As a journalist, I wrote many true stories long before the idea of writing nonfiction for children crossed my mind. I was a junior in college back in 2006 when I joined the editorial team at LasMayores.com, the Spanish-language website of Major League Baseball. Since then, I’ve been translating and producing articles and writing original baseball stories. I also freelance for various magazines and newspapers (including a byline in National Geographic about tree rings that I love to brag about).
Given my background in journalism, you might think that transitioning to writing children’s picture books, especially nonfiction, would be a seamless process. After all, writing is writing, right?
Well, yes and no.
As a journalist, I had a grasp of writing fundamentals and I was used to presenting facts clearly and concisely. So, it’s no surprise that my early drafts of picture books were bogged down with facts and figures—my comfort zone. But picture books call for a kind of storytelling that’s more sensory and emotionally engaging for young readers. One of my writing mentors, Leah Henderson, left a note on one of those early drafts that I often recall: Move all the facts to the backmatter, she said, and just “tell me a story.”
Leah was introducing me to the concept of narrative nonfiction. It took me a while to fully embrace this approach, which initially felt intimidating. I eventually realized that in nonfiction picture books, the story is the vehicle for the information. It’s not just about what you’re telling the reader, but how you’re telling it.
And as it turns out, “tell me a story” is pretty good journalism advice too. I don’t know if being a journalist first has made me a better children’s author, but being a children’s author has definitely made me a better journalist.
While separate, my professional work for MLB and my publishing endeavors sometimes overlap, especially when it comes to writing baseball biographies for kids. The title for my picture book biography of Afro-Puerto Rican baseball icon Roberto Clemente, Call Me Roberto!, which focuses on how he stood up to bigotry and racism during his Hall of Fame career, is a good example.
Initially, I titled early drafts Arriba, Roberto!, inspired by the radio call heard in Pittsburgh whenever Clemente stepped up to bat for the Pirates. But during a workshop critique session, a fellow writer pointed out that the most powerful line in the book was “Mi nombre es Roberto” (Spanish for “My name is Roberto”). Roberto’s insistence on being called by his given name, rather than the anglicized “Bob” or “Bobby” that the media often used, was one of the ways he asserted his identity and resisted attempts to erase his roots and heritage. So, I adopted that as my working title.
When I first met with my editor, Carolyn Yoder, virtually in April 2021, we landed on Call Me Roberto!, though I wasn’t entirely sold on it at the time. I wondered if I was putting too much emphasis on a single detail or if focusing on respecting names would resonate. My meeting with Carolyn ended just in time for me to put on my journalist hat and join a virtual press conference with current Afro-Puerto Rican ballplayer Francisco Lindor, who had just signed a long-term contract with the New York Mets after being traded from Cleveland.
During the call, Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose asked Lindor how he felt about being called “Frankie,” as some members of the Cleveland media had done. Here’s what Lindor said:
“I prefer Francisco. I like my name. Frankie, it’s a little more Americanized for me. Frankie, it was fine. I never complained … but now I want my name, I want Francisco. My mom named me Francisco, my grandfather was Francisco, so Francisco it is.”
Lindor didn’t mention Clemente, but he didn’t need to. Coming from an Afro-Puerto Rican player, the echo was loud and clear, and I knew then that I’d chosen the right title for my book. I like to think of that moment as a wink from the universe that being both a journalist and a children’s author is exactly who I’m meant to be.
Nathalie Alonso is a Cuban American bilingual writer and journalist based in New York City. A seasoned baseball reporter, her writing has appeared in National Geographic, Outside, and Refinery29, among other outlets. She is currently a reporter and producer at MLB.com’s Spanish-language sister site, LasMayores.com.Â
Rudy Gutierrez is an artist and children’s book illustrator. He received the Pura Belpre Honor for Illustration for his work on Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros, a Caldecott Honor for Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney, and the Américas Book Award for Pelé, King of Soccer by Monica Brown, among many other honors. Rudy teaches illustration at the Pratt Institute School of Design in New York City.
