Told in both English and Spanish by award-winning author-photographer George Ancona, The Pinata Maker/El pinatero documents this traditional Latin American artform and includes a note on how to make pinatas at home. Set in Mexico.
Cristina Ortega is the granddaughter of Juan Melquiades Ortega, a master weaver of northern New Mexico’s Chimayó Valley. Chimayó’s roots are in early Spanish Colonial times and has long been famous for its unique weavings. Juan M. Ortega was taught to weave by his father in the early days when weavers sheared their own sheep and spun and dyed the wool for their blankets. El Tejedor (The Weaver) continued weaving until he was one hundred years old, when his eyesight failed him. In The Eyes of the Weaver, Cristina shares her memories of visits when she was ten years old with Grandpa in the village of Chimayó, where he taught her how to weave. She also recalls how Grandma helped her husband choose color combinations for his Chimayó blankets. It was during these visits that Cristina learned how important it is for a child to listen to and learn from his or her relatives.Some of Juan M. Ortega’s weavings and tools of the trade have been included in the exhibit, “American Encounters,” at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.Reading level: 10 years and up
”How come you can have sweets and I can’t?” Enrique asks the hummingbirds as they flutter over the flowers in the garden. His craving for sugar is getting out of control, and his father has forbidden him to eat anything sweet. Enrique’s birthday is coming up and he won’t be allowed to help his grandma with her baking. It’s not fair! Enrique’s cravings multiply by the minute. Even numbers in his math book start to look like yummy desserts. His life is over! The next day, though, he comes up with an ingenious plan to outwit his father. Unfortunately, his mother soon catches on. But she has a plan of her own. On Mondays and Fridays only, after school, Enrique may have any dessert he likes, but none during the rest of the week. What a sweet deal!On his first outing with his mother, Enrique orders a huge triple banana split, with strawberry, chocolate and vanilla scoops of ice cream, nuts, sprinkles and chocolate syrup. Later that night, Enrique’s stomach aches, and El Coco, a fearsome creature with a huge mouth and sticky hair, haunts his dreams. Enrique’s mother wonders if he will ever learn to eat in moderation. Will he be able to bake with Grandma? And what about having a special treat on his birthday? Lucha Corpi’s poetic prose is combined with Lisa Field’s enticing illustrations in this engaging story that will resonate with kids and their parents as they struggle to balance healthy eating habits with the natural desire for sweets.
From October 31 to November 2, people in Mexico celebrate the festival of el Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This photodocumentary follows Pablo and his family as they prepare to honor the memory of Pablo’s grandmother. Ancona’s photographs catch the affirmation of life that fills the Mexican festival arising from both Aztec and Christian customs honoring the dead.
I’m just like my mom.
Me parezco tanto a mi mamá.
I’m just like my dad.
Me parezco tanto a mi papá.
With Akemi Gutiérrez’s charming illustrations, renowned journalist Jorge Ramos explores the many ways in which all children are just like their parents—in two languages!
Junto con las simpáticas ilustraciones de Akemi Gutiérrez, el respetado periodista Jorge Ramos explora las varias maneras en que los hijos se parecen a sus padres. ¡Y lo hace en dos idiomas!
Jose is not sure what to expect when his grandmother from Mexico moves in…except that he will certainly have to change his ways. What he discovers is that he doesn’t mind one bit. Abuelita is full of surprises! She is full of life!
Family Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza\’s girlhood: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, finding a hammerhead shark on the beach, picking cactus, going to a fair in Mexico, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist. These day-to-day experiences are told through fourteen vignettes of art and a descriptive narrative, each focusing on a different aspect of traditional Mexican American culture. The English-Spanish text and vivid illustrations reflect the author\’s strong sense of family and community. For Mexican Americans, Carmen Lomas Garza offers a book that reflects their lives and traditions. For others, this work offers insights into a beautifully rich community.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2
From one of the most prominent Chicano poets writing today, here are poems like sweet music-to make the body shake and move to the rhythm of rhyme, to the pulse of words. Juan Felipe Herrera writes in both Spanish and English about the joy and laughter and sometimes the confusion of growing up in an upside-down, jumbled-up world-between two cultures, two homes. With a crazy maraca beat, Herrera creates poetry as rich and vibrant as mole de ole and pineapple tamales…an aroma of papaya…a clear soup with strong garlic, so you will grow not disappear Herrera’s words are hot& peppery, good for you. They show us what it means to laugh out loud until it feel like flying.Juan Felipe Herrera’s vibrant poems dance across these pages in a dazzling explosion of two languages English and Spanish. Skillfully crafted, beautiful, joyful, fun, the poems are paired with whimsical black and white drawings by Karen Barbour. The resulting collage fills the soul and the senseshot and peppery, good for you and celebrates a life lived between two cultures.Laughing out loud, I fly, toward the good things,to catch Mama Lucha on the sidewalk, afterschool, waiting for the green-striped bus,on the side of the neighborhood store, next to almonds,Jose’s tiny wooden mule, the wiseboy from San Diego,teeth split apart, like mine in the coppery afternoon . . .22000 Pura Belpre Award
Marisa’s sixth birthday was drawing near, and today her mother took her to buy a piñata. At the store, Marisa saw a beautiful butterfly piñata and knew she had to have it. “It’s perfect for my party!” she exclaimed. When they brought the piñata home, her mother wanted to put it in the closet, but Marisa begged to keep it on her dresser. That week Marisa took her butterfly everywhere, and it watched over her at night while she slept. The morning of the party, Mama filled the piñata with candy and toys. Soon the guests arrived. It was time to hit the piñata! Marisa was the first in line. But the butterfly looked down at her with its happy eyes, and Marisa started to cry. “I can’t do it!” she said as she ran into the house.
Marta and Celia have never seen Sunday dinner strut in their backyard, so when Abuela brings home a wily rooster, they are shocked at the rooster’s ugly fate. When the girls accidentally overhear Abuela telling their parents about dinner plans that involve Kiki, they know that they have to save their new friend. They hide him in the closet in their room, but when his joyful cries wake the family at dawn, they know that they’ve been caught. They soon discover that Kiki has a few tricks of his own up his wing, and with a wink, he manages to save the day.