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About Anna

My Author Journey

¡Hola, mi gente! I’m Anna, born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico in the heart of the Caribbean. I grew up in a vibrant, multicultural home, surrounded by family, music, and love. My favorite place in the world was my Titi Provi and Tío Chago’s cozy country house in Corozal. Though humble, it was filled with warmth, home-cooked meals, and melodies that seemed to dance through the air.

I still love piraguas by the way!

One day, that passion turned into my debut picture book, The Tree of Hope!

Some of my fondest memories are of wandering through the countryside, picking fresh fruit straight from the trees, visiting cousins, and learning to cook traditional Puerto Rican dishes.
 
It was in this beautiful setting that my love for both nature and stories began to blossom.
My grandfather, Barnet, was my biggest cheerleader. He always encouraged me to write down the stories that filled my imagination, and thanks to him, I’ve been writing ever since.
 
Though life took me on many exciting twists and turns—graduating from MIT with a degree in Brain & Cognitive Sciences and working for a really long time in leadership positions on Wall Street and in the City of London—my passion for storytelling never faded.

I’m deeply honored and grateful that this story has touched the hearts of readers around the world. It’s truly humbling to see it receive such meaningful recognition, including a starred review from SLJ, a spot on Bank Street College’s "Best Children’s Books of the Year" list, and the “Most Inspirational” bronze award from the International Latino Book Awards. In 2024, it was also named one of the top 4 picture books about “spectacular trees” by The Week Junior (USA).
 
When I’m not writing or teaching others to be financially savvy (from students to adults), you’ll find me spending time with my family and rescuing & caring for my furry friends—always with a heart full of love and gratitude.

XOXO, Anna

That’s me in the pink dress (fashion trends were quite different back in the day), with my parents and siblings. 

That’s also me in my mommy’s arms. It was taken many years ago at my Titi Provi & Tío Chago’s country home in Corozal, Puerto Rico. 

My Journey

family | Puerto Rico | LOVE

I was born and raised on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean. I grew up in a multicultural home, surrounded by family and music. My Titi Provi & Tío Chago’s country home in Corozal was my favorite place in the world. It was a humble house, but one where the love for family, home-cooked food, and melodies always flowed in abundance.

I remember spending countless hours walking around the countryside, picking fruit straight from the trees, visiting cousins, and learning to cook typical Puerto Rican dishes. It’s also where my love for nature and stories was born.



It was a humble place where the love for family, home-cooked food, and music always flowed in abundance. 

It was actually my grandfather, Barnet, who encouraged me to write those stories down. He was my biggest cheerleader.

learn about my book

Some Places I've Visited

Austin, Texas

SXSW Conference, Speaker & Author Book Signing

Wallington, UK

Sutton Literary Festival

San Diego, CA

American Library Association Conference, Author BOok Signing

New York, USA

LKBF Storytellers Conference

Puerto Rico

BOOK READING & CHAT JARDIN Botánico

Margate, UK

Margate Book Festival Speaker

Brentwood, Essex

Chicken & Frog Bookshop

New York, USA

BOOGIE DOWN STORY TIME

London

Storytelling with Anna Orenstein-Cardona - Discover Children's Story Centre

Virtual

STORYTIME FOR ALL AGES - LATINX KIDLIT BOOK FESTIVAL

Through the Years

education | jobs | the future

When I was in high school, I was very active in bringing all kinds of stories to life through English Forensics competitions; which combine acting with public speaking. I was pretty good at it and won a few awards (check out my proud parents).

Later on, I went to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Originally, I wanted to be a doctor, but ended up working for a very long time in the world of finance, in both New York and London. 

Even though that job was full of numbers, it also involved some dramatic arts (just like back in high school). That’s me doing multiple trades with clients!

Now, I empower others with financial education and write children's books.

Fun Facts About

Anna

Aside from teaching and writing, I love to read, travel, cook and spend time with my husband and our two cats. 

these are our two fun & crazy cats (who love to appear in all my Zoom calls), so if we do a virtual classroom visit or interview, you can expect them to show up too!

That’s me in Antarctica, where I got to learn a lot of very cool things and spend time with penguins.

(I even brought my country’s flag with me on the trip). 

the tree of hope is available at any of the below links

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