In the early fall we celebrate Hispanic Heritage. And during
September, we set aside time to honor grandparents. Included in this delightful
collection of books are family accounts that highlight Latino cultures and
traditions. Also featured are blended and extended generations, and informal
relationships.
These memorable tales showcase a variety of storytelling and
kinds of stories. You can use these books to launch conversations about your
own family history. Sharing experiences from childhood memories with your
child(ren) can bring you closer to each other.
Take time to generate a
storehouse of keepsakes. They can enrich your times together and fill your life
with playfulness and laughter.
My Tata’s Remedies
by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford
Illustrated by Antonio Castro L.
Not
only is this an appealing story for young people, it’s also a useful book of
home remedies. This captivating multi-generational story shows how flowers and
other plants can be used to treat common hurts and illnesses.
Grandson Aaron watches as his Tata
(grandpa) Gus, the neighborhood healer, helps a parade of family members and
friends. They arrive asking for assistance; for bee-stings, rashes and burns to
toothaches, fevers and eye infections. With roots in the American Southwest
this book, in both Spanish and English, spotlights traditional practices and
community building.
Colorful, expressive watercolors highlight
both the injured individuals and the natural plants from which the treatments
are made. A glossary of medicinal herbs and remedies with pictures, informal
and scientific names, and cautions is included at the end.
Cinco Puntos Press,
$17.95 (hardcover), $8.95 (paperback)
Interest Level: Grades
1- 3
This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.
Mango, Abuela and Me
by Meg Medina
Illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Mia
speaks only a little Spanish (Espanol) and Abuela (Grandma) speaks almost no
English. How will they talk together?
Mia has an idea sparked by a red
feather that Abuela brought with her. It’s a way to keep the memory alive, of “a
wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees” back home. In fact, Mia has
several great ideas about how she and her Abuela can learn to talk with each
other. But the parrot she and her mother get for Abuela as a gift, naming him
Mango, is the delight of this story.
Colorful,
award winning illustrations in ink, gouache and marker are enhanced with
“digital magic” to match the upbeat text. Expressive faces and body language
communicate difficulties and successes of language barriers, familiar to many
immigrant families.
Award
winner Medina easily introduces Spanish words into the text of this warm family
story. This gives a strong sense of both cultural and generational variations. Context
and sometimes an English translation of a phrase make this tale accessible. A
Spanish-language edition is also available.
Candlewick Press,
$15.99
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2
This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.
Separate is Never
Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan
Tonatiuh
Many
people think the fight for school integration began with Brown vs. Board of
Education in 1954. However, Mexican-American students experienced the
integration of schools in California in 1947 (seven years earlier). This is the
story of how that happened.
In
the summer of 1944, Sylvia Mendez and her family moved to Westminster. She and
her brothers were excited to attend the school near the farm the family leased.
Aunt Soledad took Sylvia, her brothers and their cousins to register.
But, they were told they “must go
to the Mexican school.” This was in spite of the fact that the children and
parents were all US citizens and spoke English. No one would explain to the Mendez’s
why the children could not attend the school nearest their home. The two
schools, clearly providing separate education, were not providing equal education, as required by law.
Despite
many local Mexican-Americans’ unwillingness to sign a petition, four other families
did join the Mendez’s in a lawsuit. The successful suit received support from
organizations as diverse as the NAACP, the American Jewish Congress, and the
Japanese American Citizens League.
Tonatiuh’s
hand-drawn stylized illustrations are digitally colored and collaged. His use
of images that suggest Mexican folk art is a captivating mix of indigenous and
modern design.
A
useful author’s note explains the cultural and historical environment. Photos
of Sylvia, her parents and the schools help readers make connections to real
people. Additional backmatter includes a glossary, bibliography, and index.
Especially interesting are the sources of the dialogue.
Abrams, $18.95
Interest Level: Grades 1-3
This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.
Little Gold Star: A
Cinderella Cuento
retold in Spanish and English by Joe Hayes
Illustrated
by Gloria Osuna Perez and Lucia Angela Perez
Variations
of Cinderella are found in cultures throughout the world. In this adaptation,
well-respected storyteller Hayes credits the influence of familiar traditional
versions from New Mexico.
His
upbeat retelling begins with Arcia’s suggestion to her widowed father that he
marry a neighbor. This is because Margarita has kindly given Arcia treats.
Initially reluctant, he marries the
widow, and all is well – at first. When he takes sheep to the mountain meadows however,
Margarita changes and the stepsisters become quarrelsome.
Upon returning, the father gives
each girl a young sheep to tend. Not surprisingly, Arcia’s sheep gets the best
care. After shearing, she takes the wool to wash in the river. A swooping hawk
snatches it away. At her cry, he replies in human speech, “Lift…up…your
eyes…Look…where…I…fly-y-y.” When she does, a gold star attaches to her
forehead.
Of course, the sisters are jealous
of Arcia’s new face decoration. But, their encounters with the hawk are
disastrous. And although Arcia does not attend the ball, the prince falls in
love with her, as she peeks in the window.
The mother-daughter artist team use
intense acrylics in a primitive style. Dramatic illustrations seamlessly partner
with the text (in both informal Spanish and similarly engaging English). This distinctive
retelling of a favorite tale offers readers easy access to Latino-Indigenous
cultures of the American Southwest.
Cinco Puntos Press
Interest Level: Grades 1-3
More Terrific Tales
Kitchen Dance by
Maurie J. Manning
Houghton Mifflin,
$17.99
Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 2
This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.
A Box Full of Kittens
by Sonia Manzano
Illustrated by Matt Phelan
Atheneum, $17.99
Interest
Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1
This book may be purchased from local and online booksellers.
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