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National Education Association's Bilingual Booklist
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Como agua para chocolate
by Laura EsquivelEarthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother's womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares special points of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.The Spanish language edition of the best-selling Like Water For Chocolate is a remarkable success in its own right. Now, in this mass market edition, thousands of new readers will be able to partake in the sumptuous, romantic, and hilarious tale of Tita, the terrific cook with an extra special something in her sauce.From the Paperback edition.
The Forty-Third War
by Louise MoeriTwelve-year-old Uno is conscripted into the army of a revolutionary force in a Central American country that is fighting for its freedom.
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Joe CepedaA reissue of Pam Munoz Ryan's bestselling backlist with a distinctive new author treatment. Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Journey of the Sparrows
by Fran Leeper BussMaria and her brother and sister, Salvadoran refugees, are smuggled into the United States in crates and try to eke out a living in Chicago with the help of a sympathetic family.
Next Year in Cuba
by Gustavo Pérez FirmatThis is a personal account of a young Cuban's departure from his native country and his assimilation of American culture and values, including marriage to an American, raising an American family, teaching at an American university .
The Circuit
by Francisco JiménezThis is a collection of short stories based on the life of the author, Francisco Jiménez, while he was growing up as the son of a migrant farm worker in California.
When I Was Puerto Rican
by Esmeralda SantiagoOne of "The Best Memoirs of a Generation" (Oprah's Book Club): a young woman's journey from the mango groves and barrios of Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, and eventually on to Harvard In a childhood full of tropical beauty and domestic strife, poverty and tenderness, Esmeralda Santiago learned the proper way to eat a guava, the sound of tree frogs, the taste of morcilla, and the formula for ushering a dead baby's soul to heaven. But when her mother, Mami, a force of nature, takes off to New York with her seven, soon to be eleven children, Esmeralda, the oldest, must learn new rules, a new language, and eventually a new identity. In the first of her three acclaimed memoirs, Esmeralda brilliantly recreates her tremendous journey from the idyllic landscape and tumultuous family life of her earliest years, to translating for her mother at the welfare office, and to high honors at Harvard.
The Aguero Sisters
by Cristina GarcíaWhen Cristina García's first novel, Dreaming in Cuban, was published in 1992, The New York Times called the author "a magical new writer...completely original." The book was nominated for a National Book Award, and reviewers everywhere praised it for the richness of its prose, the vivid drama of the narrative, and the dazzling illumination it brought to bear on the intricacies of family life in general and the Cuban American family in particular. Now, with The Agüero Sisters, García gives us her widely anticipated new novel. Large, vibrant, resonant with image and emotion, it tells a mesmerizing story about the power of family myth to mask, transform, and, finally, reveal the truth.It is the story of Reina and Constancia Agüero, Cuban sisters who have been estranged for thirty years. Reina, forty-eight years old, living in Cuba in the early 1990s, was once a devoted daughter of la revolución; Constancia, an eager to assimilate naturalized American, smuggled herself off the island in 1962. Reina is tall, darkly beautiful, unmarried, and magnetically sexual, a master electrician who is known as Compañera Amazona among her countless male suitors, and who basks in the admiration she receives in her trade and in her bed. Constancia is petite, perfectly put together, pale skinned, an inspirationally successful yet modest cosmetics saleswoman, long resigned to her passionless marriage. Reina believes in only what she can grasp with her five senses; Constancia believes in miracles that "arrive every day from the succulent edge of disaster." Reina lives surrounded by their father's belongings, the tangible remains of her childhood; Constancia has inherited only a startling resemblance to their mother--the mysterious Blanca--which she wears like an unwanted mask.The sisters' stories are braided with the voice from the past of their father, Ignacio, a renowned naturalist whose chronicling of Cuba's dying species mirrored his own sad inability to prevent familial tragedy. It is in the memories of their parents--dead many years but still powerfully present--that the sisters' lives have remained inextricably bound. Tireless scientists, Ignacio and Blanca understood the perfect truth of the language of nature, but never learned to speak it in their own tongue. What they left their daughters--the picture of a dark and uncertain history sifted with half-truths and pure lies--is the burden and the gift the two women struggle with as they move unknowingly toward reunion. And during that movement, as their stories unfurl and intertwine with those of their children, their lovers and husbands, their parents, we see the expression and effect of the passions, humor, and desires that both define their differences and shape their fierce attachment to each other and to their discordant past.The Agüero Sisters is clear confirmation of Cristina García's standing in the front ranks of new American fiction.From the Hardcover edition.
