# Is "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera (Levine Querido, 2021) is identified by: First edition 2021, Levine Querido (Montclair, New Jersey); ISBN 9781646140893. US true first; no competing UK or Canadian precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 2021, Levine Querido (Montclair, New Jersey)
- ISBN 9781646140893
- First printing has a number line ending in 1 with a 2021 copyright
- Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal (blue spine, white lettering)
- Publisher imprint reads Levine Querido
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donna Barba Higuera |
| Publisher | Levine Querido |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 2021, Levine Querido (Montclair, New Jersey) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition 2021, Levine Querido (Montclair, New Jersey); ISBN 9781646140893. First printing has a number line ending in 1 with a 2021 copyright. Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal (blue spine, white lettering).

## Is this the true first?
US true first; no competing UK or Canadian precedence. Newbery Medal 2022; also Pura Belpre Author Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A number line not ending in 1 indicates a later printing; post-award jackets add the seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Cuentista* by Donna Barba Higuera a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-cuentista
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.