Each year on his birthday, a young Mexican American boy looks forward to seeing how his grandfather has decorated the tree he planted on the day the boy was adopted.
Latinx in US
Las Abuelas De Liliana: Spanish Hardcover Edition Of Liliana’s Grandmothers (Spanish Edition)
A gentle, loving look at grandmothers. In a book that will be officially published on Grandparents’ Day, a charming girl named Liliana describes how differently her grandmothers live their lives. Mima lives in New England, does yoga exercises, and likes crossword puzzles, for example. The other grandmother, Mama Gabina, lives in South America, enjoys gardening, and likes to dance around the house. The meals they cook are different, the stories they tell are different, but one thing about them is the same: they both love their granddaughter. And Liliana adores them. Leyla Torres’s watercolors show all the warmth and homeyness that are intrinsic in special family relationships.
Radio Man/Don Radio
As he travels with his family of migrant farmworkers, Diego relies on his radio to provide him with companionship and help connect him to all the different places in which he lives.
Rin, Rin, Rin / Do, Re, Mi
Written in both Spanish and English, a young child asks his parents to “sing to me, say letters to me, rhyme with me, count with me, read with me.” Like Read To Your Bunny, Rin, Rin, Rin/Do, Re, Mi is a book that has two purposes–as a fun picture book and as advice for parents who want to give their children a foundation in literacy. This book features lyrics and music by Jose-Luis Orozco, a beloved performer among Latino communities, as well as wonderful artwork by Caldecott artist David Diaz.
Voices In First Person: Reflections On Latino Identity
This eclectic, gritty, and groundbreaking collection of short monologues features 21 of the most respected Latino authors writing today, including Sandra Cisneros, Oscar Hijuelos, Esmeralda Santiago, and Gary Soto. Their fictional narratives give voice to what it’s like to be a Latinx teen in America. These voices are yearning. These voices are angry. These voices are, above all else, hopeful. These voices are America.
The Making Of A Civil Rights Leader (Hispanic Civil Rights)
Born in 1944, José Angel Gutiérrez grew up in a time when Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Texas and the Southwest attended separate schools and avoided public facilities and restaurants that were designated “Whites Only.” Despite the limits of segregation and rural culture in Texas, the passion to learn and to educate others, as well as to undo injustice, burned in his belly from an early age. Gutiérrez offers portraits of his early influences, from his father’s own pursuit of knowledge and political involvement, to his Mexican pre-school teacher’s dedication to bilingual-bicultural education which did not exist in public schools at that time, and to his mother’s courage and persistence, taking up migrant field work to provide for her family after the death of young Gutiérrez’s father. In this intensely narrated memoir, Gutiérrez details his rise from being beaten down by racist political and agricultural interests in South Texas to his leadership role in the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Complemented by photos from his personal archives, Gutiérrez recalls his struggle for education, his early baptism in grass-roots political organizing, and his success in creating one of history’s most successful third party movements, La Raza Unida Party. Along the way, Gutiérrez earned college and law degrees, as well as a Ph. D. in Political Science. He was elected or appointed to school boards, commissions, judgeships and party chairmanships, all with the single-minded purpose of extending equality to Mexican Americans and other minorities in the United States. Through his tireless efforts, he crossed paths with African American and Native American civil rights leaders, Mexican presidents, and other international figures.
The Secret Story Of Sonia Rodriguez
Sonia Rodriguez was born in the United States, but her parents are Mexican immigrants who came to California before she was born. Her father has three Social Security numbers, her mother is pregnant (again), and neither of them speaks English. Sonia’s mother spends most of her time in bed, watching soap operas, and letting Sonia clean up after her brothers. Sonia’s father works dutifully to support his family, but he knows that his daughter’s dreams are bigger than making tamales for family get-togethers. When Sonia attempts to put school work before her familia, her mother decides that it’s time for Sonia to visit her grandmother in Mexico to learn “the ways of the old world.” While in Mexico, Sonia spends time with her wise grandmother and her cousin Maria who teach her that while familia is important, the most important thing is to follow your heart. Sonia returns to the States determined to succeed in school, but the birth of her new twin siblings, inappropriate advances from her drunk uncle (Drunkle), and a forbidden relationship with an El Salvadorian boy push school to the back burner. If only Sonia can find the time to cook dinner, secretly meet with her boyfriend, avoid her Drunkle, AND finish her homework, she just might be able to graduate from high school…
Treasure Of Taos: Tales Of Northern New Mexico
Set in the mountains of Northern New Mexico these five cuentos are an engaging blend of history and fantasy. Warmly accented with fine pencil illustrations, this collection of folktales invites readers of all ages to experience New Mexico’s Hispanic heritage. Winner of the First Place Award for short fiction from the National Press Women’s Association.
The Cat Who Came For Tacos
When Señora Rosa and Señor Tomás find a stray cat sleeping on their stoop, they welcome him into their home. “Mi casa es su casa. My home is your home,” Señora Rosa tells the cat. He introduces himself as Flynn and wanders through their house while they prepare lunch, which has a delicious fishy smell. When lunch is served, Flynn hops up on the table. But before he can dig into the tuna tacos, his new friends point out a few house rules. “In my home, everyone dresses for meals,” says Señora Rosa. So Flynn borrows a doll’s tuxedo and puts it on. When Señor Tomás says, “In my home, people must sit in chairs,” Flynn brings a pillow from the sofa and puts it on the chair so he can reach his plate. Then, after a pleasant lunch, Señor Tomás and Señora Rosa discover that Flynn has some ideas of his own about how people and cats can live happilly together.
The Almost Murder and Other Stories
“Pops stormed his way down the hall in a pissed-off march–trouble on the move. A quick glance at his florid, contorted face told me he was smashed. I looked down at meat, spoon, dough–anything to avoid his bleary red eyes. The stench of booze sickened me. So did my father.” In the title story of this gritty collection for teens, a young girl remembers the night her father almost killed her mother. The peace that comes when her father is put in jail is short lived though, because in order to keep him behind bars she will have to testify against him in court. Can she be strong enough to overcome her fear? What if he leaps out of his chair and attacks her too? Can she do what needs to be done in order to keep her mother and grandmother safe? In Theresa Saldana’s first collection of stories for young adults, her characters confront issues relevant to all teens, from friendship to dreams for the future. Many, though, must overcome suffering–whether physical or emotional–that impacts their sense of security and well being. A teenager survives an auto accident that has left her with multiple disfiguring scars. Will she ever be able to really live again? A young high school student prepares to leave the safety of her neighborhood where her friends have accepted her the way she is–overweight. Will her new classmates at Hunter College be able to see who she really is inside her big body? Sure to intrigue young adult readers who will identify with numerous contemporary cultural references–from reality TV shows to computers and the Internet–the engrossing stories in this collection give voice to young Latinas who, like their counterparts everywhere, yearn to be “normal.”