Teresa Mlawer

Teresa Mlawer (1944–2020) was a Cuban-born American translator, editor, publisher, and pioneer in Spanish-language children’s literature. Born in Havana, she moved to the United States in 1962 and held publishing positions at Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Scholastic. In 1976, she became president of Lectorum Publications, where she developed Spanish and bilingual children’s-book programs and helped expand access to children’s literature for Hispanic readers.

Beginning in 1980, Mlawer translated more than 500 children’s books from English into Spanish, including Caps for Sale, published in Spanish as Se venden gorras. She also authored bilingual children’s series including Fairy Tales/Cuentos de Hadas and Timeless Fables/Fábulas de Siempre.