Little Roja Riding Hood


Susan Middleton Elya - 2013
    But Grandma's no fool and Roja's no ordinary chica. They send that hungry lobo packing with a caliente surprise! This sassy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood has accessible Spanish rhymes and fresh illustrations, with hip cultural details throughout.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez


Kathleen Krull - 2003
    When he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But Cesar wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and teased at school. His family slaved in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar knew things had to change, and he thought that--maybe--he could help change them. So he took charge. He spoke up. And an entire country listened.An author's note provides historical context for the story of Cesar Chavez's life.

First Day in Grapes


L. King Pérez - 2002
    Every September they pick grapes and Chico starts at a new school again. Often other children pick on him--maybe because he is always new or maybe because he speaks Spanish sometimes. Chico's first day in third grade turns out to be different. His teacher likes him right away, and she and his classmates are quick to recognize his excellent math skills. He may even get to go to the math fair! When the fourth-grade bullies confront Chico in the lunchroom, he responds wisely with strengths of his own. Readers of all backgrounds will relate to Chico's bravery and the creative way he finds to resolve conflict. This story of personal triumph is a testament to the inner strength in all of us.

Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert


Gary D. Schmidt - 2012
    Even so, his mother begged the church fathers to allow him into the priesthood. Instead, Martin was accepted as a servant boy. But soon, the young man was performing miracles. Rumors began to fly around the city of a strange mulatto boy with healing hands, who gave first to the people of the barrios. Martin continued to serve in the church, until he was finally received by the Dominican Order, no longer called the worthless son of a slave, but rather a saint and the rose in the desert.

Frida


Jonah Winter - 2002
    This stunning picture book is the perfect gift for art enthusiasts of all ages.When her mother was worn out from caring for her five sisters, her father gave her lessons in brushwork and color. When polio kept her bedridden for nine months, drawing saved her from boredom. When a bus accident left her in unimaginable agony, her paintings expressed her pain and depression - and eventually, her joys and her loves. Over and over again, Frida Kahlo turned the challenges of her life into art. Now Jonah Winter and Ana Juan have drawn on both the art and the life to create a playful, insightful tribute to one of the twentieth century's most influential artists. Viva Frida!

Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del Arcoiris


Linda Elovitz Marshall - 2016
    Based on an actual recycling movement in Guatemala.

Two White Rabbits


Jairo Buitrago - 2015
    She counts the animals by the road, the clouds in the sky, the stars. Sometimes she sees soldiers. She sleeps, dreaming that she is always on the move, although sometimes they are forced to stop and her father has to earn more money before they can continue their journey.As many thousands of people, especially children, in Mexico and Central America continue to make the arduous journey to the US border in search of a better life, this is an important book that shows a young migrant’s perspective.

La Frontera: El Viaje Con Papa / My Journey with Papa


Deborah Mills - 2018
    They'll need all the resilience and courage they can muster to safely cross the border -- la frontera -- and to make a home for themselves in a new land.

Laughing Tomatoes/Jitomates risuenos: And Other Spring Poems/Y otros poemas de primavera


Francisco X. Alarcón - 1997
    From the imagination of poet Francisco X. Alarc�n comes Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems, a playful and moving collection of twenty poems in English and Spanish.Tomatoes laugh, chiles explode, and tortillas applaud the sun! With joy and tenderness, delight and sadness, Alcarc�n's poems honor the wonders of life and nature: welcoming the morning sun, remembering his grandmother's songs, paying tribute to children working in the fields, and sharing his dream of a world filled with gardens.Artist Maya Christina Gonzalez invites us to experience the poems with her lively cast of characters-including a spirited grandma, four vivacious children, and playful pets who tease and delight. Follow them from page to page as they bring each poem to colorful life.Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems is a verbal and visual treat, giving us twenty opportunities to see everything for the first time.

My Tata's Remedies / Los remedios de mi Tata


Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford - 2015
    A good way to learn about the healing power of plants."—Andrew Weil, MDAaron has asked his grandfather Tata to teach him about the healing remedies he uses. Tata is a neighbor and family elder. People come to him all the time for his soothing solutions and for his compassionate touch and gentle wisdom. Tata knows how to use herbs, teas, and plants to help each one. His wife, Grandmother Nana, is there too, bringing delicious food and humor to help Tata's patients heal. An herbal remedies glossary at the end of the book includes useful information about each plant, plus botanically correct drawings.Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford grew up in Nogales on the Arizona-Mexico border. Born into a pioneering Jewish family with roots in Eastern Europe, Roni embraced the languages, cultures, and people on both sides of the border. Now a retired bilingual educator, her first book, My Nana's Remedies / Los Remedios de mi Nana, is a classic, a parent's and teacher's friend for teaching children traditional values.Antonio Castro L. is nationally recognized for his illustrations of books by Joe Hayes. Teaming up with his son, book designer Antonio Castro H., he uses his exacting illustrative skills to bring to life this story of family and plants. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, Antonio has lived in the Juarez–El Paso area for most of his life.

The Day of the Dead / El día de los muertos


Bob Barner - 2010
    They offer marigolds, sugar skulls, and special bread, and make delicious foods. By spreading marigold petals, they guide the dead home to join the festivities. Finally, after singing and dancing, it's time for bed. Bob Barner's luscious collages incorporate the traditional symbols of Day of the Dead. His poetic text is both English and Spanish. An author's note provides additional information on the holiday.

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story


Tomie dePaola - 2002
    So begins the age-old tale of a kind-hearted young woman, her jealous stepmother, two hateful stepsisters, and a young man in search of a wife. The young man, Javier, falls madly in love with beautiful Adelita, but she disappears from his fiesta at midnight, leaving him with only one clue to her hidden identity?a beautiful rebozo? shawl. With the rebozo in place of a glass slipper, this favorite fairy tale takes a delightful twist. Tomie dePaola?s exquisite paintings, filled with the folk art of Mexico, make this a Cinderella story like no other.

My Papi Has a Motorcycle


Isabel Quintero - 2019
    She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her.But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there.

Sing, Don’t Cry


Angela Dominguez - 2017
    He brings his guitar, his music---and his memories.In this story inspired by the life of Apolinar Navarrete Diaz---author Angela Dominguez's grandfather and a successful mariachi musician---Abuelo and his grandchildren sing through the bad times and the good. Lifting their voices and their spirits, they realize that true happiness comes from singing together.

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay


Susan Hood - 2016
    She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.