Latino Books

This book and CD are very well done; obviously the author had a real vision for its need and put a lot of love into its creation. As someone who has witnessed the "drift" and "disconnect" that many Latino kids feel when they are in white America, I am excited about this positive cultural connection with their countries of origin. I actually spoke with the author by phone and she is very much involved in educating schoolchildren (of any culture) about Latinamerican Christmas Traditions.

A word about the CD: it actually plays every song TWICE; the second time through, each song is sung in a certain "style", assigned to a country. For example: Marimba style, Guatemala. The result is a richly varigated CD with many different musical instruments used and different moods touched-- you don't start to think "all these songs sound alike because the same people are performing them!"-- not at all.

I hope to see more books/ projects by Charito Calvachi Wakefield in the future!

My mom and I enjoyed reading this book together because the presentation and cover are wonderful and reading about the culture reminded my mom of home. This book captured the real spirit of Christmas.

Es un libro excelente que revive toda la mística navideña de revaloración del espiritu religioso, del amor familiar y de los valores humanistas que todavía de valoran como esenciales en la gente latinoamericana. Muy buena presentación.

Charito Calvacci Wakefield's "Navidad Latino Americana" is a lush compendium of celebration and community. The descriptive thread of food, fellowship and tradition that binds young and old, rich and poor on this most revered of all holidays is accompanied by a CD of Christmas songs. This is the kind of book that becomes part of a family's library, to be taken down each year, appreciated and cherished.

Pasa el tiempo, de generación en generación, vamos cambiando, adoptando nuevas costumbres, olvidamos algunas. En Navidad Latinoamericana encontramos aquellas 'joyas' que relacionamos muchas veces con nuestro pasado, un pasado feliz, inocente, en familia, con la calidez de aquella época navideña, tan llena de misterio, de espectativa y de amor. Un hermoso regalo para aquellos a quienes apreciamos....una ilusión, una fantasía y alegría hechas imagen y sonido.

Angel loves doing art, but is still finding her place within the scope of it all. Her work is labeled "whimsical", but she wants to up it to "realistic". However, when bad boy Miguel approaches her saying she has the perfect style to be a great graffiti artist, well, what else can Angel do but say yes to lessons? But as the days go on, she gets wrapped up more and more in the sometimes seedy underbelly of the world of graffiti art. Will she be able to pull herself out before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this book. Told in a very raw, honest, and realistic way, this novel portrays the Latino culture in a way I don't think I've seen before in YA literature. The events in this novel feel very real and make you invest so much into Angel and her life, leading up to a killer climax. I almost cried while reading this book and that is extremely hard for someone to do. This book is highly recommended.

The Sista Hood: On the MicAngel reminded me of myself as a young girl writing in California. Kelly felicidades on your first novel, it's great to see Latinas writing postive novels about subjects that young people can relate to. I felt you weaved Angel's personal journey as a writer and growing young women with humor, realness and craft.

Parra weaves the conflict of a races, multi-hertiage, and defining one's identity in this fast-paced novel. Labeled YA, the novel can be enjoyed by a broad range of ages. It is difficult to believe this is Parra's debut work--such a terrific job!

Personally, I will never see graffiti the same since reading of Angel's struggles. While the book began a bit slow for me, the pace heightens quickly and won't let you go. The situations are real, so are the conflicts and the decisions that Angel faces throughout her journey. Parra has a fantastic YA voice, and I look forward to her next creation!

I read this book in two sittings, which should tell you that it was downright entertaining.

Graffiti Girl is labeled young adult, but the themes in the story can appeal to a much broader audience. The protagonist, Angel Rodriguez, is a young artist who has an incredible need to express herself, yet struggles to embrace her unique style. She jumps right off the page-the kind of tough, sweet heroine who isn't concerned with prom dresses and makeup. Angel has real issues, driving internal conflict, and a message. She'll stay in your thoughts a long time after you finish her story.

