Why the Spanish Edition of Beach Santa Matters to Me

By M.B. Paradise
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There is a moment from one of my author events that sticks with me.
I was at the Belmar Library, sharing how an idea can become a book and then reading Beach Santa to a group of children and their guardians who had gathered around the edges of the room.
Afterward, a grandmother approached me. She had kind eyes and a directness that instantly commanded my attention. She told me that she thought there was a serious lack of quality children's holiday books in Spanish. And then she looked at me and asked, point blank, if I would consider getting Beach Santa translated.
I thanked her and I told her I would think about it.


What She Was Really Asking
On the surface, she was asking about a book. But what she was really asking was something deeper.
She was asking if the children in her family — children who might be more comfortable in Spanish, children who live in two languages and two cultures — deserved to hold a holiday book that felt like it was made for them. She was asking if the story of a generous Santa who never stops giving,  was a story that belonged to her grandchildren too.
Of course it did.
I knew I would do it. The only question was how. Ironically, that next day I ran into an old college friend who mentioned that his mom was working as a translator.  It was a sign!


The Decision
Creating a Spanish edition wasn't free. It wasn't without effort or risk. As an indie author without a publisher, every decision about the business is mine to make — and every dollar spent comes directly out of my own pocket.
But when I sat down and really thought about it, the decision wasn't hard at all.
If the book was worth writing in English, it was worth translating into Spanish.
So I did.
Papá Noel de la Playa was born — a Spanish-language edition of Beach Santa created for every Spanish-speaking child who deserves to curl up with this holiday book in the language of their heart.


What the Numbers Say
After I made the decision, I started doing some research. And what I found stopped me in my tracks.
One in four children in the United States is Hispanic. By 2050, one in three Americans is projected to speak Spanish. And yet the shelves of most bookstores and school libraries tell a very different story. The grandmother at Belmar Library wasn't just sharing a personal preference. She was describing a real gap — one that affects millions of families across this country every single day.
I am one author with one book. I can't close that gap alone.
But I can make sure that Beach Santa is available to as many children as possible.


What It Means to Me Personally
I live in a community where Spanish-speaking families are my neighbors, my children's classmates, and the people I see at the library. These are not abstract readers to me. They are real people — grandmothers who approach authors after events and say exactly what they mean.  I’m so grateful she did.



Papá Noel de la Playa — the Spanish edition of Beach Santa — is available on Amazon. Linked through www.beach-santa.com.  Free downloadable coloring and activity pages (in English) are also available 

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