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More About Jenny Alvarado (She/Her)
Languages: English and Spanish
Jenny Alvarado is an award-winning author and illustrator of numerous titles from picture books to graphic novels. Among these is the three-time Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection Pencil & Eraser early reader series. Her picture book titles include 2025 Children’s Book Council Teacher Favorites winner Agent Unicorn and Fridays Are For Churros, the Spanish version of which, Los Viernes Comemos Churros (translated by Ana Izquierdo), is on the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2025.
Jenny is represented by Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She loves to write and illustrate funny and expressive characters and stories. The kind that makes a kid want to return to a book over and over again.
She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Las Musas, and 12 x 12. She was born and raised in Miami, Florida and currently resides on the Space Coast of Florida with her family. When she’s not working on books, she can be found volunteering at her son’s school or trying to convince her cat not to sit on her latest craft.
You can find Jenny online at:
Jenny’s strengths are…
Humor
Creating memorable characters
Creating with the market in mind
Balancing text and illustration
Crafting book dummies
What Jenny is looking for…
Jenny is looking for a mentee with an undeniable passion for children's books. Someone who is putting in the work and willing to put in more work. Someone who has big dreams and is actively taking steps to get there. She would love to connect with a mentee who enjoys humor, but most importantly she wants someone who is serious about diving into the world of traditional publishing and all that in entails.
A Note from Jenny:
“Everything you've done in your life up until now was once something new that you had to learn. Some felt instinctive. Others, I'm sure, took loads of effort. But you did it! At some point it clicks and it's an amazing feeling. This doesn't mean that you stop working on improving your craft, of course. Publishing is ever evolving and you must be too. You being here shows me that you're ready to put in the effort.
I'm so glad you're here and look forward to reading your submission!”
Jenny’s Picture Books
Jenny creates in other markets, and you can find the full catalog on her website.
LOD VIERNES COMEMOS CHURROS by Jenny Alvarado
FRIDAYS ARE FOR CHURROS by Jenny Alvarado
AGENT UNICORN by Jenny Alvarado
If Jenny created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…
*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.
Unicorns Are The Worst by Alex Willan
Chez Bob by Bob Shea
A House For Every Bird, written by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel
Who Wet My Pants, written by Bob Shea, illustrated by Zachariah Ohara
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater
Bear In A Bathrobe by Maddie Frost
Jenny is a good fit for:
Humor
Puns
Fiction
Mischievous characters
Character-driven stories
Illustrators
Author-Illustrators
Illustrators who work in Procreate
Jenny is not a good fit for:
Rhyme
Biographies (unless they're funny)
Didactic text
Sad stories
Illustrators with a realistic art style
Illustrators who only work traditionally
Who can apply to Jenny?
Unagented Text-only Authors, Illustrators, and Author-illustrators