Parra creates a seamless balance between the edgy and wholesome-an accurate description of setting in a racially diverse, small town high school. The prose is snappy and clean without being weighted down by excessive slang or references to pop culture, something a writer with less experience might use to remind us that we are reading contemporary fiction.

Well written, and well worth my time. I'll be looking out for Parra's next.

Angel is a teenage girl whose life, or much of it, at least, is about her art. She loves art, but when she enters a contest for a mural, and doesn't win, she's more than a little disappointed. In her disappointment, Angel turns to another form of art, one that's more often than not practiced illegally: graffiti.

Miguel shows her his artwork, his graffiti, and even lets her into his graffiti crew, Reyes del Norte. She finds her voice in graffiti, and also finds herself drawn more and more to Miguel.

However, Miguel's not the only guy in the picture. Nathan is a much more clean-cut, wholesome guy, whose art is a lot more conventional, too; he won the mural contest that Angel wanted to win.

To say Nathan and Miguel don't get along is an understatement. And with both of them taking a rather sudden interest in Angel, their rivalry is getting even more intense. What side in it all will Angel pick--and will she stay true to herself and her art?

I was very excited to pick up this book; the summary sounds pretty great, and also really original. For the most part, GRAFFITI GIRL lived up to my expectations and was pretty awesome!

I love the characters, especially Angel, and I was impressed with the way the difficult decisions Angel had to make were realistically fuzzy and grey rather than clearly black and white, the way these sorts of choices (picking between two guys, for example) so often are to the reader.

The writing in the story was excellent, and the subject matter was fresh and interesting, making this story well worth reading. Kelly Parra is an impressive new voice in YA literature--keep an eye out!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

When my son was three, he made me read this book to him so many times that even now, 22 years later, I know the entire thing by heart.

Kids love this book. Parents do, too, at least the first 10 or 12 thousand times they read it to the kids!

I adored this book as a kid (I'm in my 30s now). I haven't gotten my new copy yet, but I think there is a lesson about temperance at the end, but that's not what I recall: I just remember the sheer joy of more, more, more. With books that use so few and such simple words, it's often hard for an adult to distinguish the adequate from the great. Speaking for my very young self, I can tell you that this book is great.

This is my favorite children's book - it is especially fun to read out loud. It has a cute level of humor and I've even had a class of 3-year-olds laughing at it. A good learn to read book - but also a good story in general.

I love reading this book to my daughter (2 1/2). I got it when i was a small child and have held onto it as one of my favorites. It is quickly becoming her favorite as well...the story flows so well its really fun to read...my daughter likes to see how fast I can read it without messing up.

I love this book. It lends itself to many activities with monkeys or spaghetti.

I am sitting with my father. We are both reading. He asks me, "what does orale mean? " and I know he is reading The Brothers Torres.
I had the extreme pleasure of reading this book a few months ago and literally enjoyed every word of if. I tried to read it slowly and savor it, but instead ended up reading most of it in one sitting as if it were a pint of Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar crunch ice cream I'd only meant to have "a couple spoonfuls" of. The books is just that good.
So often when an adult writes as a high school kid, you can tell it's not really a kid. The words the adult uses sound stilted, like ones some anthropologist claims teens of that culture speak, and the experiences the kid character is having just don't ring true. In his debut novel, it's as if Voorhees is Frankie, the perfectly imperfect protagonist of the Brothers Torres. His language, interwoven with authentic latino-American adolescent slang, is beautiful in how it shows Frankie's raw vulnerability to the very real conflicts of high school: being sweet on a girl who may or may not like you back, being bullied by older, "cooler" kids, and wanting to be accepted and loved by one's friends and siblings.
I don't want to give anything away because I want all the many, many future readers to get to go on Frankies journey like I did having no idea what was going to happen in the end. I will just say that the conflicts and successes Frankie has with his best friend Zach, his love-interest Rebecca, his brother Steve, and his nemesis Dalton are riveting to the last word. The interactions among the characters in this book also feel very true-to-life and Voorhees not only writes in a way that is vintage teenage boy but also the feelings of angst and joy he expresses through Frankie are authentic.
I know what I'm talking about because I spent 10 years working with incarcerated and "troubled" youth most of whom were full latino or "half-breeds" (latino and Anglo mixes) just like Frankie. Voorhees really gets what it is to be in two worlds and writes about the experiences of these kids with grace and fall-out-of-your-chair-'cause-it's-so-funny humor. I finished The Brothers Torres and actually hoped Voorhees had written a sequel that I didn't know about yet but could read right away. I can't wait for the next installment!
If you are lucky enough to read this book you, like I am, will be transformed. The amazing thing is that despite Voorhees's ability to write authentically as a high school sophomore, Frankie's journey is also epic and universal. Frankie learns crucial lessons in The Brother's Torres and the reader gets to become wiser and more compassionate along with him. In his very first novel Coert Voorhees has accomplished what all great literature does: a cathartic experience that is not only transformative but transcendent. Like I said, The Brother's Torres is that good.

