I grew up surrounded by books…
In the early 90s, Zeco Montes, my godfather, founded a bookstore called Klaxon, named after the avant-garde visual art and literary magazine that circulated from 1922 until 1923 in Brazil. Later, my mom, Denise, and aunts, Silvia and Marta, became partners in this venture, a literary oasis in the city of São Paulo. I remember the atmosphere of this space so vividly. That abiding smell of paper. Regulars coming in looking for a recommendation, a moment of connection, a little bit of both. The place next door where my sisters and I would venture solo with a handful of change to buy an afternoon snack of pão de queijo.
Needless to say, our home was an extension of this bookstore, and our shelves filled with literature and poetry. No matter how long a particular day felt, or the relentless traffic on the way home, my mom always found that sliver of energy to read us a bedtime story.
Her gift, a love of poetry…
As a teenager, my mom introduced me to the Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, and publisher, Fernando Pessoa. I was particularly enamoured with his free verse poetry written under the heteronym Alberto Caeiro. My mom reads poetry with such warmth, her voice dancing through the cadence of each line—it was through her that I first experienced the power of spoken words, the way stories turn into music.
O meu olhar é nítido como um girassol.
Tenho o costume de andar pelas estradas
Olhando para a direita e para a esquerda,
E de vez em quando olhando para trás...
E o que vejo a cada momento
É aquilo que nunca antes eu tinha visto,
E eu sei dar por isso muito bem...
Sei ter o pasmo essencial
Que tem uma criança se, ao nascer,
Reparasse que nascera deveras...
Sinto-me nascido a cada momento
Para a eterna novidade do Mundo...
— “O Guardador de Rebanhos” Poemas de Alberto Caeiro, 1914.
During my 20s, I lived in Vancouver, studied anthropology, volunteered at community gardens and became a mother to Georgia Brown... A Taurus, born in the year of the Dragon. Motherhood brought me back to the textures of my own childhood— the intimacy of those bookshelves, the experience of being read to… The way books shaped my curiosities and dreams.
I began my journey in publishing through an internship with Michael and Carol Katz at Tradewind Books, a small Canadian publishing house committed to multicultural children’s titles. I worked alongside Michael at the publishing house and as an assistant for the Children’s Book Workshop he teaches at the University of British Columbia. This was a comprehensive journey of all the steps involved in publishing children’s literature. From manuscript reviews to final proofs and book launches, this is where I learned the intricacies of the children’s books publishing industry. In 2013, I facilitated the foreign rights sale of the book No Pets Allowed to Brinque-Book, which was published a year later under the Portuguese title Ruim Para Cachoro. Brinque-Book was later acquired by Companhia das Letras, placing itself within Brazil’s most successful and influential publishing group. I pitched the title to the founder & publisher and negotiated the deal, helping bring this Canadian picture book to a Brazilian audience. This early success deepened my commitment to bridging literary markets through stories that travel across cultures—a driving force that continues to shape my work through Mama Reads.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I asked friends & family to share a favorite picture book, instead of the usual stacks of clothing and diapers. On a Sunday afternoon, we sat around an imperfect circle in our small one bedroom apartment in Vancouver, sharing the stories behind their book of choice, a particular element or character that resonated with their young minds. For years to come, these picturebooks became the bedrock of my favorite ritual as a parent. The beauty of this exchange culminated in a blog about children’s books and parenting. One More Story Told became my “kitchen table creative outlet while the baby naps” and a way of feeling less isolated, more connected to the far reaches of my global community. Many moves later, including relocating to a different country, I continue to be inspired by the affective energy these books carry. In the Spring of 2025, I felt a yearning to rekindle my creative fire, a desire to engage with work that is meaningful, and that’s how I decided to revive this project and design a life around my love of writing, literature, and picturebooks.
I divide my time between San Miguel de Allende and Vancouver, moving between the high desert of Central Mexico and the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. This cultural and environmental contrast keeps my senses in a state of perpetual awe and opens up possibilities for cross-regional connections. I bring a community-oriented approach to every project I take on, whether it's writing, research, or consulting. Children are ready to expand their identities, to question everything, to re-imagine the world and the way we live in it. Let picturebooks inspire connection beyond borders and strengthen this transformation.
Mama Reads is a platform and consultancy designed to connect authors, illustrators, publishers, and educators to broaden the reach of artistic and soulful picturebooks. Through book reviews, storytelling, translation & consulting services, I amplify diverse voices towards a conscious, emotionally resonant, and artistic literary landscape for the next generation. I believe storytelling is both art and activism. And that a single picturebook can change the way a child sees the world—and their sense of belonging in it.
