Antonio Sacre (1968-) Biography

Born 1968, in Boston, MA; Ethnicity: Cuban-American. Education: Boston College, B.A., 1990; Northwestern University, M.A., 1991.

Career

Internationally touring writer, storyteller, and performance artist. Actor in theatre productions, including Ayamon, Red Roses for Me, at Abbey Studio, Dublin, Ireland; Tony, in You Can't Take it with You, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; and in Tosca, at Boston Lyric Opera, Boston, MA. Member, Red Moon Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; commentator on National Public Radio; serves as artist-in-residence and workshop presenter to schools in New York, NY, Chicago, and Los Angeles, CA.

Honors Awards

Gold Award, Parent's Choice, 1996, and Gold Award, National Association of Parenting Publications, 1997, both for Looking for Papito; Best in Festival Award for Excellence, New York City International Fringe Theatre Festival, 1997, 1999; Illinois Arts Council ethnic and folk arts fellowship, 1998; Notable Recipient Award, American Library Association, 2001, for Water Torture, The Barking Mouse, and Other Tales of Wonder.

Writings

Looking for Papito (sound recording), 1997.

Water Torture, The Barking Mouse, and Other Tales of Wonder (sound recording), 2000.

The Barking Mouse, illustrated by Alfredo Aguirre, Albert Whitman (Morton Grove, IL), 2003.

Antonio Sacre

PLAYS

The Hick, the Spic, and the Chick, produced in New York, NY, 1997.

In and out of Trouble, produced in New York, NY, 1999.

Eleven-Dollar Prophet, produced in New York, NY, 2000.

Up to the Sky, produce in New York, NY, 2002.

Sidelights

Antonio Sacre seeks to intertwine both Spanish and American culture into all of his work, whether it be theatrical performances, storytelling, or writing. Drawing from his multicultural background, Sacre provides audiences

Mama mouse saves her Spanish-speaking family from a threatening cat by speaking another language in Sacre's The Barking Mouse. (Illustrated by Alfredo Aguirre.)

and readers alike with an opportunity to understand what its like to grow up as a Latino in a white world, and vice versa. Storytelling is very important to Sacre; as he noted on his Web site, families should tell each other their stories and find time to read together. In addition to producing several award-winning audio-cassettes featuring his stories, Sacre has published the children's book The Barking Mouse.

As a small child Sacre's grandmother told him the story that he retells in The Barking Mouse. A family of mice—Mama, Papa, Sister, and Brother—head out one afternoon to have a family picnic, and while Mama and Papa spend time together the two young mice race off to play by themselves. While playing, Sister and Brother spy a cat staring at them through a fence, and thinking themselves to be out of the cat's reach, they taunt the creature. All of a sudden the cat jumps over the fence, sending the mice back to their parents for protection. Despite Papa's strength, the cat still continues in hot pursuit, and it is resourceful Mama who ultimately saves the day—and the family.

Sacre adds a bit of cultural flair to The Barking Mouse by mixing Spanish words into his English text, and he also includes a helpful glossary of terms and translations for young readers. Lively illustrations by Alfredo Aguirre complement the text, depicting the wild events taking place on the adjoining pages with an ethnic flair. Praising The Barking Mouse in Booklist, Ilene Cooper dubbed the book "A welcome choice for kids who speak English, Spanish, or both."