Frankie and Steve Towers are brothers. Frankie is a freshman and Steve is a senior. Frankie has always looked up to his older brother, who has gotten a soccer scholarship, is one of the most popular guys in school, and is very friendly with the ladies. Frankie spends most of his time with his friend Zach shooting off fireworks in his back yard while Zach's mom makes them Kool-Aid flavored popsicles. The remainder of his time is put in to trying to impress Rebecca, the girl he has had a major crush on since grade school, and working at his parent's restaurant.

Recently, Steve has been hanging out with the local "cholos" (aka bad boys) and Frankie hasn't really thought anything of it until he gets in to a fistfight with John Dalton. John has always been on Steve's bad side and is one of the richest, preppiest kids at their high school. After Frankie gets beaten to a pulp by John and two of his sidekicks, Steve stops ignoring his brother and tries to help him out.

Soon, with Steve's help, Frankie finally has the attention of Rebecca in the form of a Homecoming date, and life is going pretty well until another incident with Dalton happens. This time, Steve really wants payback and will stop at nothing to get it. And Frankie has to decide whether he wants to help Steve retaliate or stand on the sidelines and watch.

THE BROTHERS TORRES was great! I loved Frankie's character and how he acted around Rebecca. I could totally see the events in this book actually happening in real life, which indeed made the book a bit scary at times. But it also made it even more great. I love real life situations. Coert Voorhees is a really strong writer and I loved his style. This book had me laughing at times and on the verge of tears at others. Overall, it was really a great book and I can't wait to read more by this wonderful author.

Reviewed by: Breanna F.

The first book i read and completed on my summer vacation, the Brothers Torres is a story about a fantastically potrayed sophmore in highschool named Frankie Torres. Just completing my sophmore year, I loved how the book comically potrays those awkward moments of highschool that we all have, and is amazingly accurate to the life of a sixteen year old. I wish all guys in highschool were like Frankie Torres and of course, Zach.
Thankyou Voorhees, i loved every moment of the time i spent with the Brothers Torres!

What a great read for any audience!! After the first page you feel a part of Frankie's world - a racially mixed high school in an improverished small town in New Mexico. Written with a strong sense of place, the reader immediately becomes part of a very different world which, at the same time, seems familiar. You read hoping this young man will make the right choices and rise above his situation. A wonderful first novel!! I eagrly await the next.

This book was probably not meant for me. I am a 38-year-old mother of three young children. It was not until I had cruised through a third of the book though when I realized this fact. The Brothers Torres came alive on page 1 with such vivid descriptions that I immediately felt I knew the characters, that the sopapillas were cooling in my own kitchen, that fire ants were crawling up my own legs, and that the dusty roads of New Mexico were wreaking havoc on my own set of wheels, not to mention I felt I was reliving the anxiety of my younger years. The Brothers Torres is very convincing in touching a wide range of senses and emotions no matter what age the reader happens to be.

