Children’s Book Illustrator Visits Huntington Art Students

Huntington High School art teachers Kasmira Mohanty and Kristin Singer recently arranged a special treat for their students in Advanced Digital Design and Illustration and Advanced Drawing and Painting courses. Guest speaker and children’s book illustrator Mariana Villanueva Segovia spent time with the teenagers.

Ms. Villanueva Segovia is from Tepoztlan, Mexico and her book, “The Lighthouse Keeper” was written by Eugenio Fernández Vázquez and translated by Kit Maude.

Maya Akerman’s mom, Yael Bernstein, is the founder of the publishing company Tapioca Stories. “She started it after her three children were born because she wanted to bring Spanish and Portuguese language stories from Latin America to readers in the United States,” Ms. Singer said. “She is originally from Brazil and runs the whole company from her home, which is amazing on its own.”

This year, “The Lighthouse Keeper” and Mrs. Villanueva Segovia won a 2025 New York Times and New York Public Library “Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award.” The illustrator was honored at the New York Public Library along with ten other illustrators. While she was in New York, she visited elementary schools, colleges, and Huntington High School students.

“When she visited Huntington, she talked about how limits in art can actually help spark creativity,” Ms. Mohanty said. “She explained that having total freedom can sometimes feel overwhelming, but adding limits like time, color choices, or other small constraints can make you think in new and interesting ways. The students loved hearing that.”