It s the day of Lolo’s big sister’s quinceañera party, and suddenly everyone is too busy to play with Lolo. But when she lets her dog Gobi runfree, everyone notices. Vivid illustrations in acrylics and watercolor by Martha Avile
s skillfully portray Lolo using her fast feet and wits to outsmart Gobi and save her big sister’s special day!
Primary (ages 6-9)
Material appropriate for primary age groups
Making Magic Windows: Creating Papel Picado/Cut-Paper Art with Carmen Lomas Garza
This book introduces the traditional Mexican craft of papel picado. It provides instructions for making paper banners and more intricate cut-outs and includes diagrams for creating specific images.
Juan The Bear And The Water Of Life: La Acequia De Juan Del Oso (Paso Por Aqui Series On The Nuevomexicano Literary Heritage)
La Acequia del Rito y la Sierra in the Mora Valley is the highest and most famous traditional irrigation system in New Mexico. It carries water up and over a mountain ridge and across a sub-continental divide, from the tributaries of the RÃo Grande to the immense watershed of the Mora, Canadian, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. The names and stories of those who created this acequia to sustain their communities have mostly been lost and replaced by myths and legends. Now, when children ask, some parents attribute the task of moving mountains and changing the course of rivers to Juan del Oso, the stouthearted man whose father was a bear.From the mountains of northern Spain to the Andes in South America, Spanish-speaking people have told ancient legends of Juan del Oso and his friends. In this children’s tale, agriculturalist Juan Estevan Arellano and folklorist Enrique Lamadrid share a unique version of a celebrated story that has been told in northern New Mexico for centuries.Reading level: age 10 years and up
Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings
Peanuts, blueberries, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more-here is a luscious collection of haiku celebrating foods native to the Americas. Brimming with imagination and fun, these poems capture the tasty essence of foods that have delighted, united, and enriched our lives for centuries.
Skippyjon Jones
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese cat with an overactive imagination who would rather be El Skippito, his Zorro-like, Chihuahua alter ego. With a dual-image lenticular cover, original illustrations, and new art.
The Skirt
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.
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.