Father of Chicano literature weaved bilingual holiday tale for children

This image provided by Museum of New Mexico Press, shows illustrations in the newly published children's book titled "New Mexico Christmas Story". The book is written by Rudolfo Anaya with artwork by El Moises. Photo: AP

An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a bilingual children’s book after his 2020 death, telling a story about Christmas in the American Southwest.

The tale from Rudolfo Anaya, who died from natural causes at 82, is being published posthumously for the holiday season by Museum of New Mexico Press with parallel text in Spanish and English. The story extends a cycle of Anaya's illustrated children’s books with a playful cast of animal characters, centred around a tiny, inquisitive owl named Ollie Tecolote.