At first, a young girl does not like her new babysitter, Rosa, but after getting to know her and learning some Spanish language and customs, she is sad when Rosa returns to her family in Guatemala.
Picture Book
My Feet Are Laughing
Sadie, an imaginative young Dominican American, relates her experiences growing up in her grandmother’s brownstone house in Harlem.
Snapshots from the Wedding
Maya attends a family wedding and captures it all on film, from her cousin getting rice in his eye to the cake that tasted as delicious as it looked, in a beautifully illustrated tale of a special family day.
Barrio: Jose’s Neighborhood
Welcome to José’s neighborhood. In his barrio, people speak an easy mix of Spanish and English and sometimes even Chinese. The masked revelry of Halloween leads into the festive remembrances of the Day of the Dead. And murals on the walls and buildings sing out the stories of the people who live here. As familiar as any neighborhood yet as strange as a foreign country, Jose’s barrio isn’t in Mexico or Argentina–it’s in San Francisco. Award-winning author and photographer George Ancona follows José through a season in the barrio, and in the process gives readers a glimpse of a community as rich and varied as America itself.
The Rowdy, Rowdy Ranch / Alla En El Rancho Grande
On El Rancho Grande, the grandchildren are not so interested in how Grandpa bought the ranch, but in what can be done on the ranch. The children play hide and seek in cornfields, under “the canopy of green leaves, golden threads and giant ears of corn.” They feed the family horses, ride the rambunctious pigs, and take frolicking dips in the duck pond. But through all of the outdoor escapades, their family stories are circling in the air, like the “sunflower wind” blooming around them. While drinking ice-cold lemonade in the sunshine, they hear about how Grandpa’s song of sorrow won him El Rancho. They hear about chickens that have abandoned their coops to live in Abuela’s chicken tree, and they even discover a story about a boy who cried chocolate tears. In those days of running and jumping, the narrator, Tito, did not realize that he was hearing the stories that would wrap him up “like an enchanted sarape to keep me warm for the rest of [his] life.”
La Isla
When Rosalba and Abuela travel to la isla, the island where Abuela grew up, Rosalba meets Abuela’s son, Fernando, and his family and samples the sights of the island. By the creators of Abuela.
Super Cilantro Girl/La Superniña Del Cilantro
What happens when a small girl suddenly starts turning green, as green as a cilantro leaf, and grows to be fifty feet tall? She becomes Super Cilantro Girl, and can overcome all obstacles, that’s what! Esmeralda Sinfronteras is the winning super-hero in this effervescent tale about a child who flies huge distances and scales tall walls in order to rescue her mom. Award-winning writer Juan Felipe Herrera taps into the wellsprings of his imagination to address and transform the concerns many first-generation children have about national borders and immigrant status. Honorio Robledo Tapia has created brilliant images and landscapes that will delight all children.
Cheech The School Bus Driver
Why can’t all bus drivers be as cool as Cheech? When the kids on the school bus decide to enter the Battle of the Bands, no one is more excited than Cheech. On the big day, they all pile into the bus and get ready to groove! But when they arrive, they find they’re the only mariachi band in the whole contest—and the rock and roll bands look awesome! In this zany story by beloved performer Cheech Marin, the band tries every trick in the book to make their act mea-sure up—with hilarious results! How will mariachi ever compete against rock and roll?
Rin, Rin, Rin / Do, Re, Mi
Written in both Spanish and English, a young child asks his parents to “sing to me, say letters to me, rhyme with me, count with me, read with me.” Like Read To Your Bunny, Rin, Rin, Rin/Do, Re, Mi is a book that has two purposes–as a fun picture book and as advice for parents who want to give their children a foundation in literacy. This book features lyrics and music by Jose-Luis Orozco, a beloved performer among Latino communities, as well as wonderful artwork by Caldecott artist David Diaz.
Chato And The Party Animals
Chato, the coolest cat in el barrio, loves to party–but not his best buddy, Novio Boy. Birthday parties always make him blue. “I’m from the pound,” he tells Chato. “I don’t know when I was born. I never knew my mami. I never even had a birthday party, or nothing.”So Chato plans the coolest surprise party for Novio Boy, inviting all of el barrio, and cooking up a storm. But he forgets the most important thing–inviting Novio Boy! Luckily, just as everyone starts remembering all the things they used to love about their long-lost friend, the birthday boy arrives with his own surprise–himself!In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called Chato’s Kitchen “Wickedly funny…Guevara’s cats are delicious send-ups of barrio characters, and Soto’s words glisten with wit. Salud to this magical pairing of talents.”