Growing Up Latino in the U.S.A.
Prepared by the ALSC International Relations Committee for the 2004 ALA Annual Conference Program "Serving the Needs of Latinos in the US through Children's Literature."
Ada, Alma Flor. I Love Saturdays y Domingos. Illus. by Elivia Savadier. Atheneum, 2002.
PreS–Gr. 2. Weekends are special for a young girl who spends them with her two sets of grandparents: her grandma and grandpa on Saturdays, her abuelita and abuelito on Sundays.
Alarcón, Francisco X. Angels Ride Bikes and Other Fall Poems/Los ángeles andan en bicicleta y otros poemas de otoño. Illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children's Book Press, 1999.
Gr. 1–3. This Mexican American poet recalls people, places, events, and sensations from his childhood in Los Angeles.
Alvarez, Julia. How Tía Lola Came to Visit/Stay. Knopf, 2001.
Gr. 4–7. When Tía Lola comes from the Dominican Republic to visit Miguel’s family in Vermont, he has mixed feelings about his colorful aunt.
Ancona, George. Barrio: José's Neighborhood. Photos by George Ancona. Harcourt Brace, 1998.
Gr. 2–6. This expressive photo-essay spotlights an eight-year-old boy and his community, a barrio in San Francisco.
Argueta, Jorge. A Movie in My Pillow/Una película en mi almohada. Illus. by Elizabeth Gómez. Children's Book Press, 2001.
Gr. 3–6. Illustrated in bright colors, this autobiographical collection of short poems tells of a boy and his father leaving El Salvador as refugees and settling in San Francisco.
Argueta, Jorge. Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la niña de las flores. Illus. by Carl Angel. Children's Book Press, 2003.
K–Gr. 3. After moving from El Salvador, Xochitl and her family become a valued part of their San Francisco community by growing and selling flowers.
Bertrand, Diane Gonzales. The Empanadas that Abuela Made/Las empanadas que hacía la abuela. Illus. by Alex Pardo DeLange. Piñata Books, 2003.
PreS–Gr. 2. Illustrated with humorous exaggeration, this cumulative rhyme details the family tradition of baking homemade empanadas.
Chambers, Veronica. Quinceañera Means Sweet 15. Hyperion, 2001.
Gr. 6–9. Though Marisol’s fifteenth year brings financial and emotional struggles, it ends with a memorable coming-of-age celebration.
Cohn, Diana. Sí, se puede! = Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A. Illus. by Francisco Delgado. Cinco Puntos Press, 2002.
Gr. 2–6. Carlito's widowed mother, who struggles to support the family on low wages, helps to organize a strike that raises pay for herself and other janitors in Los Angeles.
Dole, Mayra L. Drum, Chavi, Drum/Toca, Chavi, toca. Illus. by Antonio Eligio. Children's Book Press, 2003.
K–Gr. 2. Chavi disguises herself as a boy in order to play the drums in Miami’s Calle Ocho festival parade.
Dorros, Arthur. Abuela. Illus. by Elisa Kleven. Dutton, 1991.
PreS–Gr. 2. Rosalba and her grandmother take an imaginary flight over New York City while sharing companionship and family love.
English, Karen. Speak English For Us, Marisol! Illus. by Enrique O. Sánchez. Albert Whitman, 2000.
Gr. 1–3. Bilingual Marisol helps her Spanish-speaking relatives communicate with the English-speaking world around them.
Figueredo, D.H. When This World Was New. Illus. by Enrique O. Sanchez. Lee & Low, 1999.
K–Gr. 3. A recent immigrant, Danilito dreads starting school where Spanish is not spoken, but his first experience with snow helps quiet his fears.
Galindo, Mary Sue. Icy Watermelon/Sandía fría. Illus. by Pauline Rodriguez Howard. Piñata Books, 2001.
PreS–Gr.2. Three generations of a family enjoy eating watermelon together while Grandfather tells of selling melons as a young man and meeting the woman who became his wife.
Garza, Carmen Lomas. In My Family/En mi familia. Illus. Children’s Book Press, 1996.
PreS-Gr.2. Through text and illustrations, artist Carmen Lomas Garcia retells her childhood experiences growing up in a Mexican American community.
Herrera, Juan Felipe. Grandma and me at the Flea/Los meros meros remateros. Illus. by Anita De Lucio-Brock. Children’s Book Press, 2002.
PreS–Gr.2. When Juanito helps his grandmother at a Southern California flea market, he enjoys the friendship and camaraderie he finds there.
Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Migrant Worker: A Boy from the Rio Grande Valley. Photographed by Lawrence Migdale. Holiday House, 1996.
Gr. 3–5. In a photo-essay, Ricardo describes his life as a fifth-grade student and migrant worker in Texas.
Jiménez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. University of New Mexico Press, 1997.
Gr. 5–9. Told from the child’s point of view, these short stories portray the experiences of Mexican migrant-worker families in the United States.
