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.
United States
Materials from United States of America
Surprising Cecilia
Surprising Cecilia is the second novel-following the success of Cecilia’s Year-about a girl whose dreams carry her far beyond the small farm community she lives in. Both novels are set in the rich Hispanic culture of the Rio Grande Valley in the 1930s. Cecilia has worked hard so that she can go to high school. Now it’s September-the school bus is bringing Cecilia to the new adventures, surprises, and responsibilities of growing up. Susan Gonzales Abraham and Denise Gonzales Abraham are the daughters of Cecilia Gonzales Abraham, the hero of the Cecilia books. Cecilia’s Year has been selected as the Best Book for Young Adults in 2004 by the Texas Institute of Letters.
The Christmas Gift
With honesty and rare grace, award-winning author Francisco Jiménez shares his most poignant Christmas memory in this remarkable book. Illustrated with paintings full of strength and warmth, written in spare bilingual text, this simple story celebrates the true spirit of Christmas, and illuminates how children do indeed draw strength from the bonds of their families.
Lasso the Moon
In a compelling story by the author of Lizard, April cannot stop thinking about Fernando, her father’s patient from El Salvador, but when she hears two different stories of his life she wonders which one is the truth.
Let’s Eat
Little Antonio introduces his extended family and explains that Mama is the biggest because “she is going to have a baby any day now.” Everyday she sends the boy to gather the family for their midday meal. On Monday, Papa can’t leave his busy carpentry shop. On Tuesday, his sister Alicia is learning to dance the sevillanas for the summer fiesta. Day after day, when there is an empty seat at the table that Papa built and Mama has filled with inviting food, she sighs, “Ay, que pena! What a pity.” Eventually, it is Mama herself who is missing because it’s time for her to have baby Rosa.
F Is For Fiesta
From adornos (decorations) going up all over the house, biscochitos (cupcakes) baking in the oven, and a special treat of churros (doughnut sticks) for breakfast, this can only be the beginning of a fabulous cumpleaños (birthday)! As the alphabet continues, the story highlights fun elements of a boy’s never-ending birthday celebration, including entries for ch, ll, ñ, and rr that make this a truly Latino ABC fiesta.
Clever verse and exuberant illustrations make the meaning of each Spanish word clear, and an author’s note explains the difference between the English and Spanish alphabets.
The Moon is La Luna: Silly Rhymes in English And Spanish
This book is full of monos, ratons, and osos. What’s that, you say? You don’t know what a mono is? What about a rio, some pelo, or even an árbol? No? Still no idea? You should read this libro, then. By the time you finish, you’ll be able to recognize and understand more than fifty simple Spanish words. You’ll be saying, “Mas, por favor!” You may even ask your papá to buy you a gato or pato. (But not your papa. Potatoes can’t buy pets.)
The Ghosts of Luckless Gulch
Estrella can run so fast that she burns up the air, leaving trails of flames wherever she goes. Her pets — a Kickle Snifter, a Sidehill Wowser, and a Rubberado puppy — are as untamed as California, and the pride and love of Estrella’s heart.When the greedy ghosts of old gold miners steal her pets, Estrella will need every bit of her pluck and nimble-footedness to rescue them from the ghosts of Luckless Gulch.
Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio
In this quiet, gentle novella reminiscent of Sarah, Plain and Tall, award-winning picture book writer Tony Johnston creates a moving story about a loving Chicano family in East LA. Filled with love, hope, and the exquisite beauty of a very special community, Tony Johnston¹s first novel is a warm and memorable gem.
Boys At Work
Rudy Herrera and his friend, Alex, scramble to earn enough money to replace Slinky’s accidentally broken Discman and then find out that the Discman really belonged to big, bad Trucha. By the author of The Pool Party.