Twenty-one poems about growing up in an Hispanic neighborhood, highlighting the delights in such everyday items as sprinklers, the park, the library, and pomegranates.
Neighborhood Odes
Americas
Materials from the Americas
Marisol Mcdonald and the Clash Bash: Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igual (English and Spanish Edition)
A multiracial, bilingual girl plans a birthday party and hopes her abuelita (grandma) will be able to come from Peru to join the celebration.
Why Did We Have To Move Here
A young boy has trouble adjusting to his new home and his new school, until he decides that with a little effort, he can make new friends.
Lupita’s First Dance / El Primer Baile De Lupita
Lupita is excited about dancing la raspa, a Mexican folk dance, with her first-grade class at a celebration of Children’s Day. But she’s devastated when she learns right before the show that her partner Ernesto sprained his right ankle.
Lupita’s First Dance / El Primer Baile De Lupita has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for September 2020.
When This World Was New
When his father leads him on a magical trip of discovery through new fallen snow, a young boy who emigrated from his warm island home overcomes fears about living in New York.
Let’s Salsa / Bailemos Salsa
Estella can’t help but giggle when she sees her neighbors, Dona Rosa and Dona Maria, shaking their hips while dancing and sweating at an exercise class at the community recreation center. A few days later, when her mother complains about gaining weight, Estella encourages her to join the class.
Let’s Salsa / Bailemos Salsa has been discussed in My Take/Your Take for September 2020.
I Am Rene, The Boy/ Soy Rene, El Nino
When René learns that in the United States his name is also a girl’s name, he does some research and relates the name’s meaning and letters to his homeland of El Salvador and the things that make him special.
Home at Last
Ana Patino is adjusting well to her new life in the United States, but her mother is having problems because she doesn’t know English. When one of the babies falls ill, Mama tries to get help, but no one can understand her. Convinced that she needs to learn the new language, Mama agrees to take English lessons. As Mama gains new language skills, she also develops a sense of confidence and belonging.
Green Corn Tamales / Tamales De Elote
GREEN CORN TAMLAES – TAMALES DE ELOTE narrates the experience of one small girl growing up in an Hispanic-American family which gathers every year at grandmother’s ranch to make wonderful green corn tamales
Estela’s Swap
A young Mexican American girl accompanies her father to a swap meet, where she hopes to sell her music box for money for dancing lessons.