Martha Montoya, creator of the popular Los Kitos¹ comic strip characters, has created a series of books for children specially tailored to the Hispanic market. "Mi héroe favorito," or "My Favorite Hero," is the first in a series of four books written specifically for kids in grades 1 through 3. The books are being published by William H. Sadlier, Inc., and will be sold through the Sadlier catalog program to schools thoughout the United States and to retailers that cater to the Hispanic market. Duendes del Sur, a creative team based out of Argentina, is responsible for the development of this series of books for Los Kitos. Duendes has vast experience in the creative development of editorial materials, having worked for several well-known publishers, such as Scholastic, DC Comics, Disney and others.

The Los Kitos¹ stories focus on the comic adventures of children growing up in a multicultural world. "Mi héroe favorito" tells the story of how Los Kitos, who have lost their way in a visit to the city, are shown the way home by Grandpa, who uses the keen sense of direction that he developed as a child growing up on a farm. The story was born out of the realization that in Hispanic families, a child¹s first heroes come not from comic books but from within his or her own family. "Reading should be fun as well as a learning tool," said Ms. Montoya.

With a recent explosion in the Spanish-language book market, the U.S. publishing industry has had to rethink it¹s view of the Hispanic marketplace. Now major publishing houses are buying up Spanish language books and bookstores are finding more and more a consumer call for Spanish language editions. In recognition of this, the year 2003 has been declared "The Year of Publishing Latino Voices for America." With 34% of the 37.4 million Hispanics in the United States under the age of eighteen, and with the knowledge that by 2010 one out of every five children in the United States will be Hispanic, Spanish-language children¹s books are making their presence known.

At the forefront of this movement to bring adult and children¹s Spanish-language books to the Hispanic market is William H. Sadlier, Inc. The company was first established by two brothers from Ireland, Dennis and James Sadlier, who in 1932 established a publishing company in New York to meet the spiritual and educational needs of the Catholic community. Generations later, Frank Sadlier Dinger, Chairman of the Board, and William Sadlier Dinger, President of the firm, continue the company¹s role as a respected and responsive voice in the field of educational publishing. William Sadlier Dinger expressed his delight in publishing the first Los Kitos book: "For over forty years, Sadlier has had a commitment to publishing educational materials designed to foster the Catholic faith of Hispanic children and their families. Martha Montoya, creator of the comic strip Los Kitos, is committed to teaching children about virtues and the importance of culture. This concept is the cornerstone of Sadlier¹s mission."

In addition to published books and the weekly Los Kitos comic strip, the Los Kitos website features Notikitos, a kid¹s online magazine that helps children stay informed and up-to-date with all the latest kid-friendly happenings in all fields of endeavor around the globe. Los Kitos also produces educational pages for newspapers, which are distributed by Tribune Media Services, that teach children about a variety of subjects. "Los Kitos commitment to reaching kids through the written word," said Montoya, "continues to place us at the forefront of the Hispanic literary marketplace."