Mexico

Materials from Mexico

Growing Up with Tamales/Los Tamales De Ana (Spanish Edition)

“My name is Ana. Every year, my family makes tamales for Christmas. This year, I am six, so I get to mix the dough, which is made of cornmeal. My sister Lidia is eight, so she gets to spread the dough on the corn husk leaves. I wish I was eight, so that my hands would be big enough to spread the dough just right–not too thick and not too thin.” And so the years pass, and Ana turns eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen. But every year, big sister Lidia is always two years older. Ana envies her elder sibling and wishes she could do what Lidia does: put just the right amount of meat inside the tamales and roll them up; steam the tamales without scalding herself with the hot, hot steam; chop and cook the meat for the tamales without cutting or burning her hands. When she turns eighteen, though, Ana knows she will keep making tamales and she will be able to do all of the steps herself in her very own factory. When Christmas comes around, Ana will deliver tamales to all of her customers around the world, in delivery trucks that say “Ana’s Tamales.” And maybe Ana will even let Lidia work for her. Gwendolyn Zepeda’s rhythmic prose is combined with April Ward’s bright illustrations to create an affectionate and amusing story about sibling relationships that introduces an important Hispanic holiday tradition–making tamales!

Three Little Tamales

While three little tamales cool off on a windowsill, a tortilla rolls by. “You’ll be eaten. You’d better run,” he tells them. And so the tamales jump out the window. The first runs to the prairie and builds a house of sagebrush. The second runs to a cornfield and builds a house of cornstalks. The third runs to the desert and builds a house of cactus. Then who should come along but Senior Lobo, the Big Bad Wolf, with plans to blow their houses down. Valeria Docampo’s oil-and-pencil illustrations add zest and humor to this rollicking southwestern version of a popular tale.

Making Magic Windows: Creating Papel Picado/Cut-Paper Art with Carmen Lomas Garza

 This book introduces the traditional Mexican craft of papel picado. It provides instructions for making paper banners and more intricate cut-outs and includes diagrams for creating specific images.

Canto Familiar

cantoCelebrate childhood and the Mexican American experience with this lively collection of poems accompanied by beautiful woodcut illustrations. This touching and humorous volume is a vibrant companion to Neighborhood Odes.

Crossing The Wire

When falling crop prices threaten his family with starvation, fifteen–year–old Victor Flores heads north in a desperate attempt to “cross the wire” from Mexico into the United States so he can find work and send money home. But with no “coyote money” to pay the smugglers who sneak illegal workers across the border, Victor must struggle to survive as he jumps trains, stows away on trucks, and hikes grueling miles through the Arizona desert. Victor’s journey is fraught with danger, as he faces freezing cold, scorching heat, hunger, and dead ends. It’s a gauntlet run by millions attempting to cross the border. Through Victor’s often desperate struggle, Will Hobbs brings to life one of the great human dramas of our time.

Day Of The Dead

Above a small town in Mexico, the sun rises like a great marigold, and one family begins preparations for an annual celebration, El día de los muertos, the Day of the Dead. Soon they will go out into the night, join their neighbors, and walk to the graveyard to welcome the spirits of their loved ones home again. Framed by decorative borders and peppered with Spanish words, Day of the Dead is a glorious introduction to a fascinating celebration. A note at the end of the book provides factual information about the holiday.

Prizefighter En Mi Casa

Following a car accident that left her with epilepsy, twelve-year-old Chula–with a little help from a visiting fearsome Mexican boxer–tries to deal with the repercussions her new condition has on her family, neighborhood, and school.

Wiggling Pockets/Los bolsillos saltarines (My Family: Mi Familia) (Spanish Edition)

How many frogs fit in Danny’s pockets? It’s a jumping surprise! ¿Cuántas ranas caben en los bolsillos de Danny? ¡Es una sorpresa saltarina! One frog hops on Tina’s head, Una rana brinca encima de la cabeza de Tina, And another springs onto Mom’s delicious cherry pie! Oh, no! ¡Y otra rana cae encima del delicioso pastel de cerezas que hizo Mamá! ¡Ay, no! We don’t want to eat frog pie! ¡No queremos comer pastel de ranas! Wiggling Pockets Los bolsillos saltarines This bilingual book will appeal to anyone who’s ever been unintentionally mischievous—just like Danny with his wiggling pockets full of frogs! Este libro bilingüe le encantará a todos los que sin querer han sido un poco traviesos . . . ¡igual que Danny y sus bolsillos saltarines llenos de ranas!

Here, Kitty, Kitty!/Ven, gatita, ven! (My Family: Mi Familia)

Our new kitty likes to hide. A nuestra nueva gatita le gusta esconderse. She hides under the table, Se esconde debajo de la mesa, inside a flowerpot, dentro de una maceta and behind the curtains. Y detrás de las cortinas. We call out to her, La llamamos, pero . . . but will she ever come close enough to pet? ¿se acercará lo suficiente como para acariciarla? Here, kitty, kitty! ¡Ven, gatita, ven! This third book in Pat Mora’s bilingual My Family/Mi familia series will delight children with its mischievous kitty, playful illustrations, and engaging story. Este tercer libro de la serie bilingüe My Family/Mi familia de Pat Mora entretendrá a los niños con una gatita traviesa, ilustraciones graciosas y una historia encantadora.