Primary (ages 6-9)

Material appropriate for primary age groups

Las Abuelas De Liliana: Spanish Hardcover Edition Of Liliana’s Grandmothers (Spanish Edition)

A gentle, loving look at grandmothers. In a book that will be officially published on Grandparents’ Day, a charming girl named Liliana describes how differently her grandmothers live their lives. Mima lives in New England, does yoga exercises, and likes crossword puzzles, for example. The other grandmother, Mama Gabina, lives in South America, enjoys gardening, and likes to dance around the house. The meals they cook are different, the stories they tell are different, but one thing about them is the same: they both love their granddaughter. And Liliana adores them. Leyla Torres’s watercolors show all the warmth and homeyness that are intrinsic in special family relationships.

The Empanadas That Abuela Made/Las Empanadas Que Hacia La Abuela

A sweet bilingual story about a family tradition. Baking is always a treat, particularly when you throw family and fun into the mix. In this whimsical look at the making of empanadas, popular children’s author Gonzales Bertrand serves up the festive fun of a family’s effort to concoct the delicious pastries. In the tradition of popular rhymes like “The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” the laughter and fun rise from page to page. The Empanadas that Abuela Made/Las empanadas que Abuela hacía is filled with humorous cooks and family: Abuela, Abuelo, the cousins, aunts, uncles, and even the family dog join the parade of fluttering flour and swirling sugar. Alex Pardo de Lange fills the pages with offbeat illustrations of blankets of dough and dancing rolling pins.

Migrant Worker: A Boy from the Rio Grande Valley

Describes the way of life of Mexican American families and their children who work as migrant agricultural laborers in Texas.

The Dream on Blanca’s Wall/El Sueno Pegado En La Pared De Blanca: Poems in English and Spanish/Poemas En Ingles Y Espanol

Offers a collection of poems in English and Spanish that tell of a young Mexican-American girl’s dream to overcome her family difficulties and economic hardships in order for her to achieve her goal of becoming a teacher.

Magic Windows / Ventanas Mágicas

In Spanish and English, Carmen Lomas Garza portrays her family’s Mexican customs and her life as an artist, and the legends of her Aztec past through cut-paper work (papel picado).

Little Night

As the long day comes to an end, Mother Sky fills a tub with falling stars and calls, “Bath time for Little Night!” Little Night answers from afar, “Can’t come. I am hiding and you have to find me, Mama. Find me now!” Where could Little Night be? Down a rabbit hole? In a blueberry field? Among the stripes of bees? Exquisitely painted and as gentle as Little Night’s dress crocheted from clouds, this is a story to treasure.

Three Little Tamales

While three little tamales cool off on a windowsill, a tortilla rolls by. “You’ll be eaten. You’d better run,” he tells them. And so the tamales jump out the window. The first runs to the prairie and builds a house of sagebrush. The second runs to a cornfield and builds a house of cornstalks. The third runs to the desert and builds a house of cactus. Then who should come along but Senior Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, with plans to blow their houses down. Valeria Docampo’s oil-and-pencil illustrations add zest and humor to this rollicking southwestern version of a popular tale.

Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, Día y Noche

From dawn till dusk, Quinito’s life is full of opposites. In the morning, he’s up and running – fast or slowly, depending on the day. If it’s sunny, he’s off to the park to swing high and low. If it’s a rainy, stay-at-home day, Quinito’s quiet at naptime and noisy at playtime. So much to do before the sun sets! This playful story builds awareness in young readers that everywhere they look, opposites abound. Told in both English and Spanish, Quinito, Day and Night is a delight for readers young or old, tall or short, messy or neat.

Mice and Beans

In this tale Rosa Maria spends the week getting ready for her granddaughter’s birthday party and trying to avoid attracting mice–unaware that the mice in her walls are preparing for a party of their own.