El Tanquecito Awarded Gold for Best Children’s Picture Book Translation
El propósito de Estrella Awarded Silver for Best Book About Military Life
(St Paul, October 2025)— Two books published by Elva Resa Publishing, both translated by Gabriella Aldeman, were awarded medals in the International Latino Book Awards (ILBA) at an October 25, 2025, awards ceremony in Oceanside, California.
El Tanquecito (Weber/Harris), translated by Aldeman in rhyme, won the Gold for Best Children’s Picture Book Translation: English to Spanish.
El propósito de Estrella: Una misión militar (Betcher/Schmidt), won the Silver for Best Book About Military Life.
The International Latino Book Awards hosts the largest Latino cultural award ceremony in the US, growing awareness for books written by, for, and about Latinos.
“I’m so happy to see our authors and team members honored for their exceptional work with our books in Spanish, especially Gaby,” says publisher Karen Pavlicin. “Gaby brings a gentle wisdom to our creative process, always putting the experience of the reader first. As a bilingual children’s book author, her storytelling is exceptional in both English and Spanish.”
In Aldeman’s role as Elva Resa’s lead translator and senior Spanish editor, she creates Spanish resources using a contextual translation process.
“The goal for every translation is for the Spanish-speaking readers to have the same experience as readers of the source language,” says Aldeman. She takes into consideration the intended meaning of a scene, lyrical cadence of the storyteller’s voice, personality of the characters, cultural sensitivities, and nuance of word choice in a different language.
El Tanquecito (in English as Toad the Tanker) is about a KC-135 tanker. The most helpful plane in the sky, he refuels his friends in the air, so everyone can stay airborne and accomplish their missions. The book is part of the Operación Aviación™ (Operation AviationTM) series by Teri Weber, illustrated by Brenda Harris. The rhyming military aircraft adventures feature anthropomorphic fighter jets and a supportive cast of aviation friends. Each book in the series is available in English and Spanish (all translated by Aldeman).
The awarding series won a bronze in the 2025 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for best picture book series. Last year, the first book in the series, Vuela con Maytai, Aldeman’s translation in rhyme of Weber’s Fly with Mytai, won an ILBA gold medal for best children’s picture book translation: English to Spanish, as well as honorable mentions for best cover design and best book about military service.
El propósito de Estrella: Una misión militar (in English as Star’s Purpose: A Military Mission) written by military mom Krista Betcher, illustrated by Brian Schmidt, and translated by Aldeman, tells the story of an aspiring star and her friends who find their special purpose serving with military service members day and night. Especially comforting for military children experiencing a parent’s deployment, the story helps create connections when loved ones are apart and instills a sense of curiosity and pride as the stars adopt the values of each US military service branch.
This is the second time an Elva Resa book has won an ILBA medal for best book about military service, with the first a gold medal going to ¡Atrapa la estrella! (Night Catch), about a soldier and his son who play catch with the North Star during the dad’s deployment, translated by Ana Stevenson and edited by Aldeman.
Elva Resa is a leader in resources for military families. Titles in Spanish include:
- ¡Atrapa la estrella! (Night Catch), about a soldier and his son who play catch with the North Star during the dad’s deployment.
- Duck & Rabbit ABC military adventure / Pato y Conejo ABC aventura militar, a bilingual alphabet board book introducing military life concepts to young children.
- Vuela con Maytai (Fly with Mytai), Operación Aviación™, about an F-22 fighter jet who relies on teamwork with his friends to successfully complete a training exercise.
- El Tanquecito (Toad the Tanker), Operación Aviación™, about a KC-135 tanker who refuels his friends in the air so they can accomplish their missions.
- La misión de Alce (Moose on a Mission), Operación Aviación™, about a C-17 cargo jet who works hard on big adventures and makes friends along the way.
- El propósito de Estrella: Una misión militar (Star’s Purpose: A Military Mission), a deployment story in which a star finds her special purpose serving alongside service members.
- Contando los días hasta que llegue mamá and Contando los días hasta que llegue papá (Countdown ’til Mommy Comes Home, Countdown ’til Daddy Comes Home), about a child who counts down the days until his parent returns home from a trip.
All of Elva Resa’s books in Spanish are available from MilitaryFamilyBooks.com and other retailers.
About the Creators
Gabriella Aldeman is a Panamanian American author and translator. Her picture books include Paula’s Patches and Squawk of Spanish. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the American Translators Association. Gaby translates books for a variety of publishers and is Elva Resa’s lead Spanish translator and editor. She edited ¡Atrapa la estrella! and translated seven other Elva Resa children’s books into Spanish.
Teri Weber, author of Toad the Tanker (El Tanquecito) is a fourth-generation military officer who served as a senior pilot in the US Air Force. A seasoned C-17A Instructor Aircraft Commander, Teri led combat-ready aircrew members and operating aircraft in support of humanitarian relief, medical evacuations, presidential movements, and Department of Defense initiatives. With a passion for developing the next generation of aviators, she frequently volunteers with children of all ages and backgrounds, serves as a guest speaker at Girls in STEM and Girls in Aviation events, and engages with young students through aircraft displays, career fairs, unit tours, and mentorship workshops.
Brenda Harris, illustrator of the Operation Aviation™ series, is a second-generation Latina, heavily influenced by nature and storytelling. Working both digitally and with traditional media, Brenda illustrates playful and engaging stories through rich color palettes, atmospheric lighting, and authentic characters. Growing up in a military family and community, and later becoming an Air Force wife, she learned to be flexible, patient, observant, and to make friends wherever she goes.
Krista Betcher, author of Star’s Purpose (El propósito de Estrella) drew from her personal journey as a military mom while her son was away at basic training and then deployed, to create a comforting story to help children create their own sense of connection to a deployed loved one. About the ILBA honor, she says, “I’m deeply grateful and blessed that El propósito de Estrella: Una misión militar has been selected for this award! As a military mom, my heart smiles when I know that Estrella will be shared with others who are seeking connection with deployed loved ones. Thank you for honoring the message of Estrella!”
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ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an award-winning, mission-driven, traditional independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, specializing in quality resources by, for, and about military families. Elva Resa’s mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. ElvaResa.com, MilitaryFamilyBooks.com
MEDIA: Please contact Elva Resa PR at 651-357-8770 or pr [@] elvaresa.com for author interviews.
El Tanquecito and El propósito de Estrella translator/Spanish editor bio and headshot: Gabriella Aldeman
Toad the Tanker author bio and headshot: Teri Weber
Illustrator bio and headshot: Brenda Harris
Star’s Purpose author bio and headshot: Krista Betcher
More about El Tanquecito: https://elvaresa.com/book/el-tanquecito
More about El propósito de Estrella: https://elvaresa.com/book/el-proposito-de-estrella/
A conversation with the Operation Aviation author, illustrator, translator, and publisher about the collaborative creative process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P24o_eSnvFo&t=29s