Twenty-one poems about growing up in an Hispanic neighborhood, highlighting the delights in such everyday items as sprinklers, the park, the library, and pomegranates.
Neighborhood Odes
Hispanic-American
She’s Got Game
Fresh from the spotlight of their first television experience, the Amigas Inc. team is back, but the heat is always on in Miami and when they get hired to do an unusual quince for a bratty debutante, the temperature goes sky high.
Grandma Francisca Remembers (What Was It Like Grandma?)
An Hispanic grandmother relates family and cultural history to her granddaughter in her San Francisco, California, apartment as she tells of growing up in New Mexico.
Dear Primo
From first-time Mexican author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh comes the story of two cousins, one in America and one in Mexico, and how their daily lives are different yet similar. Charlie takes the subway to school; Carlitos rides his bike. Charlie plays in fallen leaves; Carlitos plays among the local cacti. Dear Primo covers the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of two very different childhoods, while also emphasizing how alike Charlie and Carlitos are at heart. Spanish words are scattered among the English text, providing a wonderful way to introduce the language and culture of Mexico to young children.Inspired by the ancient art of the Mixtecs and other cultures of Mexico, Tonatiuh incorporates their stylized forms into his own artwork.
Speak English for Us, Marisol!
After school, Marisol eagerly starts for home to see if her cat, Luisa, has had her kittens. But before she can get there, Uncle Tomás calls to her. He needs Marisol to tell the poultry man that his chickens cost too much. Uncle Tomás cannot speak English so Marisol must do the talking–and she does. Marisol hurries on her way, but soon Auntie Flora stops her for help. Then Mrs. Lopez needs her, too. When Marisol finally gets home, her own mama needs her to hurry to the phone company to straighten out a bill. Luisa will have to wait.
Scratch and the Pirates of Paradise Cove
On the first day of summer vacation, ten-year-old Rafi and his father are searching for their lucky, six-toed cat, Scratch, when an earthquake knocks them off a cliff and they find themselves on a pirate ship, heading toward adventure.
The Civil War: 1840s-1890s (Hispanic America)
Describes Hispanic American participation in the United States Civil War and how Hispanics in New Mexico and other acquired territories transitioned to becoming a part of the nation.