Pedro Martin, Author/Illustrator of MexiKid

The Marshalltown Public LIbrary will host author/artist and award-winning creator of Mexikid: a Graphic Memoir on Wednesday, October 9 at 6 pm in the large meeting room. This free program is open to school-aged kids, teens, and adults. 

Mexikid won Newbery and Pura Belpre awards and has landed on many best-of lists, including The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Amazon, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, The Guardian, and Booklist.

Youth services librarian, Joa LaVille, says the story will resonate with so many different ages of readers, from youth to adults. "It is both nostalgic and timeless in many ways," she said, and includes universal themes of identity, plus plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Extra copies of the graphic novel are available to borrow from the check-out desk, and Joa also recommends the full-cast audiobook, which is available for free download, from Libby/Overdrive. 

The son of an immigrant sharecropper and one of nine kids, Pedro spent his childhood in the strawberry fields of the Monterey Bay Area. He grew up with a talent for art and music leading him to earn a graphic design degree at San Jose State University.

His father begged him to join a mariachi instead. “Those guys make $100 a night playing in the bars! Can you make that kind of money in art?”

He could and he did! Pedro eventually became an artist at Hallmark Greetings and worked his way up to manager of a 20-person art studio and then on to become a Master Artist. He helped pioneer the animation/properties department by developing animated shorts and full-on animated specials for CBS and The Hallmark Channel. He was nominated twice for Annie Awards for production design.

He retired from Hallmark and pursued his dream of writing an ongoing graphic memoir that would honor his hilarious and generous family and all that they struggled to achieve. He’s been collecting these childhood stories on note cards and storing them in a Batman lunchbox for years.

“Storytelling is such a beautiful and important exercise, especially for kids. I’ve discovered that by telling your own story, you begin to explore who you really are and where you’ve come from. I hope that my journey inspires kids to pick up a pen and paper and thrill the world with their own personal adventures," Pedro shared. 

Pedro also chronicles his life growing up Mexican American online in a series called Mexikid Stories (@Mexikidstories on Instagram, Facebook and Gocomics.com)  

In addition to the public library visit on Wednesday evening, Pedro will present in an assembly to Lenihan students, and connect with some Miller and MHS students. Pedro's two-day Marshalltown visit is being sponsored by the Friends of the Marshalltown Public Library. For more information or for questions about this program, call the library at 641-754-5738, ext. 3.