Uno, Dos, Tres, Posada! Let’s Celebrate Christmas

A posada is an important Latino holiday tradition that happens all over the world on each of the nine nights before Christmas. There’s a lot to do every night before the party can begin, and here a little girl guides us through each step—from putting out poinsettias to hanging the piñata—as she counts to ten in English and Spanish. Young readers can follow along by counting the different items mentioned. An author’s note at the end of the story further explains the origins of the posada. Sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary and filled with lively illustrations, this is a posada no one should miss!

Celebrate! It’s Cinco De Mayo!

cincoIt’s Cinco de Mayo! Everyone is celebrating the holiday in their own way. “Mama marches in the parade. Papa plays in a mariachi band. Abuelita cooks a special meal.” Why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? A very simple history of the holiday is interspersed with the story of a young boy celebrating Cinco de Mayo with his family. This bilingual book features a section with “find what’s missing” pictures and simple crafts perfect for any child’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. Loretta Lopez’s engaging and cheerful pictures complement Janice Levy’s child-friendly introduction to this important Mexican holiday.

The Birthday Swap

With her teenage sister’s birthday rapidly approaching, five-year-old Lori, a young Mexican-American girl, sets out to find the perfect gift for Cookie, only to end up with special surprise of her very own.

No Dogs Allowed!

Sometimes the unexpected is even more fun than the best-laid plans. Iris, her family, the neighbors, and dog take a road trip to the lake. But first, the cars break down. Then they get lost. And when they finally arrive at the lake, they see a NO DOGS ALLOWED sign. What to do? Iris’s family’s make-do attitude saves the day, for as they go about their beach activities while trying to figure out what to do with the dog, each takes a turn taking care of the dog. Soon the day is over, and the dog has had the best time of all — the beach had been brought to him. Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano’s first picturebook provides an ocean of humor, a warm, close-knit Puerto Rican community, and a take-charge family who refuses to let things get in their way!

Cheech The School Bus Driver

cheechWhy can’t all bus drivers be as cool as Cheech? When the kids on the school bus decide to enter the Battle of the Bands, no one is more excited than Cheech. On the big day, they all pile into the bus and get ready to groove! But when they arrive, they find they’re the only mariachi band in the whole contest—and the rock and roll bands look awesome! In this zany story by beloved performer Cheech Marin, the band tries every trick in the book to make their act mea-sure up—with hilarious results! How will mariachi ever compete against rock and roll?

A Box Full of Kittens

boxRuthie loves Superman. Ruthie wants to be Superman. And when Ruthie is asked to go spend the afternoon with her aunt, who is about to have a baby any day day now and may need some help., Ruthie seizes the opportunity. It could be her chance to be a hero, should the baby come while she’s visiting! But when Ruthie is out fetching a snack for her aunt, she gets so distracted by a box full of kittens in the bodega that she doesn’t hear her aunt calling for her, nor does she notice the policemen running to the apartment or the ambulance pulling to the curb. When she realizes what’s happened, she’s devastated — she’s missed her one chance to be a hero! Or has she? Sonia Manzano, best known as “Maria” on Sesame Street, once again captures the warmth, love, and adventures of her childhood Bronx neighborhood.

500 Years of Chicana Women’s History/Anos de Historia de las Chicanans

500The history of Mexican Americans spans more than five centuries and varies from region to region across the United States. Yet most of our history books devote at most a chapter to Chicano history, with even less attention to the story of Chicanas. 500 Years of Chicana Women’s History offers a powerful antidote to this omission with a vivid, pictorial account of struggle and survival, resilience and achievement, discrimination and identity. The bilingual text, along with hundreds of photos and other images, ranges from female-centered stories of pre-Columbian Mexico to profiles of contemporary social justice activists, labor leaders, youth organizers, artists, and environmentalists, among others. With a distinguished, seventeen-member advisory board, the book presents a remarkable combination of scholarship and youthful appeal. In the section on jobs held by Mexicanas under U.S. rule in the 1800s, for example, readers learn about flamboyant Doña Tules, who owned a popular gambling saloon in Santa Fe, and Eulalia Arrilla de Pérez, a respected curandera (healer) in the San Diego area. Also covered are the “repatriation” campaigns” of the Midwest during the Depression that deported both adults and children, 75 percent of whom were U.S.-born and knew nothing of Mexico. Other stories include those of the garment, laundry, and cannery worker strikes, told from the perspective of Chicanas on the ground. From the women who fought and died in the Mexican Revolution to those marching with their young children today for immigrant rights, every story draws inspiration. Like the editor’s previous book, 500 Years of Chicano History (still in print after 30 years), this thoroughly enriching view of Chicana women’s history promises to become a classic.

Family Pictures, 15th Anniversary Edition / Cuadros De Familia, Edición Quinceañera

Family Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza\’s girlhood: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, finding a hammerhead shark on the beach, picking cactus, going to a fair in Mexico, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist. These day-to-day experiences are told through fourteen vignettes of art and a descriptive narrative, each focusing on a different aspect of traditional Mexican American culture. The English-Spanish text and vivid illustrations reflect the author\’s strong sense of family and community. For Mexican Americans, Carmen Lomas Garza offers a book that reflects their lives and traditions. For others, this work offers insights into a beautifully rich community.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2