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Juanito is miserable — his family has just moved to New York, and because he only speaks Spanish, he has no one to talk to. What’s more, his dog, Pepito, is lost! Juanito knows that most of his neighbors won’t understand “Mi perro se ha perdido,” so he asks a man at the bank to help him make a sign in English. Suddenly, people all over the city want to help Juanito find Pepito…and the search is on!

My Dog Is Lost

Ezra Keats

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

The Corn Grows Ripe

Dorothy Rhoads

Illustrator:

Jean Charlot

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Diego and his family are migrant farmers who move from state to state picking fruits and vegetables. Each day brings a new experience — a different place, a different crop, and different people to meet. But no matter where Diego goes, his radio goes with him — it helps him to learn about the places he’s going and to keep in touch with the people he meets along the way.

Radio Man

Arthur Dorros

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: In this short chapter book, we meet Gloria, who always spends Christmas with Papi, Mama, and Nana. But this Christmas, Papi is away picking oranges and Mama has to work at the hotel where she is a maid. Gloria soon discovers that the lavish decorations and foods piled high on the tables are only for the guests. How Gloria moves from disappointment to understanding makes for a poignant story that honors the true spirit of the Christmas season.

Mama Had to Work on Christmas

Carolyn Marsden

Illustrator:

Robert Casilla

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: It’s the Feast of the Three Kings, and that means the Three Wise Men, or Magi, will ride through the night sky to deliver gifts to children. Four-year-old Federico has misbehaved, and now he is afraid the Magi won’t leave him any presents. As his brother and sister prepare hay and water for the Magi’s camels, Federico wonders if the Magi will really come. This gorgeously illustrated storybook by Beatriz Vidal glows with warmth and holiday cheer, and readers everywhere will surely find themselves scanning the night skies for the Magi.

Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story

Beatriz Vidal

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: On Christmas Eve, Carlos is dismayed to see the procession of neighbors and friends coming up the front walk for Las Posadas. His parents and grandfather aren’t home yet — so it’s up to Carlos to take over Grandfather’s role as the Innkeeper. But he’s so frightened, he can hardly breathe, let alone sing! Carlos’s triumph over his shyness, and the joyful celebration that follows, make this a satisfying story for any season.

Carlos, Light the Farolito

Jean Ciavonne

Illustrator:

Donna Clair

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: In the night sky, the moon hangs low and the fireflies flicker. A young girl in a small town explores the haunted house of the revolutionary Juan Sebastian, discovers music on the cantina’s jukebox, and is chided by her mother for mischievousness. Award-winning poet and writer Lucha Corpi recalls her childhood in Jaltipan, Mexico and shares the discovery that, like Juan Sebastian, each person has a destiny to follow.

Where Fireflies Dance

Lucha Corpi

Illustrator:

Mira Reisberg

Age Level:

6-9

Age Level:

6-9

“Growing up in El Salvador, Maria understands that her father can work for neither the government nor the guerrillas without reprisals from the other side. Now they must barter their handiwork and their furniture for food. Going to market with her father, she takes along her stuffed bear Paco. When Papa leaves Maria in charge, she finds the courage to make good trades, even letting her beloved Paco go in exchange for the food her family needs.” — Booklist

A Bear for Miguel

Elaine Marie Alphin

Illustrator:

Joan Sandin

Age Level:

6-9

“Lucia Zenteno is a mythic character, a woman of great beauty who is perfectly in tune with nature. She is indeed larger than life, and though beloved by the creatures of the countryside, she becomes the target of human hatred and fear and is driven out of her village because she is different. It is only as nature mourns and the river leaves with her that the people realize that they need her. This original (Zapotec) folktale is skillfully told, and is solid and colorfully steeped with imagery of the earth and sky.” — School Library Journal

The Woman Who Outshone the Sun

Alejandro Cruz Martinez

Illustrator:

Fernando Olivera

Age Level:

6-9

What Can You Do With a Paleta?

Carmen Tafolla

Illustrator:

Magaly Morales

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

What Can You Do With a Rebozo?

Carmen Tafolla

Illustrator:

Amy Cordova

Age Level:

3-6

“Abuelita’s hair is the color of salt. Her face is as crinkled as a dried chile. She booms out words as wild as blossoms blooming. She stuffs her carcacha — her jalopy — with all the things she needs: a plumed snake, a castle, a skeleton, and more. Her grandson knows he has the most amazing grandmother ever — with a very important job. What does Abuelita do? Readers will enjoying guessing in this story sprinkled with Spanish and infused with love.” — Amazon Review

My Abuelita

Tony Johnston

Illustrator:

Yuyi Morales

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

Abuelita Full of Life

Amy Costalas

Illustrator:

Martha Aviles

Age Level:

6-9

Playing Lotería

René Colato Laínez

Illustrator:

Jill Arena

Age Level:

6-9

René, a new student from El Salvador, doesn’t understand why his second last name is missing from his desk’s name label. Adding it results in a name so long that his classmates make fun of it by comparing it to that of a dinosaur…When his teacher assigns the students the project of creating a family tree, René is determined to show his classmates and teacher why he has two last names and the importance of his dos apellidos. — School Library Journal

René Has Two Last Names

René Colato Laínez

Illustrator:

Fabiola Graullera Ramirez

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Antonio loves words, because words have the power to express feelings like love, pride, or hurt. Mother’s Day is coming soon, and Antonio searches for the words to express his love for his mother and her partner, Leslie. But he’s not sure what to do when his classmates make fun of Leslie, an artist, who towers over everyone and wears paint-splattered overalls. As Mother’s Day approaches, Antonio must choose whether — or how — to express his connection to both of the special women in his life.

Antonio’s Card

Rigoberto González

Illustrator:

Cecilia Concepción Álvarez

Age Level:

6-9

“In this bilingual picture book, Daniel Gonzalez goes to a family reunion in San Antonio, TX, expecting it to be dull. Instead, he finds himself enjoying a Tex-Mex feast, making a new friend in a cousin his age, and learning the importance of family. Spanish words and phrases are scattered throughout the English text, and vice versa.” — School Library Journal

Family, Familia

Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Illustrator:

Pauline Rodriguez Howard

Age Level:

6-9

“In this collection of Mexican dichos (proverbs), artists Ralfka Gonzalez and Ana Ruiz bring to life their favorite sayings from Mexico and the United States. These dichos celebrate life and culture, reminding young readers that Donde hay gana, hay mana/Where there’s a will, there’s a way. With vibrant color and folk art flavor, the festive paintings draw readers into a whimsical world where bumblebees play bongo drums and roosters sing all day.” — Children’s Book Review

My First Book of Proverbs

Ralfka Gonzalez , Ana Ruíz

Age Level:

3-6

Reading 101

In the Classroom

Helping All Readers

Books & Authors

Literacy at Home

Book Finder

My Dog Is Lost

The Corn Grows Ripe

Radio Man

Mama Had to Work on Christmas

Federico and the Magi’s Gift: A Latin American Christmas Story

Carlos, Light the Farolito

Where Fireflies Dance

Carmen’s Colors

José! Born to Dance: The Story of José Limón

The Good Garden: How One Family Went from Hunger to Having Enough

My Island and I: The Nature of Puerto Rico

Burro’s Tortillas

Felipa and the Day of the Dead

A Bear for Miguel

The Woman Who Outshone the Sun

What Can You Do With a Paleta?

What Can You Do With a Rebozo?

My Abuelita

Abuelita Full of Life

Playing Lotería

René Has Two Last Names

Antonio’s Card

Family, Familia

My First Book of Proverbs

Book Finder

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