Janet Balletta, Educator &
Award Winning Author
Mission:
To inspire children to develop a passion for reading bilingual and multicultural
literature using legends and fictional works on the environment.
I am a mother, K-2 bilingual teacher, and author of three
children’s books with good values. In November 2013, I published my first children’s book,
The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid. It was my favorite bedtime story as a
child, and I cherished hearing my mother tell the story. It teaches a strong message of obedience,
family values, and cultural traditions. In June 2015, The Legend
of the Colombian Mermaid won the Mariposa Award from the International Latino
Book Awards for Best First Book. The book was translated into Spanish as La Leyenda de
la Sirena Colombiana by Maritza M. Mejia. It was also a finalist in
the 2015 Christian Literary Awards. In June 2016, the book won 1st place in the Purple Dragonfly
Book Awards from Five Star Publications for
Cultural Diversity.
In September 2015, I published my second
children’s book, The Legend of Roberto Of Cofresi — A Puerto Rican Hero, a
pirate story. It was another childhood favorite story my father shared with me. In June
2016, The Legend of Robert Cofresi — A Puerto Rican Hero won the
International Latino Book Award for Best Latino Focused Children’s Book. It was translated
into Spanish as La Leyenda de Roberto Cofresi — Un héreo de Puerto Rico by
Ana Morris. In September 2017, it won 1st place in the International Latino Book Awards
for best translation. It teaches a strong message of generosity, loyalty, and cultural
traditions.
In February 2018, I published my third children’s book, Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Oceans. I was inspired to write this book based on events that occurred in the Gulf of
Mexico and Florida. In June 2018, it won the International Latino Book Award for Best Educational
Themed Book and 1st place in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Best Green/Environmental E-book.
This story teaches a strong message on environmental awareness, water pollution, and
conservation of our blue planet. It also motivates children to care about the oceans as a habitat
and natural resource for people, animals, and plants.
My goal is to inspire children to develop a passion for reading
bilingual and multicultural literature to preserve the Hispanic culture, celebrate the
Hispanic-American experience, and become environmentally savvy world-class citizens of our
beautiful blue planet.