Book Finder

Product Description: This unique collection of fifteen folktales draws on the rich storytelling tradition of Mexico’s people and culture. Classic themes and fairytale elements are blended with magic and transformation and infused with Roman Catholic imagery to create a distinctly Mexican flavor and flare. Lively retellings and vibrant, whimsical paintings, based on Mexican folk art, make these spirited tales just right for storytimes and a perfect introduction to this little-known body of folk literature. Winner of the Aesop Prize.

Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet: Mexican Folktales

Neil Philip

Illustrator:

Jacqueline Mair

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: This Mayan folktale with Spanish origins features W’itz Ak’al, the Lord of the Woods, a cacique (king) who commands both the natural world and the city; and his beautiful daughter, Blanca Flor, who also can command the forces of nature to get her way. When a suitor arrives to court her, he must survive a series of trials set by Blanca’s father to prove his worth. Wonderfully magical, White Flower with its strong female protagonist is set at the time of the classic Maya civilization, with gorgeous watercolor images of pyramid-cities in lush jungles.

White Flower: A Maya Princess

Victor Montejo

Illustrator:

Rafael Yockteng

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: The highest waterfall in the world, Venezuela’s magnificent Angel Falls, is the backdrop for a newly imagined folktale vibrantly illustrated with full-color original art. A dark shadow falls over the Pemones Indians as conquerors from the north invade the ancient land. A wise shaman sends young Takupi on a perilous journey to seek out safety for his people in a secret southern land seen only in the shaman’s dreams. Armed with only a few token gifts to protect him, Takupi must face frightening obstacles in his quest. Along the way, he discovers, as everyone must, the depth of his own courage — and his destiny.

Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls

Irania Patterson

Illustrator:

Catherine Courtland McElvane

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Don Ignacio is a wealthy landowner whose prized possession is an apple tree that produces the most delicious fruit around. He trusts only one man to care for this tree — his ranch foreman Juan Verdades. Don Ignacio is also a proud man and he lets his pride carry him into a dangerous bet! He bets a neighboring rancher his ranch that Juan Verdades cannot tell a lie. Will Juan Verdades be able to tell the truth about what he has done? The ranch depends on it.

Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn’t Tell a Lie

Joe Hayes

Age Level:

9-12

Rain Player

David Wisniewski

Age Level:

6-9

“After the failure of her father’s olive crop, MarÃa fears that her family will have to leave their farm in the New World. Then one night, inspiration comes when she dreams of planting the seeds from the oranges that came from her parents’ homeland of Valencia, Spain. A beautiful and mysterious woman — Our Lady of Thanks — enters the dream, foretelling a bountiful harvest(T)his elegantly woven tale introduces the legend of Our Lady of Altagracia, the patron saint of the Dominican Republic.” — School Library Journal

A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia

Julia Alvarez

Illustrator:

Beatriz Vidal

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: From the grateful rooster who cries “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” to the awesome spirit of the Mother of the Jungle, Once Upon a Time/Habia una vez celebrates seven traditional folktales and tells them in a colorful, fresh voice. In these magical adventures that are sure to delight, readers young and old will meet some of the world’s most memorable heroes and charming tricksters.

Once Upon a Time: Traditional Latin American Tales

Reuben Martinez

Illustrator:

Raul Colón

Age Level:

6-9

Do you know why a weather vane has a little rooster on the top, spinning around to tell us which way the wind is blowing? Here is the answer in this old story about Half-Chicken, who has one eye, one leg, and one wing. His adventures take him far and wide until he’s carried straight to the top, in this lively retelling — in Spanish and English — of a traditional folktale.

Half-Chicken

Alma Flor Ada

Illustrator:

Kim Howard

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Fiction

Product Description: Drawing from Mexico’s rich cultural heritage, this book celebrates the courage and resilience of the feminine spirit through the stories of seven extraordinary Mexican women. Using radiant colors in a style reminiscent of famous Mexican muralists to capture the spark behind the stories, this folktale collection that will be enjoyed time and again.

Fiesta Feminina

Mary-Joan Gerson

Age Level:

9-12

The Streets are Free

Kurusa

Illustrator:

Monika Doppert

Age Level:

6-9

Josefina

Jeanette Winter

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Nonfiction

“When Pablo must bring something to share for his school’s International Day, he considers several items from his family’s bakery. But his mother’s Mexican pan dulce, empanadas, and chango bars don’t do the trick. His father’s bagels and challah bread are appealing, but not quite right either. Then the boy helps to make the family specialty, Jalapeño Bagels, joint creation from the cultures of both parents, and decides that it is the perfect contribution: ‘…a mixture of both of you. Just like me.’” — School Library Journal

Jalapeno Bagels

Natasha Wing

Illustrator:

Robert Casilla

Age Level:

6-9

“Carlos longs for the beautiful red pocket knife that he admires in Señor Lopez’s store. In order to earn money, he agrees to help his father plant el maíz (corn). Papa tells him to only put three seeds in each hole so the plants will have plenty of space to grow. Carlos despairs of ever finishing and decides to fill the holes with four, five, and six kernels. He gets his knife but when corn begins to grow, the boy realizes what a big mistake he has made. Instead of telling Papa, he sets out to fix things himself, with humorous results.” — School Library Journal

Carlos and the Cornfield

Jan Romero Stevens

Illustrator:

Jeanne Stevens

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Estela is attending her first swap meet, where she plans to sell a music box to make money for lessons with the Ballet Folklórico. When a strong wind ruins the flowers the woman across from her is selling, Estela decides to give her the music box so she can listen to cheerful music while she makes new flowers. Although Estela may not have enough money for the lessons, her heart is full. And in this charmingly illustrated story, the flower seller has a wonderful surprise for Estela.

