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Forthcoming Picture Book Biography Celebrates Cuban Artist Wifredo Lam
Newbery Honor author Margarita Engle and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara team up to introduce young readers to Lam's trailblazing life and multicultural art.
Apr. 12, 2026 at 1:13am
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A new picture book biography celebrates the life and influential artwork of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, who blended European modernism with his diverse cultural heritage.Chicago TodayWifredo's Jungle: The Power of Wifredo Lam's Art, a forthcoming picture book biography by acclaimed author Margarita Engle and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara, will introduce young readers to the life and influential artwork of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam. The book, set to release on August 25, 2026, explores how Lam blended European cubism and surrealism with his Cuban, West African, and Chinese heritage to create a unique artistic style that celebrated the enduring Afro-Cuban spirit culture.
Why it matters
Wifredo Lam was a pioneering 20th century artist who helped bring greater recognition to Cuba's rich cultural diversity through his innovative, multicultural style. This new picture book biography aims to share Lam's inspiring story and artistic legacy with a new generation of young readers.
The details
Wifredo's Jungle follows Lam from his childhood in Cuba, where he loved to draw the natural world around him, to his later career as an acclaimed artist who paid tribute to his diverse cultural roots. The book highlights how Lam was inspired by and connected with other renowned artists of the era, including Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and André Breton, as he developed his own distinctive cubist and surrealist style that celebrated Afro-Cuban spirituality and folklore.
- Wifredo's Jungle: The Power of Wifredo Lam's Art is set to be released on August 25, 2026.
The players
Margarita Engle
A Newbery Honor and Pura Belpré Medal-winning author who has written numerous acclaimed verse novels for young readers, including Wild Dreamers and The Surrender Tree.
Jacqueline Alcántara
A New York Times bestselling illustrator who has created artwork for several widely praised picture books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Shine! by Sonia Sotomayor.
Wifredo Lam
A pioneering Cuban artist who blended European cubism and surrealism with his Cuban, West African, and Chinese heritage to create a unique artistic style that celebrated Afro-Cuban culture and spirituality.
What’s next
The book Wifredo's Jungle: The Power of Wifredo Lam's Art is scheduled for release on August 25, 2026 by Abrams Books for Young Readers.
The takeaway
This new picture book biography aims to introduce young readers to the inspiring life and groundbreaking artistic legacy of Wifredo Lam, a pioneering 20th century Cuban artist who celebrated the diverse cultural heritage and enduring Afro-Cuban spirit through his innovative cubist and surrealist style.
