The bitter tear of an unwanted beggar causes the bread dough in the bakery shop to “sleep,” and the villagers fear it will not rise in time for the festival of the town’s patron saint.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
El Secreto De Rigoberta/ The Secret Of Rigoberta (Spanish Edition)
When grandmother Rigoberta buys a can of tomatoes that was on sale, she gets an unexpected addition to her household, but having a genie in the modern world brings its own kind of problems.
El Tigre y El Rayo: The Jaguar and the Lightning
A folktale about a boasting jaguar who is humbled by lightning.
The Bravest Flute: A Story Of Courage In The Mayan Tradition
The Caldecott Honor-winning author of The Village of Round and Square Houses offers an inspirational tale, featuring her own exuberant illustrations, about a brave Mayan boy who leads his village’s New Year’s Day parade, even though he is weak and hungry.
Zorro And Quwi
Chased night after night by Zorro the fox, Quwi the clever guinea pig retaliates by outwitting Zorro and making him look foolish, in a folktale collection based on Peruvian legends.
Marisol and the Yellow Messenger
Marisol learns about identity, loss, and the continuation of love and hope after her father is killed and her family must move north from Latin America, but through dreams she discovers her father’s presence, but in a different way than before.
The Umbrella
A walk through the Costa Rican cloud forest provides a wonderfully lush setting for Jan Brett’s beloved animal illustrations. When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by–from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn’t even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn’t see any animals all day.
In the spirit of Jan Brett’s The Mitten and The Hat, this cheerful tale of escalation will have readers poring over every illustration for the world of details Jan packs in. With its classic story, exotic jungle setting, and brilliantly colorful menagerie, The Umbrella is sure to take its place among Jan’s many family favorites.
How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share: A Yanomami Myth
Iwariwa the cayman refuses to share the fire that he uses to cook his food, until the animals of the Venezuelan rain forest come up with an ingenious scheme to trick him, in a traditional myth from the Yanomami people of South America.
La Tienda De Mamá Y Papá
In this evocative picture book, Mama, Papa, and six brothers and sisters live behind a fabric and thread store in downtown Guatemala City in the late 1950s. The narrator’s parents fled China during the Japanese invasion and, with a few neighbors, found refuge in Central America and opened their business. People come from all over to buy their bright fabrics and brilliant thread for weaving and making clothes. Author and artist Amelia Lau Carling depicts an almost magical kingdom where Chinese, Guatemalan, and Native cultures meet in harmony, where children can play and learn about all the different peoples who bring the city to vibrant life.
Sorpresa De Navidad Para Chabelita (Spanish Edition)
Young Chabelita must stay with her grandparents while her mother lives in a distant town. When Chabelita recites her mother’s favorite poem at her school’s Christmas pageant, she receives a special Christmas surprise. Argentina Palacios is a noted folklorist and Latin American storyteller. Full color.