Mamiverse.com, a site offering content catered to Latina mothers, is launching a books section called Mamiverse Books. The books section will feature author interviews and reviews of children’s books, including picture books, middle grade, young adult and bilingual titles.
Rene Alegria, founder of Rayo at HarperCollins, launched Mamiverse last summer, and the site has gotten some notable attention since it went live. Among other hits, in July, Mamiverse hosted First Lady Michelle Obama in an online panel. To oversee the new books section, Algeria has tapped his former colleague, Adriana Dominguez, who was manager of the children’s division of Rayo.
Alegria points out, "A quarter of the children being born today are to a Latina mom and 25% of children in public school are Latinos and yet there are very few resources available for Hispanic parents. We know that reading paves the way for academic success and we want to make sure the Latino community has every tool at their disposal." Although the focus is on Latino parents, many of the book reviews on Mamiverse will be penned by those who worked with Dominguez while she was the children’s reviews editor at Críticas magazine. Mamiverse Books promises to also be a tool for librarians, educators, and book buyers looking to meet the needs of their Latino patrons.
In conjunction with the launch of Mamiverse Books, and tied to National Book Month, the pair also announced Mamiverse Reads, an online pledge drive for Latino families that commits them to making reading a priority in their household. Dominguez points out, “I am thrilled to be a part of this new venture. As a Latina mom and editor of children’s books, it has been my life-long commitment to encourage children and parents to read.”
Many Latino parents might not have attended college and don’t understand the importance of reading at home or might find themselves at a lost when seeing information on books. Dominguez mentions that studies have shown that reading paves the way for future academic success and for Latinos it is also a way to understand ones culture, "Through Mamiverse Books and Mamiverse Reads, I want to help bridge the gap between the wonderful books being published and the Latino parent who may need some advice on selecting what is most appropriate for their children."
