¡Co-quí, co-quí! Los coquíes le cantan a Elena desde el amado árbol de mango de su familia—sus llamadas son tan conocidas que es como si estuvieran cantando, “Estás en casa, estás a salvo.” Pero de repente, su hogar no es tan seguro cuando un huracán atenta con destruir todo lo que Elena conoce. Con el paso del tiempo, Elena, junto a su comunidad, comienza a reconstruir su hogar, sembrando semillas de esperanza en el camino. Cuando los sonidos de los coquíes regresan gradualmente, reflejan la resiliencia y fuerza de Elena, su familia, y sus compatriotas puertorriqueños. Co-quí, co-quí! The coquí frogs sing to Elena from her family’s beloved mango tree—their calls so familiar that they might as well be singing, “You are home, you are safe.” But home is suddenly not safe when a hurricane threatens to destroy everything that Elena knows.
As time passes, Elena, alongside her community, begins to rebuild her home, planting seeds of hope along the way. When the sounds of the coquíes gradually return, they reflect the resilience and strength of Elena, her family, and her fellow Puerto Ricans.
Pura Belpré
The Coquíes Still Sing: A Story Of Home, Hope, And Rebuilding
A powerful story about home, community, and hope, inspired by the rebuilding of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017, written by debut author Karina González and illustrated by Krystal Quiles.
Magic: Once Upon A Faraway Land
Growing up on a pineapple farm in Mexico, a young girl discovers the magic in everyday transformations that take place around her.
Tumble
Before she decides whether to accept her stepfather’s proposal of adoption, twelve-year-old Adela Ramírez reaches out to her estranged biological father–who is in the midst of a career comeback as a luchador and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, bringing Adela closer to understanding the expansive definition of family.
May Your Life Be Deliciosa
“What is the recipe?” I ask. Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.” Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.
The Other Half of Happy
Twelve-year-old Quijana is a biracial girl, desperately trying to understand the changes that are going on in her life; her mother rarely gets home before bedtime, her father suddenly seems to be trying to get in touch with his Guatemalan roots (even though he never bothered to teach Quijana Spanish), she is about to start seventh grade in the Texas town where they live and she is worried about fitting in–and Quijana suspects that her parents are keeping secrets, because she is sure there is something wrong with her little brother, Memito, who is becoming increasingly hard to reach.
Soldier For Equality
José de la Luz Sáenz (1888–1953)—or Luz—believed in fighting for what was right. Although he was born in the United States, he and his family experienced prejudice because of their Mexican heritage. When World War I broke out, Luz volunteered to join the fight. Because of his ability to quickly learn languages, he became part of the Intelligence Office in Europe. However, despite his hard work and intellect, Luz often didn’t receive credit for his contributions. Upon his return to the US, he joined other Mexican-Americans whom he had met in the army to fight for equality. His contribution, along with others, ultimately led to the creation of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is the oldest Latino civil rights organization. Soldier for Equality is based in part on Luz’s diary during the war. It includes a biography of Luz’s later years, an author’s note, a timeline, a bibliography, and an index.
Dreamers
An illustrated picturebook autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XI, Issue 4.
This book is part of the November 2018 My Take/Your Take‘s theme of Global Perspectives on the Refugee and Immigrant Experience.
This book is part of the May 2019 My Take/Your Take‘s theme of 2019 Pura Belpré award winners and honor books.
Dreamers is on WOW’s Refugee’s Experience in Literature Booklist under “Home as Two Places in the Heart.”
Learn how Dreamers was used as part of a Mobility in Journey text set in WOW Stories, Volume VIII, Issue 2.
My Tata’s Remedies/Los remedios de mi Tata
Tata Gus teaches his grandson Aaron how to use natural healing remedies, and in the process helps the members of his family and his neighbors.
The Surrender Tree: Poems Of Cuba’s Struggle For Freedom
Who could have guessed that after all these years, the boy I called Lieutenant Death when we were both children would still be out here, in the forest, chasing me, now, hunting me, haunting me. It is 1896. Cuba has fought three wars for independence and still is not free. People have been rounded up in concentration camps with too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but with a price on her head for helping the rebels, she dares not go to the camps. Instead, she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her. Black, white, Cuban, Spanish–Rosa does her best for everyone.
Read more about The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom in WOW Review.