While I would definitely recommend this book to my friends, this book is a perfect book for teens- a great contemporary work that is appropriate and tasteful while addressing many of the conflicts high-schoolers face. Teenage years are so often filled with hope and despair and The Brothers Torres relates to such feelings with accuracy. Frankie's life encounters typical teen crisis (girls and peer pressure) yet he manages to overcome some of the more negative outcomes, be it by luck or by being true to himself. I think that young readers will identify with Frankie and probably learn a few things about hard choices and consequences. Frankie and his friends handle the awkwardness of being a teen with humor and sarcasm that left me smiling way past my bedtime.

Read this for school. It was funny, sad, interesting. I would tell a friend to read it.

This is one of the most touching and interesting books I've read....I have this book at the top of my list! It contains the action of baseball (from the point of view of a young boy) with the struggles of Cuban life. I would recommend this book to young teens, and/or those interested in baseball.

Free Baseball By: Sue Corbett

Free Baseball was I warm story about I Cuba boy who escaped. Felix, the boy, was the main character in this great story. Felix was a boy whose dad was a Cuba baseball star, and dreamed about nothing but baseball. Sue Corbett wrote this story well, and I really treasured it.
One part I liked was the part where Felix had just escaped on the bus. He ran away from his "evil" babysitter and was named the new ball boy of the opposing team. Felix slides in a small compartment and hides till the bus stops. Felix realizes it was foolish to do it because it got hot and un-cozy.
The next part I really liked is when he met the team mascot who was a dog named Miracle. Miracle was really important to the team because he was the only reason fans came to the games. He would run around the bases when one of the players hit a homerun. He also lived right in the stadium and could catch fly balls.
The last part was when Felix met a Cuban named Diaz. Diaz didn't speak much English but understood what people were talking about. Felix and Diaz became kind of best friends while Felix was a run away. Diaz was known as the team slugger and was one of the newer players. Diaz also said he met Felix's dad.
In conclusion Free Baseball was an about a boy named Felix who ran away from home during a baseball game. Felix was soon known to be the ball boy while he traveled with the team. He met a man named Diaz and met a "miracle" of a dog on his journey. Free Baseball was one of the best books I ever read.

D. Williams

She read it to us at school, and it was really great. It made our teacher cry. I loved it.

Sue Corbett's middle-grade book Free Baseball is the story of Felix, an eleven-year-old Cuban-American who stows away on a minor league team bus and steps in for the new bat boy who never showed up for work. It's sort of a Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler-kids-hiding-overnight-in-the-museum for the sports set. Typically, I have a hard time swallowing such fantasies as realistic, and thus my enjoyment of these kind of stories is always muted. But as charming or as impossible as the idea of living in a ballpark and working behind the scenes at a professional baseball game might be, there is so much more to this story that such issues are quickly left behind.

At the heart of this story are the diplomatic issues between America and Cuba, and the social turmoil those politics leave in their wake. Felix and his mother were "boat-people," Cuban immigrants who took a secret, overcrowded, and ultimately perilous boat ride to seek refuge in America. They left behind Felix's father, a star outfielder on the Cuban National Team, thinking he would be able to defect and join them during the team's travels. But it's been years now - Felix was an infant during the night-crossing - and he despairs that his father will never be able to join them.

The book then becomes something of a father quest - always a good pairing with baseball (see Field of Dreams, et al.) - as well as an exploration of Felix's strained relationship with his mother and his world. Yet despite settling into these well-worn spots in the outfield, Free Baseball stays on its toes and keeps the reader there too, managing to be pleasingly predictable and surprising at the same time. It's an atypical baseball book for this age group - it's not about winning a big game with a clutch hit, but instead about finding one's home in the dugout, and one's family in the stands. A story about that oddly redemptive power of a simple yet multi-faceted game, and the many ways in which it can touch all those who come into contact with it.

Highly recommended for all readers, but particularly those who have already tasted the magic of baseball.

