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National Education Association's Bilingual Booklist
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Call Me Consuelo
by Ofelia Dumas LachtmanAfter suddenly being orphaned, twelve-year-old Consuelo reluctantly moves in with her American grandmother while hoping to return soon to her Mexican American family.
Cien Años de Soledad
by Gabriel García Márquez1967. En Buenos Aires aparece la novela de un escritor colombiano de cuarenta años. No queda hoy lengua literaria a la que no haya sido traducida.
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.
Felita
by Nicholasa MohrThe everyday experiences of an eight-year-old Puerto Rican girl growing up in a close-knit, urban community.
Going Home
by Nicholasa MohrFeeling like an outsider when she visits her relatives in Puerto Rico for the first time, eleven-year-old Felita finds herself having to come to terms with the heritage she always took for granted.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
¡Béisbol! Pioneros y leyendas del béisbol latino
by Jonah Winter and Enrique Del RiscoBéisbol es muy popular en América Latina y muchos de los mejores jugadores del deporte crecían sur de la frontera. Este libro hace reseñas biográficas de catorce de estas gran estrellas quienes jugaban desde 1900 a las 1960s. El libro se inspiró en las tarjetas tradicionales de béisbol y contiene estadísticas y anécdotas sobre catorce jugadores pioneros latinos. Empezó con Dolf Luque, el lanzador cubano quien era el primero estrello latinoamericano en las ligas mayores, y terminó con Roberto Clemente, el legendario jardinero puertorriqueño de los 1950s y los 1960s. Béisbol! también cuenta los desafíos de ser un jugador latino y como estos jugadores contribuyeron a la historia de béisbol. Será una adquisición bienvenida a cualquier colección sobre béisbol. School Library Journal
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.
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.
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 Composition
by Antonio SkármetaIn a village in Chile, Pedro and Daniel are two typical nine-year-old boys. Up until Daniel's father gets arrested, their biggest worry had been how to improve their soccer skills. Now, they are thrust into a situation where they must grapple with the incomprehensible: dictatorship and its inherent abuses. "The Composition" is a winner of the Americas Award for Children's Literature and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.
Local News
by Gary SotoA collection of thirteen short stories about the everyday lives of Mexican American young people in California's Central Valley.
Pacific Crossing
by Gary SotoFourteen-year-old Mexican American Lincoln Mendoza spends a summer with a host family in Japan, encountering new experiences and making new friends.
Taking Sides
by Gary SotoFourteen-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from the Hispanic inner city to a white suburban neighborhood.
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.
Rain of Gold
by Victor Edmundo VillaseñorThe book follows two people and their families different journeys through the hard times of the Mexican Revolution and into U.S. and the different lives waiting for them. They meet new challenges and learn to adjust there.
Beisbol! Latino Baseball Pioneers and Legends
by Jonah WinterThis tribute to 14 Latino baseball legends, designed like a collection of baseball cards, features portraits and profiles of some of the sport's greatest players from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.