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Book Cover Tag

Libros Solidarios – Book Cover

photo by my wife

I did the cover illustration for this book by accomplished teachers Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera (CA) and Dr. Carla España (NY) a couple years back. I had some footage of the painting process but I misplaced it and cannot find it. But, lemme share some of the process with you.

First and foremost, this is a guide for teachers and educators. It’s meant to help Spanish and bilingual teachers recognize the life experiences of their Latine students, outline kids books that affirm that, and pack in hella tips, tricks, resources, and guides for how to get it cracking. Get the book here.

In this book you’ll find Unit projects, Sample activities, Language study, Translation discussion and reading group guides.

You’ll also find guides for dozens of great kid lit books by creators such as Duncan Tonatiuh, Claribel A. Ortega, Adrianna Cuevas, Emma Otheguy, Margarita Engle, Juan Felipe Herrera, Aida Salazar, Lisette Norman, Yuyi Morales, and more.

Ok, when I’m vibing out and really diving into a story or project for a client I’m exploring lots of options. I probably had 3 or 4 times as many ideas for how this cover could look. I settled on three main ones and pitched those to the art director from Brookes Publishing; Rachel Word who would then share key images with Luz and Carla. They chose A3.

From there, I refined the sketch and added some grey tones to convey light, shape, and composition. After that I did an outlined version with the last few tweaks.

From there, I shared some ideas for color and I try to pick some that are a bit odd, or different from what I’ve seen on other curriculum books.

Then, the final cover painting was done with ink and watercolor.

I passed it on to Brookes and designers there brought it to life with the accompanying type and back cover design. It came out really fresh and I hope K-6 grade educators are able to make use of the wealth of information provided by these two bad ass educators. Cop this book here for your classroom!

Dig this? Check out my cover for Robert M. Alexander’s book “He Hit Me First”

May 10, 2026
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Book Cover – He Hit Me First

This is the cover for author, educator, and filmmaker Robert M. Alexander‘s book “He Hit Me First”.

I did the cover for the first book in this series entitled “She Hit Me First” and I was super excited to get the call to do this one. I illustrate and write picture books but I also love middle grade, especially doing covers! Here’s a bit of process art behind this one. You can purchase the book here.

Written by Dr. Robert Mossi Alexander, educator, counselor, and author of She Hit Me First, this heartfelt story teaches young readers—especially boys—about emotional intelligence, accountability, and the strength found in respecting elders and listening to ancestral wisdom. Perfect for classrooms, mentorship programs, and parents looking to spark important conversations around conflict resolution, masculinity, and healing.

At this stage I usually send my client a bunch of ideas for where people, places, or things could be. Robert chose one, I refined, through some grayscale on it to give an idea of who it would look, then I refined the sketch w/ the typography until he was good with it.

Next were some color directions. I’ve been a freelance illustrator for nearly 20 years and I enjoy adding different ideas for color; not the typical. Lately I’ve really been feeling the combination of purple, orange, and green so I was excited that he picked that one.

And here’s the final artwork for the cover! Wanna know about the story? Here’s the synopsis:

He Hit Me First is a powerful coming-of-age story for readers ages 8–13 that explores cycles of violence, emotional healing, and the power of mentorship. Set in East Oakland, the book follows Elijah, a young boy navigating school, family struggles, and peer pressure. After a schoolyard fight, Elijah is forced to confront the deeper pain behind his anger. With the help of his uncle, a former boxer, and guidance from community mentors, Elijah learns how to channel his energy into personal growth and self-control.

You can purchase the book here.

Dig this? Check out my artwork for

Process video:

March 4, 2026
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Alejandria Fights Back- Cover process

 

What up? This is a bit of process behind the cover for “Alejandria Fights Back/ La Lucha de Alejandria”. 
First let’s start with the sketches. I usually do a bunch of sketches in my sketchbook or on paper. I think I did that too. But these are the first I presented to what was a huge team effort. Normally when you make a kids book you have 1-2 people to answer to. Thats either the author/creator or the art director. In this case I was working with a team of filmmakers and organizers called the “Rise home Stories Project” who initiated this project, writer Leticia Hernandez-Linares, and the team at Feminist Press (Lauren Rosemary Hook, Jisu Kim, and designer Drew Stevens. The book was translated by Dr Carla España.
The next round was refining these sketches a bit.
They picked the one at the podium and thats the one I really nailed down. 
After nailing it down I went straight into painting the cover because the team was pretty loose with the art direction even though it was BIG. Here’s some of the painting process for the front cover. It was painted with watercolor. I start with an over all warm tone and focus where Ale (main character) was the focal point. Then I started to add color to the characters.
Here’s the final front cover painting w/ text on another layer drawn with ink.
Here’s a bit of the back cover sketches
They chose the one with a few things scattered around which was directly inspired by Dawud Anyabwile’s “Brotherman Revelations” back cover. Here it is painted.
And add the back matter (synopsis, logo, isbn scan) and the front cover design w/ type.
Love this book like so many of my others. If you’re not familiar with the storyline check out this video

You can get a copy of the book from your local bookstore, library, bookshop.org, or Feminist Press.

Did you like this? Check out my most recent book “Somos Yoga/ We are Yoga” written and published by Jill Guerra an author, teacher, and mindfulness/yoga instructor for kids.
June 2, 2022
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She Hit Me First! By Robert Mossi Alexander (Cover Art)

Yo, this is a new middle grade book written by author Robert Mossi Alexander (Can’t Let Nobody Ride My Bike) that I illustrated and designed the cover for. Rob is a great writer who has written s a short and introspective piece about growing up, the cycle of violence, healing, and being a positive change. He also collaborated on the book with his daughter Lauryn Taylor Alexander who created the majority of the art for the book via chapter illustrations.
Here’s the synopsis of the book from Rob:
Jamillah is an upbeat preteen who desires a better life. She longs for real friendship but seems to keep spoiling her chances by hitting anyone who comes close. She also wants a good life for her mum and sister, but every time she tries, it doesn’t end well. Fortunately, she meets a classmate-who wants to be friends with her-and has a teacher, who both help her to deal with her habit of hitting people. Still, it doesn’t end there-a lot more trouble, and adventure awaits Jamillah as she makes attempts to show kindness to others and to change her world for the better.An intriguing tale of self-discovery, support, and determination, She Hit Me First is a book that uses great story-telling to inspire readers to believe that no matter the circumstances, one can still create positive change in the world.

Get the book here: LINK
Here’s a bit of the process of making the artwork.

thumbnail
rough
sketch
color sketch
final!

Follow Robert Mossi Alexander here at Hood 2 Higher Education

Wanna see more? Here’s the last Middle Grade cover I illustrated.


August 19, 2020
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Book Cover “Y U Gotta Call it Ghetto?”




This past winter I started working on this book with my homie, a great Poet and now a PhD LeConte J. Dill. This is a project she started with youth from the East Oakland Youth Development Center almost a year and a half ago. This is a collection of some beautiful poems about what youth in the east go through on the bus, in the street, at school, and in their neighborhood. Please demand it in your local book store. Holler at me if you need the isbn number. Or, check out the site! Thank you LeConte! Thank you Eoydc!

http://www.yugottacallitghetto.com/

May 23, 2011
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