Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

The Rattlesnake Who Went to School

On his first day of school, Crowboy pretends he is a rattlesnake, but then he meets a girl in his class who wants to be a rattlesnake too.

Way Out in the Desert

A counting book in rhyme presents various desert animals and their children, from a mother horned toad and her little toadie one to a mom tarantula and her little spiders ten. Numerals are hidden in each illustration.

Braids/Trencitas

This bilingual story shows the importance of family and of reading, while also emphasizing the rewards of passing along cultural traditions. Beautiful illustrations portray the moving story of Bela and her grandma, who love to tell stories, braid hair, and play lotería with the family: “Our stories, like our braids, bind us forever.”

The Seed and the Giant Saguaro

A packrat, carrying fruit from the giant saguaro, is chased by various desert animals and inadvertently helps spread the cactus’s seed. Includes information on saguaros.

Benito’s Sopaipillas/Las sopaipillas de Benito

As they prepare to make the traditional, pillowy bread called sopaipilla, Christina’s grandmother tells about the time her great-grandfather, aided by a scarecrow, brought an end to a drought and, in the process, helped make the first sopaipilla.

Chave’s Memories/Los recuerdos de Chave

Chave, a grown woman, recalls her childhood trips from her border home in Brownsville, TX, to her grandparents’ ranch in northern Mexico. Large, bright drawings show young Chave, her brother, and their cousins racing around the ranch, sliding down dirt hills, herding baby goats, riding wooden barrels, and listening to a ranch hand tell stories.