A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez

cesarCesar Chavez dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers. This champion of social justice organized farmworkers into unions and argued for better pay and fwir working conditions.

The Old Man And His Door

Who would bring the door, la puerta, to a picnic instead of the pig, el puerco? An old man who’s great at gardening but lousy at listening to his wife! “In the universal tradition of the wise-fool story, this gentle disaster tale is funny and affectionate….The combination is great for reading aloud.” — Booklist

Marta’s Magnets

Marta’s sister Rosa calls her magnet collection junk, but Marta’s magnets help her make friends in her new home and help her retrieve a lost key for Rosa’s new friend.

500 Anos del Pueblo Chicano/500 Years of Chicano History: In Pictures

500 yearsThis bilingual pictorial history depicts the Mexican American/Chicano people from their origins 500 years ago with Columbus’ “discovery” and the invasions of the New World, to their struggles for social justice today. Over 800 photographs with brief explanatory texts tell the story of how Mexicans came to what is now the U.S. well before the Pilgrims and after the U.S. war of 1846-48, were made strangers in their own land. Elizabeth Martinez, author of books and articles on social movements, presents a vivid record of the life, culture, and collective struggles by farmworkers, miners, students, factory workers, women’s organizations, noted leaders, immigrants, and artists across the country. The faces of weathered workers, militant youth and beautiful children alternate with victims of lynchings and bloody repression to create a work of both pain and celebration. This updated edition should be of special interest, given today’s emphasis on multiculturalism, to teachers and students as well as the general public. The publisher, the SouthWest Organizing Project, is a community-based organization nationally known for its work on racial, social, and economic justice issues. Order from Southwest Community Resources, 211 10th St., SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505-247-8832.

La Noche Buena

Nina is visiting her grandmother in Miami for Christmas. Usually she spends it in snowy New England with her mother and her family, but this year is different. She isn’t certain what to make of a hot and humid holiday, until she learns the traditions of her father’s side of the family from her Cuban grandmother. She helps prepare for the evening and takes part in all their traditions—the intricate cooking for the feast, the dancing, the music, and the gathering of relatives and neighbors. It all comes together for a Noche Buena that Nina will never forget.   Antonio Sacre and Angela Dominguez have created a wonderful story that everyone who celebrates Christmas will enjoy. The book includes a glossary of Spanish words.