Poetry

Poetry genre

Canto Familiar

Twenty-five poems about the pleasures and woes that Mexican American children experience growing up. Simple poems, many involving Mexican Americans, celebrate experiences at school, home, and in the street. A companion to Neighborhood Odes, (1992). Touching, vibrant, and humorous, this lively collection of poems accompanied by beautiful illustrations celebrates childhood and the Mexican American experience. Invoking ordinary domestic and community incidents, it’ a fine introduction not only to poetry but to Chicano culture. Nelson debuts with scenes–homey, comfortable, bright–that make the book even more accessible.

Angels Ride Bikes And Other Fall Poems: Los Angeles Andan Bicicletas

A bilingual collection of poems by a renowned Mexican-American poet revisits and celebrates his childhood memories of fall in the city and growing up in Los Angeles. By the creators of Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems. 10,000 first printing.

Poems to Dream Together / Poemas Para Sonar Juntos

A collection of poems in English and Spanish discusses imagination, dreams, family, and growing up in California and in Mexico.

The Girl of the Wish Garden

This beautifully written story, loosely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Thumbelina,” was created in response to the gorgeous award-winning art of Nasrin Khosravi. Author Uma Krishnaswami’s sensitive and poetic tale opens when Lina, a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb, is found in a flower by her mother. Because she is so tiny, adventure and mishap easily befall her — a giant frog leaves her stranded on a lily pad, she is freed by curious fish, then pestered by crazy bugs. Lina lives by herself in the depths of a forest until the cold of winter approaches and she begins to feel lonely. She encounters a mouse, who is happy to have someone to dust and sweep for him, but one day in the back room of his house Lina comes across the body of a swallow. The mouse is convinced the bird is dead but Lina, thinking she sees a wing tremble, brings it food and water. Amazingly, the swallow revives and the two of them fly together to the garden of wishes.

Caminar

Carlos knows that when the soldiers arrive with warnings about the Communist rebels, it is time to be a man and defend the village, keep everyone safe. But Mama tells him not yet — he’s still her quiet moonfaced boy. The soldiers laugh at the villagers, and before they move on, a neighbor is found dangling from a tree, a sign on his neck: Communist. Mama tells Carlos to run and hide, then try to find her. . . . Numb and alone, he must join a band of guerillas as they trek to the top of the mountain where Carlos’s abuela lives. Will he be in time, and brave enough, to warn them about the soldiers? What will he do then? A novel in verse inspired by actual events during Guatemala’s civil war, Caminar is the moving story of a boy who loses nearly everything before discovering who he really is. Set in 1981 Guatemala, a lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of war.

Love To Mamá: A Tribute To Mothers

Thirteen Latino poets detail the powerful bond between mothers, grandmothers, and children, and describe the profound impact their mothers and grandmothers had on them, in an enchanting book filled with vivid illustrations.

There Was An Old Sailor

This playful, rhyming picture book offers a fresh and fun new take on the song “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” In Claire Saxby’s telling, a white-bearded, big-bellied sailor sets things in motion by swallowing a krill. He then goes on to swallow progressively larger sea creatures, each meant to catch the preceding one.