Bilingual

Family Pictures, 15th Anniversary Edition / Cuadros De Familia, Edición Quinceañera

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

Laughing Out Loud, I Fly : A Carcajadas Yo Vuelo

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 

The Perfect Pinata/La Pinata Perfecta

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.

Kikirikí / Quiquiriquí

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.

Novio Boy: A Play

Ninth grader Rudy has a date with eleventh grader Patricia. Now he has to come up with the money, the poise, and the conversation to carry it off. This one-act play, by turns heartwarming and heart-wrenching, follows Rudy from his desperate search for guidance through the hilarious date itself–all the way to its happy conclusion.      Includes a glossary of Spanish phrases. 

Los Gatos Black On Halloween

Follow los monstruos and los esqueletos to the Halloween party  Under October’s luna, full and bright, the monsters are throwing a ball in the Haunted Hall. Las brujas come on their broomsticks. Los muertos rise from their coffins to join in the fun. Los esqueletos rattle their bones as they dance through the door. And the scariest creatures of all aren’t even there yet!This lively bilingual Halloween poem introduces young readers to a spooky array of Spanish words that will open their ojos to the chilling delights of the season.

Big Enough/Bastante grande

Mamá always sighs, “Muy, muy chica,” every time Lupita tries to help out at the restaurant that Mamá runs all by herself. But when push comes to shove–or when Grabb comes to swipe–everyone in this exciting tale discovers that, although Lupita may be too little for some tasks, she is big enough for others.

Oh No, Gotta Go!

It happens all the time. As soon as the car pulls away, someone needs the bathroom. \”Where is un baño? ¿Dónde está? I really do need one,\” I told mi mamá. After racing around town, passing a gushing fountain, and cutting the inevitable line for the ladies\’ room, this adorable little girl makes it to the bathroom in the nick of time. And because the bathroom is in a restaurant, the family stays for a wonderful meal-and lots of limonada. . . . Buoyant illustrations and a clever mix of Spanish and English combine to capture the urgency and humor of the situation to the delight of kids and grown-ups alike. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

Radio Man/Don Radio

As he travels with his family of migrant farmworkers, Diego relies on his radio to provide him with companionship and help connect him to all the different places in which he lives.

We Are Cousins / Somos primos

Cousins are friends and rivals. Cousins are funny and frustrating. But the most important thing is that cousins are family. We are Cousins / Somos primos celebrates the joy of this special family bond. The children explain that they are cousins because their mothers are sisters, and from the moment they get together, the fun begins. They march in a make-believe parade, gobble up a pizza, and share a cozy story on Abuelo\’s lap. But they also blame each other if something goes wrong, don\’t want to share their toys, and wiggle against each other to nab a spot on Abuela\’s lap. Written in simple language for children ages 2-5, the brief English and Spanish text will become a valuable tool to encourage children to think and talk about their own families. It will also become a favorite book for children and grandchildren to share with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and of course, cousins. Vivid illustrations by Christina Rodriguez in bright, primary colors complement this story that will be as much fun to read at story hour as it will be to read on the family sofa.