Harvesting Hope by Kathern Krull is about how Cesar Chavez helped many lives. When Cesar was a kid they had parties each summer night. The first day of school Cesar was scared and ran home. After he was ten they had to move to California because of a drought. When they found a battered shed they lived in it. So Cesar and his family had to become immigrants. At school Cesar couldn't talk in Spanish or else he had to wear a sing that said," I'm clown. I speak Spanish." He couldn't use the bathroom or else he could get fired, beaten or murdered. Then when Cesar was in his twenties he went on strike. He organized a dozen women to tell them about the strike. So then at a deserted theater one hundred - fifty people came to learn about the strike. In the morning they started to march to Sacramento. The police came to stop them but they let them go after three hours. On the ninth day they crossed Fresno after they crossed Modesto. Then they gave Cesar Chavez a contract to sign for better hours, pay and conditions. On Easter they made it to Sacramento. They had a parade because they got freedom.

Cesar Chavez helped many lives of people and worked hard to do it. He marched to Sacramento for ten days. Also Cesar marched day and night with a few breaks. Cesar Chavez tried his best when he marched even if he got blisters and they started to bleed. He traveled three hundred- forty miles non stop to Sacramento. Without violence Cesar won freedom for immigrants. Now immigrants get paid more and get better working hours because of Cesar Chavez. I like the way that Cesar Chavez handled the march without violence.

By Mario

Harvesting Hope tells the tale of Cesar Chavez, but more than that, it reveals the power of collective bargaining and fighting for what is just in the world. As a children's book, it has appeal as a well-illustrated biography, an important history lesson, a story of family and personal triumph, and a book with a message. Chavez's crusade took place several decades ago, but the plight of migrant farm workers remains, despite the tremendous inroads Chavez made with La Causa. The story of Chavez's childhood, hard days of labor, and fight for worker's rights is timeless, and Kathleen Krull's award-nominated book deserves a place on every child's bookshelf.

This is a great picture book for all ages. The heroic story of Cesar Chavez is left out of most U.S. history classrooms, save those in California. This book would be an enlightening addition to any classroom or children's library.

I recommend this book for anyone 4 and up (adults included!) Beautiful illustrations and a wonderful telling of an important part of history.

Let's begin by saying that the drawings are super and captivating. Yuyi Morales creates characters that show emotion and the result is a drawing of emotion from the young reader. As the title implies this is the story of Cesar Chavez who many adults came to know about from his work with the farmworkers in California. This story humanizes the man by beginning in his childhood. The roots of the farmworker leader are explored as a young person traveling from crop to crop , from state to state. A drought in Arizona began the family oddyssey that would result in Caser Chavez becoming familiar first hand with the troubles of the farmworkers. Life on the road became a harsh reality. The treatment he encountered in school forced him to drop out in eighth grade but the treatment in the fields wasn't much better, at times it was much worse. This is simple story about a complex problem that one man was determined to overcome. He wanted justice for farmworkers and organized. He became to Mexicans what MLK was for civil rights, for Mexicans it was an extension of civil rights. This is a beautiful book for young readers or those not so young that are learning to read in English if they have a reading foundation in another language. Although it is recommended for children ages 6-9, middle school students, ages 9-12, especially those with limited English proficiency can benefit from this story well told. For the teacher or parent this book can help instill pride and understanding as to how determination, perseverance and hard work can overcome even the greatest odds.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales is a novel about a young girl named Sofia and her journy to get into Saint Luke's Epscopal School in Austin. Sofia lives with her mother her father and her sister Lucy. She lives across the road from her cousin Berta. Sofia is at the top of her lass academacly but she is not at the top in her social life. She always has to sit at the other end aof the caffateria because she brings tacos everday, while she wants to bring a sandwich to fit in. She enjoys playing soccer and she is very happy when she finds out that her new school has a good soccer team. Her family has great Mexican culture and they take there religion very seriously. Sofia is somewhat emberresed of her culture once she sees what it is like on the other side of her town. She goes trick or treating and sees how much nicer the other houses are. They have heat and they are made of nice white brick. Sofia gets a invite to a good school but her and her family have to come up with 400 dollars. This is a lot of money for her family but she wants to go to experience something new and see what the world has to offer. I personaly liked this book. It was full of funny stories and it kept me entertaind while i was reading it. It helped pass the time when i needed something to do. The book was 199 pages long so it wasn't to long but it wasn't to short. I usually like action books but this book related a lot to real life. It was about a girl about my age, it portrayed her family as a middle class, it showed how kids can be outcast just because of how they look, and how a girl can want what she doesn't have. It also gave me alot more information about the Mexican culture. It showed me how they celebrated there holidays differently than us. For example for haloween the families she went to in her comunity gave her vegitables and other random items while we americans give out candy.
I gave this book a four out of five because even though i would rather a book with action this book kept me entertained the whole time i was reading it. It had some good backround information to set the mood of the story. It also was broken up into good chapters and it told the story of Sofia well. It showed that even a girl from a middle class, almost lower class can make it and get into a good school, and then later get a good education and job. I would recomend this book to a person if they would want to learn about the Mexican culture or if they just want a good book they can read that relates to there everyday life. Also i wouldn't recomend this book to a younger child. They may pick this book out because the cover looks like a little kids book, but it is acutally a little hard to understand all of the information given about the hispanic culture, and the catholic religion. If i had the choice I would deffinality read this book again, and i may even use it as a recource for a school report on the hispanic culture.

