English & Spanish 3+ Intergenerational Stories Visting Family Fruit Vendors Cuban-American Authors Mexican Illustrators Margarita Engle & Sara Palacios summary For the first day of Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month, I wanted to share a book that’s fun. In A Song of Frutas, a young girl loves to visit her abuelo because it means she…
Tag: latinx
Paletas for All!
English & Spanish All Ages Paletas STEM Cooking Kindness LA Food Scene summary Popsicle season is year-round, and that’s something I’m prepared to fight about. Today I have two fantastic books that celebrate the paleta in all forms, a picture book and a cookbook! If you haven’t checked out Ericka Sanchez’s website Nibbles & Feasts…
A Small History of Disagreement
Written By: Claudio Fuentes Illustrated by: Gabriela Lyon For Ages: 7-11 years Language: English Topics Covered: Environmental Activism, Voting, Public Discourse, School, Social-Emotional Learning, Cooperation, Chile, Mapuche People. Summary: One day as students are walking into school, they notice that there is a construction wall and a crane in the school yard. Confused and alarmed…
Gustavo the Shy Ghost
Written & Illustrated by: Flavia Z. Drago For Ages: 3 years and up Language: English Topics Covered: Anxiety, Mexican Culture & Identity, Latinx, Day of the Dead, Friendship, Own Voices. Summary: Gustavo is a little ghost that yearns to make friends with the other monsters, but he’s too nervous. He tries unsuccessfully to work up…
Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border
Written by: Mitali Perkins Illustrated by: Sara Palacios For ages: 3-8 years Language: English & some Spanish Topics Covered: Family, Immigration, Border Patrol, POC-Centric Narratives, Latinx, Mexican-American, Culture & Traditions, Love, Growing Up, Global Community. Summary: Even though this is a story centering around Christmas, we felt the need to share it sooner rather than waiting for December to come around! This…
Along the Tapajós
Written by: Fernando Vilela Translated by: Daniel Hahn For ages: 3 years and up Language: English, some Brazilian Portuguese. Topics Covered: Growing Up, Amazon Rainforest, Brazil, Semi-Nomadic Lifestyle, Latinx, Brazilian Culture. Summary: This is a cute adventure story about a pair of siblings named Cauã and Inaê, and their winter move from the banks of the Tapajós river where their village lives…
Soldier for Equality: José de la Luz Sáenz and the Great War
Written & Illustrated by: Duncan Tonatiuh For ages: 7-11 years Language: English & Spanish Topics Covered: Historical Events, Latinx, Mexican-American Culture, Historical Figure, POC-Centric Narratives, WWI, Activism, Activist, Own Voices. Summary: Luz was born in America, but his family was of Mexican descent. He is teased for it, and sometimes gets in fights. When Luz grows up he becomes a teacher…
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Written by: Andrea Beaty Illustrated by: David Roberts For ages: 4-8 years Language: English, minor Spanish. Topics Covered: Community Action, Environmentalism, Girls Outdoors, Creativity, Feminism, Girls in Leadership, Latinx, Activism. Summary: Sofia Valdez loves her community, and she especially loves helping her community be better. When her Abuelo injures his ankle slipping on trash and can’t walk Sofia to school anymore,…
Barely Missing Everything
Written by: Matt Mendez Cover Art by: Dana Ledl For ages: Young Adults Language: English Topics Covered: Growing Up, Latinx Identities, Racism, Sports, Alcohol & Marijuana Use, Family, Incarceration, Filmmaking, Friendship, Police Brutality, Pregnancy. Summary: This book was one of those stories that everything I anticipated to happen did not happen, I was constantly surprised at the deft storytelling of Mendez’s…
They Call Me Güero; A Border Kid’s Poems
Written by: David Bowles Cover Art by: Zeke Peña For ages: YA upper elementary/middle grades Language: English & Spanish Topics Covered: Growing Up, Mexican-American Experience, Immigration, Prejudice, Culture & Traditions, Poetry, Own Voices, Latinx. Summary: Our narrator is a twelve year old boy known only as Güero, a slang term/nickname for a person with red hair and freckles. He lives near…