Book Finder

“This literary offering stands out for its beauty and depth of expression. Argueta, a Pipil Nahua Indian, reaches deep into his childhood in rural El Salvador for memories and for his connection to Mother Earth. The poems alternate between bitterness and joy. Nahuatl words are peppered throughout, almost defiantlyPoems about fire, wind, and water speak to those life-giving forces as friends and protectors.” — School Library Journal

Talking with Mother Earth

Jorge Argueta

Age Level:

6-9

Liliana’s grandmother Mima lives up the street, does yoga exercises, and likes crossword puzzles. Liliana’s other grandmother, Mama Gabina, lives in South America, enjoys gardening, and likes to dance around the house. The meals they cook are very different, the stories they tell are different, but one thing about them is the same: they both love their granddaughter. And Liliana adores them. Leyla Torres’s watercolors show all the warmth and homeyness that are intrinsic in special family relationships.

Liliana’s Grandmothers

Leyla Torres

Age Level:

3-6

Amelia Lau Carling’s children loved her childhood stories about Guatemala so much that she wrote them down for others. In this story, a young girl goes through the day at her family’s store in Guatemala City. While the girl’s parents and their friends talk about their hometown in China from where they emigrated many years ago, she and her siblings play games on the rooftop terrace, float paper boats, and make shadow puppets under the glow of flashlights.

Mama and Papa Have a Store

Amelia Lau Carling

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: The Lau family travels to Antigua, Guatemala to visit their cousins. Although the Laus are Chinese and Buddhist, they adore the pageantry of Easter, and Easter in Antigua is exciting. The best part is seeing the elaborate carpets made of colored sawdust, which the processions walk over and destroy. On the morning of the most important procession, the heroine is invited to make her very own sawdust carpet. But why, she wonders, make something so beautiful, only to have it be ruined?

Sawdust Carpets

Amelia Lau Carling

Age Level:

6-9

Product description: The Southwestern desert is the setting for this humorous variation on the classic fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk.” This bilingual book is presented as embedded text with the story told mostly in English and a sprinkling of Spanish throughout. The dusty desert feel is captured in deep pastel colored illustrations.

Paco and the Giant Chile Plant

Keith Polette

Illustrator:

Elizabeth O. Dulemba

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: In the classic tradition of “The Gingerbread Man,” James Luna’s piggy cookie leaps off the baking tray and takes the reader on a mad dash through the barrio. The cochinito fugitivo avoids being eaten by the long line of people chasing him through the neighborhood streetsuntil he meets a crafty little girl named Rosa! Children — and adults too — will delight in the clever piggy’s escape from Martha’s Panaderia in this entertaining re-telling of a familiar story set in a colorful Latino neighborhood.

The Runaway Piggy

James Luna

Illustrator:

Laura Lacamara

Age Level:

3-6

Mama and Me

Arthur Dorros

Illustrator:

Rudy Gutiérrez

Age Level:

3-6

Genre:

Fiction

“Cuy, a clever, fast-talking guinea pig, outsmarts TÃo Antonio, a hungry fox, in this lively picture book. The eye-catching colored woodcuts, which so vividly depicted the fauna and flora of the Andes Mountains in the original version, decorate this edition, which remains a delightful tale for both young Spanish speakers and learners.” — Booklist

Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains

Barbara Knutson

Age Level:

6-9

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

Reading 101

In the Classroom

Helping All Readers

Books & Authors

Literacy at Home

Book Finder

Talking with Mother Earth

Liliana’s Grandmothers

Mama and Papa Have a Store

Sawdust Carpets

Paco and the Giant Chile Plant

The Runaway Piggy

Mama and Me

Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains

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

Book Finder

Liked it? Share it!