This is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. Having grown up in South Texas, I had many Mexican-American friends and I can relate to many of the stories told in this book.

Sofia is coming of age in a very traditional Mexican-American family. The reader will learn about many of these traditions, such as the quinceanera, comadres, cascarones, canicula, and the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).

This is a very heartwarming book that anyone would enjoy reading.

This story is truly woven rather than written! Canales brings readers into the world of a teenage Mexican-American girl, Sophia, growing up in the barrio with a "mule-kicking" spirit that seems to both imprison her and help her to transcend life's obstacles simultaneously. Sophia is a very intelligent young lady with big dreams of going to Harvard. Her family roots are firmly and deeply entrenched in tradition ~ the reader instantly sympathizes with Sophia's desire to be a "typical" American teen and her quest to both embrace her roots while living in the mainstream.

Sophia blossoms in this book from a teen to a woman intellectually and perhaps most gracefully ~ spiritually. I highly recommend this book for students in grades 6-8. It will expose students to a phenomenal multicultural novel that instantly brings the setting and culture alive while endearing the reader to a character that is steeped in the complexities of coming-of-age.

The Tequila Worm tells the story of a young and intelligent Mexican American schoolgirl, Sofia, growing up in McAllen, Texas. Sofia comes from a close family with many traditions- from making Easter cascarones to celebrating quinceañeras. Sofia is accepted to a boarding school in Austin, Texas, three hundred and fifty miles away from her home, but she struggles to leave her family even though she longs to go this new school.
I enjoyed this book very much. This book was both amusing and touching. For example, Sofia tells the story of Easter celebration with all her relatives. As part of the celebration they all find hidden cascarones (hollowed eggs that had been decorated and stuffed with things such as confetti) and smash them on each other's heads. Sofia saves a special egg for her cousin, Berta, which she has filled with flour. Berta also has a special egg for her cousin, an egg filled with mustard. Little does Berta know, but Sofia's younger sister Lucy also has a special egg.

