Picture+book+resources

Ada, Alma Flor. //Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English.// New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. Very simple poems with vivid illustrations. Although lower elementary level, Spanish speaking students may enjoy reading some of the poems in Spanish and non-Spanish speaking students may be able to recognize some simple vocabulary words.

Alvarez, Julia. (2005) //A Gift of Gracias//. New York: Knopf. This is a story about Our Lady of Guadalupe (or Our Lady of Altagracia) from the Dominican Republic. This story connects to “Miracle in Tent City” in which the family prays to her. Also many students on the East Coast may be more familiar with the Dominican version and may feel a connection with this story.

Bunting, Eve. (1996). //Going Home//. New York: Harper Collins. A reverse story in which a migrant family returns to Mexico for the holidays. Interwoven in the text is discussion about why the parents decided to leave Mexico originally.

Cohn, Diana. (2002). //Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!// El Paso, Texas: Cinco Puntos Press. This bilingual text tells the story of the janitors’ strike in Los Angeles in 1985. It demonstrates a continuation of the union work that Cesar Chavez began.

Garza, Carmen Lomas. (1990 & 2005). //Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia//. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press. Bilingual text and folk art illustrations describe some typical events and occurrences in a Mexican family living in southern Texas. This book also lends itself to memoir writing activities.

Garza, Carmen Lomas. (1996). //In My Family /En mi Familia//. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press. Similar to its companion book Family Pictures, this title combines folk art with brief text about Mexican culture. Sections include coverage of a curandera, la Llorona, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Laínez, René Colato. (2010). //My Shoes and I//. Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press. Mario and his father face a lot of difficulties on their route from El Salvador to meet their mother (and wife) in the U.S. As they cross three borders, their will is certainly tested. This book may help to show students how far people will go to reach the United States.

Mora, Pat. (1997). //Tomás and the Library Lady//. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Based on the true story of Tomás Rivera, who worked as a migrant worker as a child and eventually became chancellor of the University of California at Riverside. A kind librarian allows Tomás to borrow books on her library card and the world of books is opened up to him forever.

Mora, Pat. (2007) //Yum! Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings//. New York: Lee & Low Books. While the haiku may seem silly, the information on each food is informative and will doubtless provide previously unknown information. (Most of the foods have Latin American roots, but some are from North America.)

Perez, L. King. (2002). //First Day in Grapes//. New York: Lee & Low Books. When Chico starts the third grade after his migrant worker family moves to begin harvesting California grapes, he finds that self confidence and math skills help him cope with the first day of school.

Pinkney, Sandra L. (2007). //I am LATINO: The Beauty in Me.// New York: Little, Brown and Company. Terrific for supporting cultural pride, this book is really a poem told with text and real-life photos.