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KCRA’s Leticia Ordaz Honored for Award-Winning Bilingual Book

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in ,
head shot of leticia ordazKCRA 3 anchor Leticia Ordaz was honored in four categories for her new bilingual children’s book, The Adventures of Mr. Macaw” by the 22nd International Latino Book Awards during their virtual ceremony on September 12, 2020. While Latinos are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States, children’s literature has failed to reflect this trend. Only five percent of the books published in the U.S. feature a Latinx main character, yet the ethnicity makes up 18 percent of the nation’s population. Ordaz experienced this disparity after becoming a parent. She and her husband wanted to raise their children to be both proud of their heritage and fluent in Spanish. They found it difficult to find bilingual books with positive Latinx characters to read to their young sons. reading a book to childrenOrdaz decided to create the resource that she felt was missing. She wrote The Adventures of Mr. Macaw, a vibrant story based on their family’s experiences with a beloved kite that cut loose one day in Mexico. When publishers balked at printing her book as fully bilingual with all text in both English and Spanish, Ordaz forged ahead with her own publishing company, Cielito Lindo Books. The Adventures of Mr. Macaw was released in March 2020. The book can be purchased at cieltolindobooks.com, as well as through major retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble. The Adventures of Mr. Macaw can also be found at libraries, such as the Sacramento Public Library. Ordaz has a second bilingual book based on her own life story coming out in November called That Girl on TV Could be Me: The Journey of a Latino News Anchor. cover of children's book with award logosThe mission of Cielito Lindo Books is to increase diverse narratives in children’s literature and improve the availability of bilingual books. The publisher donates its books to multiple efforts that help migrant kids and children who don’t have access to books — including the #LearningKits4MigrantKids project. #LearningKits4MigrantKids is a collaboration of Latinx artists, authors, and businesses to gather art supplies, science kits, and books that are provided directly to migrant students and communities in need. Children in Delano, California, will be receiving copies of The Adventures of Mr. Macaw this week.

The Arnold Law Firm is a proud sponsor of Ordaz’s efforts to make bilingual books more accessible to the Latino community.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.