America Is Her Name
by Luis J. RodriguezSet in the Pilsen barrio of Chicago, this children's picture book gives a heartwarming message of hope. The heroine, America, is a primary school student who is unhappy in school until a poet visits the class and inspires the students to express themselves creatively -- in Spanish or English. America Is Her Name emphasizes the power of individual creativity in overcoming a difficult environment and establishing self-worth and identity through the young girl America's desire and determination to be a writer. This story deals realistically with the problems in urban neighborhoods and has an upbeat theme: you can succeed in spite of the odds against you. Carlos Vazquez's inspired four-color illustrations give a vivid sense of the barrio, as well as the beauty and strength of the young girl America. Luis J. Rodriguez grew up in Watts and East L.A. His bestselling memoir about gang life, Always Running (now available in paperback in both English and Spanish from Touchstone Books), won the Carl Sandburg Award. His Poems Across the Pavement (Tia Chucha Press) won the Poetry Center Book Award from San Francisco State University, and his poetry collection, The Concrete River was awarded the 1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Poetry. Mr. Rodriguez has worked extensively with gang members to guide them in positive directions, and he is frequently featured as a keynote speaker or guest poet at national conferences and cultural centers. Rodriguez explores the Chicano experience with an unrelenting, socially conscious eye that moved Larry Weintraub of the Chicago Sun-Times to call him a poet "we need to hear." Illustrator Carlos Vazquez was born in Mexico, studied physics and art, and now teaches in adult education programs in New York City. This book is also available in a Spanish language edition as La llaman America translated by Tino Villanueva.
Barrio
by George AnconaWelcome to José's neighborhood. In his barrio, people speak an easy mix of Spanish and English and sometimes even Chinese. The masked revelry of Halloween leads into the festive remembrances of the Day of the Dead. And murals on the walls and buildings sing out the stories of the people who live here. As familiar as any neighborhood yet as strange as a foreign country, Jose's barrio isn't in Mexico or Argentina--it's in San Francisco. Award-winning author and photographer George Ancona follows José through a season in the barrio, and in the process gives readers a glimpse of a community as rich and varied as America itself.
The Tortilla Factory
by Gary PaulsenIn clear and eloquent language, Gary Paulsen pays tribute to a cycle of life--from seed to plant to tortilla. Workers till the black soil, operate the clanking machinery of the factory, and drive the trucks that deliver the tortillas back into the hands that will plant the yellow seeds. With Ruth Wright Paulsen’s expressive paintings, The Tortilla Factory brings forth the poetry and beauty of a simple way of life. “This title is beautiful to look at, and will also fit nicely into units on food, regional culture, art, and many other topics.”--School Library Journal
Con Mi Hermano / With My Brother
by Eileen RoePlaying catch together in the sunny park, putting colorful jigsaw puzzles together, and reading stories before bedtime--two brothers share all this and more. Soon, the younger boy will be going to school on the big yellow bus and playing baseball in the park on Saturdays like his older brother, but for now he dreams of these things and enjoys every moment they can spend together.
Paco and the Witch
by Felix PitreA young boy is trapped by a crafty witch who will not free him unless he can guess her name. A Puerto Rican folk tale, with a glossary to help young readers understand the Spanish words.
