#1 internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende has written her first picture book ever, inspired by her rescue dog, Perla! With artwork from award-winning illustrator Sandy Rodríguez, this irresistible new trilogy follows Perla, a small dog with a big personality who possesses two superpowers: She can make anybody love her and roar like a lion.
THE PERLA SERIES
by Isabel Allende
illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez
Philomel/Penguin USA, 2024-2026
(via Writers House)
#1 PERLA, THE MIGHTY DOG (Summer 2024)
#2 PERLA AND THE PIRATE (Winter 2025)
#3 PERLA AND THE PRINCESS (Winter 2026)
One wonderful day, the Ricos, a Mexican American family, visited the shelter to find a guardian dog. Perla never lets an opportunity pass by and uses her superpower #1. Nico falls in love with her. Perla closes the deal with Mom when she roars like a lion. The Rico family lives in an enchanted house that once belonged to a wizard. The wizard had left behind some magic dust under the stairs, Perla’s favorite spot in the house. Perla uses the magic dust to help shy Nico overcome his fears and becomes his best friend as they share unbelievable magical adventures.
Isabel Allende—novelist, feminist, and philanthropist—is one of the most widely-read authors in the world, having sold more than 74 million books. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel won worldwide acclaim in 1982 with the publication of her first novel, The House of the Spirits. Since then, she has authored more than twenty-three bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune, Island Beneath the Sea, Paula, The Japanese Lover, A Long Petal of the Sea and The Winds Knows My Name. Translated into more than thirty-five languages, Allende’s works entertain and educate readers by interweaving imaginative stories with significant historical events. In addition to her work as a writer, Allende devotes much of her time to human rights causes. In 1996, following the death of her daughter Paula Frias, she established a charitable foundation in her honor, which has awarded grants to more than 100 nonprofits worldwide, delivering life-changing care to hundreds of thousands of women and girls. More than 8 million have watched her TED Talks on leading a passionate life. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, including one from Harvard University, was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, received the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Allende the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2018 she received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. She lives in California.
Sandy Rodríguez is a self-taught artist and illustrator who loves creating playful characters with quirky personalities. She grew up in Mexico surrounded by lots of family, and now lives in London.
