A vibrant biography of Mexican revolutionary Jovita Valdovinos. Winner of a 2024 Caldecott Honor.
When Jovita was a girl in Mexico in the 1910s, she dreamed of wearing pants like her two brothers, instead of the cumbersome big skirts that her abuela made her wear. She would sneak off with her brothers and tuck up her skirts so she could run and explore with them.
Whispers of revolution were growing, however, as the government restricted people’s ability to practice their religion. Jovita’s father and brothers joined the Cristero War to fight for freedom, but Jovita was left behind. After the government burned their home, however, Jovita knew she had to do something. Despite being taken by the government, who tried to hurt her and force her to give up her father’s whereabouts, she did not do so. She escaped, only to find that one of her brothers had been killed. Just when the fighting was calming down, however, “old war grudges remained,” and the government shot Jovita’s other brother and father as well.
Jovita cut her hair and organized the remaining Cristeros to “reignite the revolution.” She took the name “Juan” and led 80 soldiers into the lands she knew well, helping the troops to fight and survive. Eventually, the government offered her a truce, which she accepted. Word of her courage spread, and Jovita was even invited to meet the president—which she did in pants.
An Afterward offers more details of Jovita’s life.
Author and Américas Award-winner Aida Salazar is Jovita’s distant great-niece, and does great justice to her story, with an often lyrical turn of phrase and just the right amount of descriptive detail to inform but not overwhelm young readers. Just as spectacular are the illustrations by Eisner Award-honoree Molly Mendoza, bursting with movement, color, and emotion. While the book does cover some somber subjects, like murder and oppression, it also offers the inspiring model of a young hero who wasn’t afraid to break gender rules to fight for her people’s freedom.
While Jovita’s gender identity and sexual orientation are unstated (and to the best of my knowledge unknown), I am choosing to include the book in this database because she was clearly gender nonconforming for her time. Highly recommended.
Also available in Spanish.
