During the first 14 years of Karol 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄鈥檚 life in Colombia, her parents owned and operated a small market out of their garage in the mountainous city of Pereira, located in the foothills of the Andes.
Now at age 39, 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 can鈥檛 help but look back at how those early years in her native country and in her parent鈥檚 mini-market formed who she is today.
鈥淟ike many businesses are in other countries, and just by virtue of being there in my afternoons and weekends, I got to know my community,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄.
And it wasn鈥檛 just becoming familiar with what products her neighbors were coming in to buy, like Do帽a Nancy buying cheese for her 鈥渁repas.鈥� She got to know people at a personal level.
鈥淵ou got to know when somebody was celebrating or somebody was struggling,鈥� 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 said. 鈥淧eople just kind of came together to overcome challenges and to celebrate the wins of individuals.鈥�
This very notion of a community coming together is the plot of 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄鈥� debut children鈥檚 picture book, 鈥�.鈥� It will be available in English and Spanish, with the English version on sale, beginning July 9.
The Spanish language version, 鈥樎e llamo la Chiva!: El colorido bus de los Andes,鈥� will hit bookstands on Aug. 27.
With rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, the book is about a bus in the Andes that picks up riders of all ages as it heads for the 鈥渕别谤肠谩诲辞.鈥� There鈥檚 some trouble on the way there, and everyone needs to work together to solve the problem.
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It鈥檚 being compared to other well-known children鈥檚 books like and , as the story is told through the eyes of La Chiva 鈥� the bus.
Chivas, which translates to goat, are vital for transportation in rural Colombia and beyond. The multi-colored buses have been used for more than a hundred years to transport people, goods and even livestock.
鈥淲hen they were first used in the rugged mountains, they didn't have a proper horn, so they had, I think it's called a klaxon, and it sounds like 鈥榖aah鈥�, like a chiva,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄.
The buses are not exclusive to Colombia. They鈥檙e used across Latin America, with some countries referring to them as b煤s escalera, or ladder buses, because of ladders located on the back of the vehicles 鈥� giving access to the roof for extra seating and storage.
Chiva buses are a symbol of Colombian culture, especially its rural parts, but they are also part of 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄鈥� personal memories of her home country.
The buses, with people sitting closely together as they get to their destinations, brought people together 鈥� physically, but also figuratively, and 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 knew a chiva bus could exemplify that sense of community that she grew up with.
鈥淢y very first audience in this story was my son,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄. 鈥淚t was important to share with him that 鈥� a principle that I learned early on in my life in my community was that we work together for the common good and also, I wanted to communicate love for one's land and one's people.鈥�
The idea for 鈥業 Am La Chiva鈥�
, who lives in West Palm Beach with her husband and three children, reconnected with some of her hobbies when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
That meant the marketing professional picked up a camera again.
鈥淥ne day I'm taking a picture of a little chiva bus on this table my dad had made for me. And my son鈥� who was three years old at the time, came into the frame,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄. 鈥淎nd he said 鈥榦h, I love your little school bus.鈥� And I was like 鈥榦h my God, that is not a school bus.鈥欌��
She realized it was an opportunity to share more about Colombian culture with her son. So 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 went on the hunt for a picture book, but she couldn鈥檛 find any that were age-appropriate.
鈥淪o I wrote a story and it was meant to be just something that I would give to him, and in that process, I found myself transported back to my childhood,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄.
That story eventually became I am La Chiva, and 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 worked with an entire Colombian and Colombian-American team to bring it to life. Including the book鈥檚 illustrator, , who鈥檚 based in Bogot谩.
This was important to 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 in order to curate a book that was representative of their experience. It might even remind you of , as the movie鈥檚 setting is similar to where the book鈥檚 story takes place.
鈥淚 think you just kind of have to see those places to know how to bring the details that Lorena brought into her illustrations,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄.
We see these details on La Chiva, with her bright blue, purple, pink and orange intricate patterns and exterior.
There鈥檚 also cultural details in the text, like the mention of warm arepas and empanadas 鈥� as well as the playing and singing of Vallenato, a folk music genre from Colombia.
贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄鈥檚 children were there for every step of the book-making process, but it only clicked to them that chiva buses were real when they traveled to Colombia in 2021, seeing one in person for the first time.
All three of them screamed in excitement when they spotted the bus, yelling 鈥渢hey鈥檙e real!鈥� 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 said it was an emotional moment for her.
鈥淲hen I started writing the story, I literally closed my eyes and started writing down what I saw,鈥� said 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄. 鈥淚 realized that the story is told through the perspective of the bus. I am the bus.鈥�
鈥淓verything that she was describing is what I saw when I closed my eyes. It's a little play on words with who actually La Chiva is. That's me.鈥�
Karol 贬别谤苍谩苍诲别锄 will read from her new book at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Saturday, July 20.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: , reading "I Am Law Chiva!: The Colorful Bus of the Andes"
WHEN: Saturday, July 20 starting at 12 p.m.
WHERE: Books & Books in Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Ave Coral Gables, FL 33134
