Springfield woman pens children’s book to share Puerto Rican traditions, history

SPRINGFIELD — Brendaliz Cepeda teaches countless children traditional dance from Puerto Rico. During the course of her work, she encounters many who know little about their ethnic background.

So Cepeda, who owns Multicultural Learning Center with her husband, has written a book titled "Echoes of My Journey" to help those children understand more about their Puerto Rican and African heritage.

"A lot of people ask me if this girl is me," she said. "No this girl is the representation of a lot of youth who I work with, and they don't know where they come from."

When a child says they are from Springfield or Holyoke, Cepeda said she gives them homework, assigning them to ask their family about their roots. In some cases, their parents and even their grandparents know little about their background.

In her book, the main character, Paulina, touches a magic tree that takes her back in history to Puerto Rico where she encounters the Taino residents, who were the indigenous people of the island, Cepeda said.

"It talks a little bit about our history. There are some historical facts and some fun in between," she said. "She goes on an adventure and certain people come up like Christopher Columbus."

The book ends with a "beautiful twist" that Cepeda did not reveal saying people have to read it to find out.

The self-published book is written for children around the fifth grade, but she has received good feedback from adults, including a university professor, who Cepeda asked to read the book to fact check the history.

"They tell me they love the light reading and the historical facts and then passed it on to their kids," she said.

The book was inspired by the business Cepeda and her husband, Saul Penaloza, own where they teach their traditions through the arts at their headquarters on High Street in Holyoke. They also visit schools and youth organizations in Western Massachusetts, Connecticut and Boston, she said.

Cepeda teaches bomba and plena dance and traditional singing, which comes from Puerto Rico but has influences in Africa. Penaloza teaches drumming and instruments that mainly come from Taino influences.

The couple also has a daughter and son who are 6 and 8 and also dance and play music, she said.

A lot of the ideas for the book came from talking with her students over the years. Between running a business and raising a family, Cepeda said it took her three years to research and write her book.

When Cepeda started the project, images, ideas and inspirations would come to her, and she would add them to her book. She also spent a lot of time making sure the information in her book was factually correct.

Cepeda is not stopping with just one book. She is now working on a second that will go back further in the past to Africa where many Puerto Rican people have ancestors.

"Our goal is to not let our culture and traditions be forgotten," she said.

"Echoes of My Journey" is now available on Amazon and Lulu. Cepeda said she will also visit schools and libraries on request if people email acconsultingandmedia@gmail.com.

The book will officially be released with a party from 3-8 p.m., Aug. 10, at Ivy's Events at 1295 Liberty St. that will include book readings, bomba dancing demonstrations, music and more.

Read the original article on MassLive .