The Desert Is My Mother / El Desierto Es Mi Madre
by Pat MoraThis beautifully written and illustrated book will inspire children with its artistry, imagination, and spirit. A young girl embarks on a poetic journey through the desert, discovering the many gifts that nature offers. Text copyright 2004 Lectorum Publications, Inc.
Margaret and Margarita
by Lynn ReiserWords can be a bridge, or a barrier. In this bilingual book the adults immediately respond to the differences. Their words make a barrier. The children recognize similarities. Playing with words. They make a bridge of language and friendship for themselves and their parents. Las palabras pueden ser un puente, o una barrera. En este libro bilingüe los adultos responden inmediatamente a las diferencias. Sus palabras hacen una barrera. Los niños reconocen semejanzas. El jugar con palabras. Hacen un puente de lengua y de la amistad para sí mismos y sus padres.
Family Pictures / Cuadros de Familia
by Carmen Lomas GarzaFamily Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza's girlhood: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, finding a hammerhead shark on the beach, picking cactus, going to a fair in Mexico, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist.
These day-to-day experiences are told through fourteen vignettes of art and a descriptive narrative, each focusing on a different aspect of traditional Mexican American culture. The English-Spanish text and vivid illustrations reflect the author's strong sense of family and community. For Mexican Americans, Carmen Lomas Garza offers a book that reflects their lives and traditions. For others, this work offers insights into a beautifully rich community.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
Hello, Amigos!
by Tricia Brown"Extends a warm invitation to share (Frankie Valdez's birthday and) to sample his culture's traditional festivities".--Booklist.
Hairs / Pelitos
by Sandra CisnerosIn English and Spanish, a child describes how each person in the family has hair that looks and acts different, Papas like a broom, Kikis like fur, and Mamas with the smell of warm bread.
Too Many Tamales
by Gary SotoAs she helped her mother prepare the tamales for Christmas dinner, Maria slipped her mother's diamond ring onto her finger for just a moment. But suddenly, the ring was gone, and there were 24 tamales that just might contain the missing ring. "A warm family story that combines glowing art with a well-written text to tell of a girl's dilemma."--School Library Journal, starred review.
Amelia's Road
by Linda Jacobs AltmanTired of moving around so much, Amelia, the daughter of migrant farm workers, dreams of a stable home.
Los Perros Magicos de Los Volcanes / Magic Dogs of the Volcanoes
by Manlio Argueta and Stacey RossWhen the magic dogs who live on the volcanoes of El Salvador and protect the villagers from harm are pursued by wicked lead soldiers, they are aided by two ancient volcanoes. In Spanish and English.
Tomás and the Library Lady
by Pat MoraTomás is a son of migrant workers. Every summer he and his family follow the crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long, arduous days in the fields.
At night they gather around to hear Grandfather's wonderful stories. But before long, Tomás knows all the stories by heart.
"There are more stories in the library," Papa Grand tells him. The very next day, Tomás meets the library lady and a whole new world opens up for him.
Based on the true story of the Mexican-American author and educator Tomás Rivera, a child of migrant workers who went on to become the first minority Chancellor in the University of California system, this inspirational story suggests what libraries--and education--can make possible.
Raul Colón's warm, expressive paintings perfectly interweave the harsh realities of Tomás's life, the joyful imaginings he finds in books, and his special relationships with a wise grandfather and a caring librarian.
[This text is listed as an example that meets Common Core Standards in English language arts for K-1 at http://www.corestandards.org.]
The Christmas Gift
by Claire B. Cotts and Francisco JiménezWith honesty and grace, award-winning author Francisco Jiménez shares his most poignant Christmas memory in this beautifully illustrated picture book. As Christmas approaches, Panchito can't wait to see what present he gets. But on Christmas Day, he is disappointed when all he gets is a bag of candy, until he sees the gift his father gives his mother. Panchito then realizes that gifts of the heart are the most precious of all.