When Miata leaves on the school bus the skirt that she is to wear in a dance performance, she needs all her wits to get it back without her parents’ finding out that she has lost something yet again.
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Sophie’s Trophy
Sophie’s brother has a mantel full of awards for his cute warts— verrugas—and shiny skin, but Sophie isn’t nearly as good looking and doesn’t have any trophies at all. One day, while Sophie is singing about her sorrows, the Toadettes are impressed and ask her to join their group. They convince her to do a solo at the fair when the rest of the group gets sick from eating bad flies. You can guess who finally gets a trophy of her own that night. Susan Elya’s seamless verse that includes Spanish vocabulary and Viviana Garofoli’s vivid, lively illustrations makes Sophie’s story one all kids will relate to while they search for their special talents.
Papa and Me
When I’m with my papá, I can fly like an eagle, an águila.
I can climb alto, high, in a tree,
And I am the ganador, the winner, of many races.
When I am with my papá, I hear the best cuentos, stories,
and I give him the biggest abrazos, hugs.
A young boy and his papa may speak both Spanish and English, but the most important language they speak is the language of love. Here, Arthur Dorros portrays the close bond between father and son, with lush paintings by Rudy Gutierrez.
My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi Mundo
Little Maya longs to find brilliant, beautiful, inspiring color in her world.…but Maya’s world, the Mojave Desert, seems to be filled with nothing but sand. With the help of a feathered friend, she searches everywhere to discover color in her world. In the brilliant purple of her mother\’s flowers, the cool green of a cactus, the hot pink sunset, and the shiny black of Papi\’s hair, Maya finally finds what she was looking for. The book’s appealing narrative and bold illustrations encourage early readers to observe and explore, and to discover the colors in their own
Benito’s Bizcochitos: Los Bizconchitos De Benito
This bilingual fairy tale for children ages 4 to 8 relates the story of Benito, who runs away from home only to learn that the rest of the world isn’t nearly as friendly as his family’s farm.
Carlos And The Cornfield / Carlos Y La Milpa De Maiz (Carlos Series)
In this delightful sequel to “Carlos y la Planta de Calabaza”, Carlos is told by his father that “you reap what you sow”. After some humorous experiences, Carlos comes to understand the rewards of hard work and learns a valuable lesson in listening. Full color.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 4
Fiesta Fiasco
There is another desert party in the works in this spicy companion book to Mañana, Iguana. This time it is Snake’s birthday, and Iguana, Tortoise, and Rabbit are shopping for birthday gifts to bring to his fiesta. But what presents should they buy for Snake? In a sneaky twist, Rabbit convinces them to buy gifts that aren’t for Snake at all—but for him! With a clever text, a spattering of Spanish vocabulary. and lively illustrations, this author-illustrator team presents quite the fiesta fiasco. Glossary included.
In My Family / En Mi Familia
From the author of Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia comes a second book that returns readers once again to the town of Kingsville, Texas, near the border with Mexico. Through ful-color paintings and warm personal stories, Garza brings to life more loving memories of growing up in a traditional Mexican American community.
Sand Sister
When lonely Paloma goes to the beach and wishes that she had a sister to play with, the girl she draws in the sand comes magically alive, and at day’s end her parents give her the good news of a new baby on the way.
The Storyteller’s Candle/La Velita De Los Cuentos
It is the winter of 1929, and cousins Hildamar and Santiago have just moved to enormous, chilly New York from their native Puerto Rico. As Three Kings’ Day approaches, Hildamar and Santiago mourn the loss of their sunny home and wonder about their future in their adopted city. But when a storyteller and librarian named Pura Belpré arrives in their classroom, the children begin to understand just what a library can mean to a community. In this fitting tribute to a remarkable woman, Lucía González and Lulu Delacre have captured the truly astounding effect that Belpré had on the city of New York.