Beloved children’s book author and speaker Pat Mora has written an original collection of poems, each with a different teen narrator sharing unique thoughts, moments, sadness, or heart’s desire: the girl who loves swimming, plunging into the water that creates her own world; the guy who leaves flowers on the windshield of the girl he likes. Each of the teens in these 50 original poems, written using a variety of poetic forms, will be recognizable to the reader as the universal emotions, ideas, impressions, and beliefs float across the pages in these gracefully told verses.Also included are the author’s footnotes on the various types of poetic forms used throughout to help demystify poetry and showcase its accessibility, which makes this a perfect classroom tool for teachers as well as an inspiration to readers who may wish to try their own hand at writing.
Americas
Materials from the Americas
Tortuga In Trouble
Yum! Tortuga is bringing a delicious supper to his abuela of ensalada, tamales, and flan. No wonder his amigos–Iguana, Conejo, and Culebra–are following him. But they aren’t the only ones after the tortoise. Coyote has his own dinner plans for Tortuga and his grandmother. Can the three amigos warn them in time, in this variation of Little Red Riding Hood? A companions to Mañana, Iguana; Fiesta Fiasco; and Count on Culebra.
Muchacho: A Novel
Living in a neighborhood of drug dealers and gangs in New Mexico, high school junior Eddie Corazon, a juvenile delinquent-in-training, falls in love with a girl who inspires him to rethink his life and his choices.
My Shoes and I
As Mario and his Papa travel from El Salvador to the United States to be reunited with Mama, Mario’s wonderful new shoes help to distract him from the long and difficult journey.
Star in the Forest
After eleven-year-old Zitlally’s father is deported to Mexico, she takes refuge in her trailer park’s forest of rusted car parts, where she befriends a spunky neighbor and finds a stray dog that she nurses back to health and believes she must keep safe so.
A Piñata in a Pine Tree
An award-winning author and a rising star artist have put a festive Latino twist on “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” populating it with piñatas in place of partridges, plus burritos bailando (dancing donkeys), lunitas cantando (singing moons), and much more, all displayed in the most vivid colors imaginable. In this version a little girl receives gifts from a secret amiga, whose identity is a sweet surprise at the book’s conclusion. There are things to find and count in Spanish on every page, with pronunciations provided right in the pictures and a glossary and music following the story. This joyous fiesta will warm even the coldest of hearts.
Confetti Girl
Apolonia “Lina”Flores is a sock enthusiast, a volleyball player, a science lover, and a girl who’s just looking for answers. Even though her house is crammed full of books (her dad’s a bibliophile), she’s having trouble figuring out some very big questions, like why her dad seems to care about books more than her, why her best friend’s divorced mom is obsessed with making cascarones (hollowed eggshells filled with colorful confetti), and, most of all, why her mom died last year. Like colors in cascarones, Lina’s life is a rainbow of people, interests, and unexpected changes.In her first novel for young readers, Diana López creates a clever and honest story about a young Latina girl navigating growing pains in her South Texan city.
What Can You Do With a Paleta?
A young Mexican American girl celebrates the paleta, an icy fruit popsicle, and the many roles it plays in her lively barrio.
Addicted To Her
Monique is as beautiful and unobtainable as an Aztec goddess. Or is she? In this novel set in California’s San Joaquin Valley, a Mexican American teenager must choose between what he desperately wants and what he knows is best.
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El Dia De Los Ninos/El Dia De Los Libros
Take a ride in a long submarine or fly away in a hot air balloon. Whatever you do, just be sure to bring your favorite book! Rafael López’s colorful illustrations perfectly complement Pat Mora’s lilting text in this delightful celebration of El día de los ni_os/El día de los libros; Children’s Day/Book Day. Toon! Toon!Includes a letter from the author and suggestions for celebrating El día de los ni_os/El día de los libros; Children’s Day/Book Day.Pasea por el mar en un largo submarino o viaja lejos en un globo aerostftico. No importa lo que hagas, _no olvides traer tu libro preferido! Las coloridas ilustraciones de Rafael López complementan perfectamente el texto rítmico de Pat Mora en esta encantadora celebración de El día de los ni_os/El día de los libros. _Tun! _Tun!Incluye una carta de la autora y sugerencias para celebrar El día de los ni_os/El día de los libros.The author will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to literacy initiatives related to Children’s Day/Book Day.La autora donarf una porción de las ganancias de este libro a programas para fomentar la alfabetización relacionados con El día de los ni_os/El día de los libros.