[2] Most of Engle's stories are written in verse and are a reflection of her Cuban heritage and her deep appreciation and knowledge of nature.

[5] On October 9, 2018, Margarita Engle was announced the winner of the 2019 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.

Although Engle was born and raised in California, growing up, she spent many summers with her extended family in Cuba.

[1] Before starting her writing career, Engle was a tenured professor of agronomy at California Polytechnic University.

[8] She lives in Central California, where she enjoys helping her husband with his volunteer work for wilderness search and rescue dog training programs.