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 XIX century, she came to New York to gain fame as a dancer and singer. And she really managed to become one of the highest-paid celebrities of her time. Elegant, 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 the liveliest interest. Antonio Orlando Rodriguez (b. 1956) is one of the leading contemporary Latin American writers, critic, and journalist. Born in Cuba, he studied journalism at the University of Havana, and has been living and working in the United States since 1999. Books for children and teenagers brought him fame. In 2008, Rodriguez won the Alfaguara Prize — the most prestigious literary award in the Spanish-speaking world. The jury that awarded the novel "Chiquita" the prize, choosing it from 500 texts, saying about it: "This work is full of the life beating. The author's narrative is distinguished by stylistic skill and inexhaustible imagination. In front of the reader, like a perfectly performed concert, the story of an amazing character is played out." The novel was also awarded the Florida Book Awards 2008 in the category "Best book in Spanish".