Materials from the Americas
Hacer limpieza general puede descubrirnos un mundo. En el cuarto de mi madre -cuenta Bel- había un armario, dentro del armario había un cajón, dentro del cajón había una caja, dentro de la caja había un sobre, dentro del sobre había un montón de retratos, dentro de un retrato estaba Bisa Bea. Y así, de la mano del pasado y del futuro, Bel vivirá su presente.
More than forty verses, games and stories of Spanish childhood folklore have been collected by the author from research based largely on archival materials gathered by WPA writers in the 1930s and in current interviews. A number of the pieces can be traced directly to Spain and were brought to America by early explorers and settlers. They serve as a link between the old and new worlds–a way to retain cultural and historical memory and transmit it to succeeding generations. Many interesting variations have occurred over the centuries, always the way with true folklore, as children have played the games and the stories have been told and retold. Literal translations, rules for playing the games and music for some of them are included. Winner of the Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association.
Introduces children to Latin American folklore by using short stories, poems, riddles and much more.
In this evocative picture book, Mama, Papa, and six brothers and sisters live behind a fabric and thread store in downtown Guatemala City in the late 1950s. The narrator’s parents fled China during the Japanese invasion and, with a few neighbors, found refuge in Central America and opened their business. People come from all over to buy their bright fabrics and brilliant thread for weaving and making clothes. Author and artist Amelia Lau Carling depicts an almost magical kingdom where Chinese, Guatemalan, and Native cultures meet in harmony, where children can play and learn about all the different peoples who bring the city to vibrant life.
Teenagers from Guatemala describe why they left that country and how they have adjusted to life in their new homeland.
Había u vez u niña que se llamaba Li Mi?n. Vivía en chimel, un pueblo de Guatemala. Li Mi?n tenía un abuelo que contaba historias fantásticas. No sabía que algún día, bajo el nombre de Rigoberta Menchú, garía un Premio Nobel de la Paz. En este libro rra, con su amigo Dante Liano, la fábula de su infancia.
The story of Rigoberta Menchú, a political and human rights activist from Guatemala.
Sixteen-year-old Sophie has been frail and delicate since her premature birth, but discovers her true strength during a journey through Mexico, where the six-year-old orphan her family hopes to adopt was born, and to Guatemala, where her would-be boyfriend hopes to find his mother and plans to remain.
In the rain forest of Costa Rica, a boy named Fernando lives with his family in the tin-roofed house that his father has built. He picks bananas right off the tree outside his door and swims in the river nearby. When Fernando finds his favorite climbing tree cut down, he learns that not everyone has respect for the beautiful forest. Full-color photos.
Young Chabelita must stay with her grandparents while her mother lives in a distant town. When Chabelita recites her mother’s favorite poem at her school’s Christmas pageant, she receives a special Christmas surprise. Argentina Palacios is a noted folklorist and Latin American storyteller. Full color.
Back in the earliest memories of the world, the God of the Night ruled the skies, but his reign as sun was ended by the jealousy of the God of the Wind. The ancient gods’ struggle for supremacy raged for ages, until the creation, by sacrifice of the fifth and final sun. “An unusual book that should do much to illuminate the legends of an important ancient culture.” — Kirkus Reviews