A cradle for baby, a superhero’s cape, a warm blanket on a cool night–there are so many things you can do with a rebozo. Through the eyes of a young girl, readers are introduced to the traditional shawl found in many Mexican and Mexican-American households. Lively rhymes and illustrations as brightly colored as the woven cloths themselves celebrate a warm cultural icon that, with a little imagination, can be used in many different ways.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2
In this sequel to Honey Blonde Chica, Evie Gomez finally has it all: a sweet boyfriend, two mejor amigas, and an upcoming sixteeñera that’s the talk of the school. Too bad reality has a way of ruining things. Just when things look perfect, everything starts to unwind. Evie’s life takes one bad turn after another. Things can’t get more complicated…can they?
Hector and Mando, two Chicano seventh graders from East Los Angeles, visit Hector’s uncle in the less-than-exciting town of Fresno and find plenty of excitement, laughs, and thrills after they witness a robbery and are chased by the dim-witted criminals.
Now available in Spanish, this is the story of a Mexican American girl who learns to value the act of giving when she attends her first Swap Meet.
A collection of ten original and traditional stories set in New Mexico, including “Lupe and la Llorona,” “The Shepherd Who Knew the Language of Animals,” and “Coyote and Raven.”
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 2
Social studies projects reflecting Spanish culture on the American West.
Outspoken, impulsive Lylice has skipped fifth grade, but she finds that getting along at Susan B. Anthony Middle School is more difficult than she expected, until she befriends another newcomer to the sixth grade.
Under a smooth gray rock on the outside windowsill of a home in Chimayo, New Mexico, sits la llave–the key–to the home of Grandpa and Grandma Ortega. The key has always been there for family, friends, and neighbors to use. When Grandma Ortega passes away, some things change and some things stay the same. Grandpa now lives alone, but his life is still filled with loving family and friends and la llave is still resting underneath its rock. Cristina Ortega’s latest children’s story represents life on a northern New Mexico plaza while highlighting the respect, friendship, trust, commitment, and love found in the community. Spanish phrases within the text and detailed illustrations by Cristina’s brother, Luis Armando Ortega, combine to demonstrate to children the importance of these timeless values.Reading level: grade 4 and up
A family memoir full of New Mexico flavor, Tortilla Chronicles serves up a hearty helping of the “City Different” from the perspective of the humble, hardworking Romeros, a family honored for its contributions to regional folk arts. Marie Romero Cash, herself a renowned artist, poignantly sketches each family member using his or her own voice. Their stories present a rare glimpse into the life of a traditional Hispano family and provide an antidote to typical nostalgic tourist accounts of 1950s Santa Fe. One of the main characters is Santa Fe itself, and the narrative tours the city’s streets, shops, plaza, and surrounding hills and arroyos in astounding detail. The ancestry and rituals of family life, the culture and religion of northern New Mexico, and the growth of a neighborhood and its children are all part of the recipe.
Provides comprehensive information on the history of the Spanish exploring the United States from the American Revolution to the Mexican Revolution.