The Life of / La vida de Llort

Introduce your little ones to Fernando Llort, a world-renowned artist from El Salvador!

Fernando Llort is a major point of reference for the art and iconography of El Salvador.

Llort escaped the political instability of his capital in favor of the peaceful mountains of La Palma, a small town in the northern region of El Salvador. Here, Llort would awaken an artisan movement out of the agricultural workers, educating them on how to make a living using their artistic skills. His teachings led the commune to sow the beginnings of the local handicraft movement, inspired by the Semilla de Dios, or Seed of God. The agricultural faction of the town quickly turned into an artisanal atmosphere, fueling employment outside of field work. Llort moved back to the capital, but not without staying in contact with the people of La Palma and showing the rest of El Salvador that making a living using art was possible.

Parents will find this bilingual English-Spanish biography board book on Fernando Llort creative to little ones wanting to try their hand at artistry and find beauty in colors!

Cynthia Gonzalez was born in El Salvador and raised in South Los Angeles. She's multi-faceted with talents as an author, poet, Cultural Advisor, and Entertainment Director for the L.A. LGBT Center. Cynthia has served as an executive board member for non-profits in Los Angeles and Long Beach, has written articles for the local Long Beach press, and was featured in the L.A. Times. Her passion for seeing a positive representation of the Salvadoran community led her to establish Salvies Who Lunch, a platform dedicated to connecting and empowering Salvadorans of all backgrounds through events. Cynthia's recent contributions include translating eight books for Lil' Libros' VÁMONOS series and being Associate Producer and Cultural Advisor to award-winning filmmaker Kase Peña's upcoming new film. On her free days, she enjoys watching sci-fi movies and rocky road ice cream.

Citlali Reyes, born and raised in Mexico, loved to doodle as a child. It was after studying architecture that she was drawn toward the enchanting world of illustration and chose to become an illustrator full-time. Citlali enjoys telling stories through pictures, and her work is strongly influenced by the culture and vibrant colors of her country. She has partnered with Lil’ Libros to illustrate more than 15 popular bilingual picture books for children in their board book collection.