Estela’s Swap

Alexis O'Neill

Illustrator:

Enrique Sanchez

Age Level:

3-6

When a wealthy neighbor agrees to be the godparent for a poor couple’s baby, they save enough money to buy him a third spoon so that he can eat with them in their home. Upon seeing that the couple only has three spoons, however, he laughs at their misfortune — until they tell him they have a friend who has a new spoon for every bite. The neighbor is driven mad trying to buy spoons and determine how this could be true, and in the end the couple has the last laugh. Beautiful acrylic illustrations bring the southwestern setting to life.

A Spoon for Every Bite

Joe Hayes

Illustrator:

Rebecca Leer

Age Level:

6-9

When Gabriela and Diego ask for a dog, their parents tell them that they will have to share, which the siblings reluctantly acceptWhile teaching her a trick, the children discover the pup loves tortillas; soon she is known to the entire neighborhood for her gentleness, sweetness, and as the dog who loves tortillas. When Sofie gets sick, the children finally learn to share her. Full-page innovative and colorful clay illustrations will hold the attention of young readers. — School Library Journal

The Dog Who Loved Tortillas

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Illustrator:

Geronimo Garcia

Age Level:

6-9

“A young girl laments that her wiggly tooth will not fall out soon enough to enable her to collect tooth fairy money to buy a birthday gift for Papá. The rhyming story includes a mix of Spanish words within the English-language context — ‘I needed that tooth out/today, not mañana./But yanking? Too painful./I tried a manzana.’ The cheerful illustrations rendered in oil using a palette with shades of orange and rust show a delightful extended family willing to help the child with her problem.” — School Library Journal

Tooth on the Loose

Susan Middleton Elya

Illustrator:

Jennifer Mattheson

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: Everyone in Gustavo’s family is in a mariachi bandEveryone except Gustavo, that is. They all play violines, trompetas and guitarrones. They all make wonderful music in restaurants and at wedding parties. Gustavo would love to join the band, but he can’t play any of the instruments. What’s a wannabe mariachi to do? Follow Gustavo as he finds his place in the family mariachi band.

The Best Mariachi in the World

J. D. Smith

Illustrator:

Dani Jones

Age Level:

3-6

“ ‘After Papa died, Mama stopped dancing,’ opens this affecting tale narrated by a Cuban child who misses the evenings of the pastNow men line up in the courtyard in hopes of becoming Mama’s dance partner, but “her heart is not in it. Her skirts stay in the closet, her feet, bare.” Mama’s favorite suitor is Eduardo, a kind fellow who displays his cooking talents in the kitchen but demonstrates little skill on the dance floorRodriguez lights up the spreads and spot art, moving easily from cozy indoor scenes to the vibrant Havana streets and festival mood of carnival.” — Publishers Weekly

Mama Does the Mambo

Katherine Leiner

Illustrator:

Edel Rodriguez

Age Level:

6-9

The Frog Was Singing

Rita Rosa Ruesga

Age Level:

0-3

Tortillitas para Mama and Other Nursery Rhymes

Margot C. Griego, Betsy L. Bucks, Sharon S. Gilbert, Laurel H. Kimball

Illustrator:

Barbara Cooney

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

Product Description: Napí is a young Mazateca girl who lives with her family in a village on the bank of a river in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Each afternoon the family sits beneath the shade of a huge ceiba tree and listens to the grandfather’s stories. As Napí listens, she imagines different colors — orange, purple, violet, and green. When night comes, the trees fill with white herons settling on their branches. Domi’s vibrant palette and magical illustrations perfectly complement this imaginative story.

Napí

Antonio Ramírez

Illustrator:

Domi

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Maximilian acts like any other eleven-year-old aficionado of lucha libre: he worships all the players. But in the summer just before sixth grade, he tumbles over the railing at a match in San Antonio and makes a connection to the world of Mexican wrestling that will ultimately connect him — maybe by blood! — to the greatest hero of all time: the Guardian Angel. A 2012 Pura Belpré Author Honor Award winner.

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

Xavier Garza

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: Rosalba is going on an imaginary journey to the Caribbean island where her grandmother grew up. Through her abuela’s eyes, Rosalba visits with relatives who still live on la isla and sees the beautiful terrain of the island, from the lush, tropical rain forest to the bustling old city. Along the way Rosalba and her grandmother visit a busy fruit market, then cool off with a swim in the turquoise sea filled with colorful fish. Their magical trip is brought to life by Elisa Kleven’s shimmering collage artwork.

Isla

Arthur Dorros

Illustrator:

Elisa Kleven

Age Level:

3-6

Reading 101

In the Classroom

Helping All Readers

Books & Authors

Literacy at Home

Book Finder

Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet: Mexican Folktales

White Flower: A Maya Princess

Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls

Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn’t Tell a Lie

Rain Player

A Gift of Gracias: The Legend of Altagracia

Once Upon a Time: Traditional Latin American Tales

Half-Chicken

Fiesta Feminina

The Streets are Free

Josefina

Jalapeno Bagels

Carlos and the Cornfield

Estela’s Swap

A Spoon for Every Bite

The Dog Who Loved Tortillas

Tooth on the Loose

The Best Mariachi in the World

Mama Does the Mambo

The Frog Was Singing

Tortillitas para Mama and Other Nursery Rhymes

Napí

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

Isla

Book Finder

Liked it? Share it!