When Leticia Ordaz was a shy child attending elementary school she was scared at the prospects of reading in front of the class so she would practice at home in front of a mirror for two hours every day until she got better.
“Now I get paid to read for a living,” she told students at two Friday morning assemblies at Adkison Elementary School in the school cafeteria.
Ordaz drove down to Ceres from Sacramento where she has been a KCRA-TV anchor and reporter since 2003 to read bilingual books that she wrote which expose young readers to both English and Spanish on every page. She said the bilingual format is ideal for helping early readers with language comprehension. Ordaz’s books were designed so that babies and young children can get a sensory experience by feeling the feathers of Mr. Macaw, touching the clouds, ocean, sandy beach, coconuts, paletas de piña, and more.
In the first assembly, Ordaz read her book, “The Adventures of Mr. Macaw” after explaining how well received it has been.
“It is a book that I wrote and right now Hollywood is looking at this book,” Ordaz told the students. “They came to me and said, ‘You know how Encanto was a hit? Well, we think Mr. Macaw can be a hit too.’ So I am busy right now writing Mr. Macaw part II and making it a series so I can’t wait to bring it to you and you can let me know what you think about it.”
The book was inspired by an adventure her sons boys with their kite named, Mr. Macaw during the approach of Hurricane Bud in San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico.
She also wrote “The Girl on TV Could Be Me!” and “The Carousel King and the Space Mission.”
She stressed the importance of reading and literacy that “will help you every day of your life.”
“I write children’s books because I think it’s so important for everyone of every color to see themselves represented on the pages of a book. So when you see my books you’re going to find diverse characters that look like you.”
She also projected a photo of herself as a first-grader onto the big screen before a sea of kids sitting on the floor and said: “Never in a million years would I imagine when I was that little girl living in Galt, California that I would now be an author reading my book internationally all over the world. So, please, please, please, boys and girls, I want you to dream big and know that anything is possible and all of you here have a story to tell. All of you have the power to write your own books one day.”
Principal Stephanie Pimentel invited Ordaz that, “It is important to provide students with opportunities in which they can see themselves reflected in the story or message.”
Ordaz began her broadcast career in Elko, Nev., where she was the morning anchor/reporter for KENV-TV. She later worked as a general assignment reporter for KGET-TV in Bakersfield. Before joining KCRA 3, Ordaz was a reporter for KMPH-TV in Fresno.
