published in Ethics in Children's Literature. She is a member of the Bank Street Writers Lab, and her short story, "Fairies in Town," was published in Highlights magazine and was awarded Magazine Merit Honors by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). This is her picture book debut.
BEATRIZ VIDAL is an award—winning Argentinean painter, illustrator, and teacher. Her work has appeared in well—known magazines such as The New York Times, Woman's Day, and The New Yorker. Her artwork has also been featured in numerous exhibitions around the world, including The International Exhibition of Illustration for Children and The Society of Illustrators in New York. Vidal divides her time between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and New York City.
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