Jiménez, Francisco. La Mariposa. Illus. by Simón Silva. Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
PreS–Gr.2. When Spanish-speaking Francisco joins an English-speaking classroom in first grade, the caterpillar in a jar beside his desk distracts him from the difficulties of his situation.
Johnston, Tony. Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio. Illus. by Raúl Colón. Blue Sky Press, 2001.
Gr. 4–6. Eleven-year-old Arturo and his Mexican American family begin to connect with their new community in Los Angeles.
Johnston, Tony. Uncle Rain Cloud. Illus. by Fabrico VandenBroeck. Charlesbridge, 2001.
PreS–Gr.2. After his family moves from Mexico to Los Angeles, Carlos wonders why his uncle has become so grouchy.
Krull, Kathleen. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez. Illus. by Yuyi Morales. Harcourt, 2003.
PreS-Gr.2 This picture-book biography tells the story of Cesar Chavez, whose peaceful protests led to better working conditions for California’s migrant workers.
Lachtman, Ofelia Dumas. Leticia’s Secret. Piñata Books, 1997.
Gr. 3–6. Rosario resents the special attention that her cousin receives from their older relatives, until Leticia confides that she has cancer.
Lopez, Loretta. The Birthday Swap. Illus. Lee & Low, 1997.
K–Gr. 2. After Lori helps with preparations for her older sister birthday party, she finds that her sister has turned the tables with a wonderful surprise.
Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers. Ed. Pat Mora. Illus. by Paula S. Barragán. Lee & Low, 2001.
Gr. 3–5. In this anthology, thirteen Latino poets celebrate their mothers, their grandmothers, and their roots in Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Mora, Pat. Rainbow Tulip. Illus. by Elizabeth Sayles. Viking, 1999.
K–Gr. 3. A little girl from a Mexican American family brings her Spanish-speaking and English-speaking worlds together at the school Maypole dance.
Osa, Nancy. Cuba 15. Delacorte, 2003.
Gr. 6–9. When Violet turns 15, her Cuban grandmother’s hope that she will have a traditional coming-of-age celebration challenges her to learn about her family, her heritage, and herself.
Pérez, Amada Irma. My Very Own Room/Mi propio cuartito. Illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children’s Book Press, 2000.
K–Gr. 3. A Mexican American girl tells of living with a large family in a small house and longing for a little space to call her own.
Pérez, L. King. First Day in Grapes. Illus. by Robert Casilla. Lee & Low, 2002.
Gr. 1–3. When his family moves to a migrant camp to pick grapes, Chico finds the courage to stand up to bullies at his new school.
Rodríguez, Luis J. América Is Her Name. Illus. by Carlos Vazquez. Curbstone Press, 1998.
Gr. 3–6. This picture book for older readers tells of a Mixteca Indian girl who feels alienated from her new community in Chicago, but finds her way through writing stories and poems.
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Esperanza Rising. Scholastic, 2000.
Gr. 5–9. Coping with her father’s death, the loss of her family’s Mexican estate, and her mother’s illness, Esperanza finds the strength to endure the hard life of a California farm worker.
Sol a Sol: Bilingual Poems. Written and Selected by Lori Marie Carlson. Illus. by Emily Lisker. H. Holt and Company, 1998.
Gr. 1–4. Fourteen bilingual poems follow a Latino child and her family through a single day.
Soto, Gary. If the Shoe Fits. Illus. by Terry Widener. Putnam’s, 2002.
Gr. 1–3. Rigo’s new penny loafers are a welcome change from his usual hand-me-down clothes, but they provoke some unwanted attention.
Soto, Gary. Petty Crimes. Harcourt Brace, 1998.
Gr. 6–8. Ten short stories vividly portray the lives of young Mexican American teens growing up in California.
Stanek, Muriel. I Speak English for My Mom. Illus. by Judith Friedman. Albert Whitman, 1989.
Gr. 2–4. Pencil drawings illustrate the story of a young Mexican American girl who acts as a translator for her mother and at times dislikes the situation.
Torres, Leyla. Liliana’s Grandmothers. Illus. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1998.
PreS–Gr. 2. This picture book compares life on two continents by looking at Liliana’s two grandmothers, one down the street and one in Latin America.
Veciana-Suarez, Ana. The Flight to Freedom. Scholastic, 2002.
Gr. 6–9. In a fictional diary, 13-year-old Yara tells how her family fled Cuba for political reasons and struggled to understand their new lives in Miami.
Wáchale! Poetry and Prose on Growing Up Latino in America. Edited by Ilan Stavans. Cricket Books, 2001.
Gr. 6–10. Along with biographical accounts of the writers, this anthology provides stories, poems, and memoirs reflecting the experiences of young Latinos in the United States.
Wing, Natasha. Jalapeño Bagels. Illus. by Robert Casilla. Atheneum Books, 1996.
K–Gr. 3. With a Mexican mother and Jewish father, Pablo chooses a food with elements of both cultures to take to his school’s International Day.
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