The novel by Antonio Orlando Rodriguez is a fictional biography of the Cuban midget Espiridiona Senda (1869–1945), better known as Chiquita (Baby). At the end of the 19th century, she came to New York to gain fame as a dancer and singer. And she actually managed to become one of the highest paid celebrities of her time. Elegant and full of witty plot twists, the novel also presents a detailed picture of an era rich in social unrest and technological wonders; an era when the so-called "mistakes of nature" aroused intense interest.Antonio Orlando Rodriguez (b. 1956) is one of the leading contemporary Latin American writers, critic and journalist. Born in Cuba, studied journalism at the University of Havana, and has lived and worked in the United States since 1999. He became famous for his books for children and teenagers. In 2008, Rodriguez won the Alfaguara Prize, the most prestigious literary award in the Spanish-speaking world. The jury that awarded the novel “Chiquita” a prize, choosing it from 500 texts, responded about it as follows: “This work is filled with the beating of life. The author's narration is distinguished by stylistic skill and inexhaustible imagination. The story of an amazing character plays out before the reader, like a flawlessly performed concert.” The novel was also awarded the Florida Book Awards 2008 in the category “Best Book in Spanish.”