As I kicked the air and swiped at the yellow gobs on my hair, face, and stinging eyes, I could hear Berta's big fat laugh.
Then- silence! There was Berta with real egg running down her hair and face, mixing with the flour. She was spitting and glaring at someone.
I turned to see Lucy smiling from ear to ear, no longer holding her secret egg. (Canales 25)

From this book I learned more about Mexican- American traditions and culture. Some aspects of Mexican- American culture that this book touches on are celebrating Día de los Muertos, quinceañeras (the American equivalent of a "Sweet Sixteen" only it is celebrated when a girl is fifteen), religion, and Mexican- American cuisine.
This is a terrific book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get a glimpse at Mexican- American culture or just a good read. (Viola Canales uses simplistic language so it is not a very strenuous novel or difficult to read.)

Sofia, a Mexican-American girl from the Rio Grande Valley town of McAllen, Texas, studies while her best friend dreams of her quinceanera. To achieve her dream of attending the private academy that has awarded her a scholarship, Sofia needs $400, five new dresses, and her mother's permission. Although each of these tasks seem individually insoluble to her, through their accomplishment, she learns the value of having good comadres-and being one.

The reader will follow the story of a young Sofia and cousin Berta from first communion, to Day of the Dead celebrations, and finally to Berta's quinceanera, after which Sofia exits for her private school and new experiences there. The charm, though is in the details of the quiet moments depicted with Sofia's family--telling stories from the storyteller's bag, cleaning pinto beans, and discussing the problems of the day at the sobremesa-and the excellent characterization. The reader can't help but smile at Tia Petra and her penchant for plastic, or at Sofia's bafflement of Berta's newfound enjoyment of sappy charro movies, but mild amusement is not the only emotion that will be provoked during the course of this read. Tequila Worm touches on the reality of death at various points of the story at different levels of reaction, and the reader should not be surprised to learn that this is a build-up to the climax and greatest lesson of the novel as a whole.

The loosely woven chapters of The Tequila Worm are chronological, but can stand alone with their individual lessons of life with family and friends in the small Texas town of McAllen. Canales shows off excellent story-telling skills in this almost-autobiography. Sofia and the other characters feel authentic, and fresh, presenting a neighborhood life that may rarely exist outside of fiction for many of the target audience of grades six to nine. Although holding special appeal for readers of Mexican-American descent, this book has the capacity to entertain and teach a lesson in understanding one's own self to many readers, regardless of their previous experience with Mexican traditions.

This is a wonderful book of popular songs in Spanish, which my triplet boys latched onto immediately. The songs are very engaging, and each page has lovely artwork. I speak Spanish, and my boys were born in Spain. I have been trying very hard to help them maintain a little Spanish, and this book has been very helpful. It doesn't come with a CD, but you can easily learn the tunes of the songs if you know how to read music. And even if you only speak rudimentary Spanish, I think it's possible to learn the songs and enjoy them.

This book quickly became the boys' favorite bedtime routine. I hear them singing the songs during the day as well. I highly recommend it.

I love the colorful pictures in this book and that it has music to all of the songs. It is a wonderful book and my baby loves when I sing to him!

Beautiful pictures, and easy-to-follow tunes. A must-have for anyone who has children whom they are introducing to Spanish, and very useful for us adults as well!

My family enjoys this CD a lot. Mr. Orozco has a wonderful voice to listen to and the lyrics are fun and interesting. One song "Paz y Libertad" is emotionally touching. It is easy to learn Spanish listening to these elegant songs. I bought the other CD, Diez Deditos as a gift for a friend's family and they like that CD too.

This is an excellent book full of poems and songs. All are beatifully illustrated. Our 2 1/2 year old spends a lot of time just looking at the pictures and humming the tunes. Songs are easy to learn, fun to sing, and many have hand signs.

This book of songs is really helpful whether you are trying to emmerse your child in Spanish (as we are), or just exposing your child to a different culture and sounds.

P.S. Don't forget to buy the companion CD!

I echo the review from "A Customer".
In addition...
I'm a preschool teacher and the kids definitely understood the story. It's a great addition to a multi-cultural program and can open up conversation about culture.
As for the book, I enjoyed the illustrations!

I bought this book for my three year old daughter. She absolutely loved the story. Now when she plays in her kitchen she makes me homemade tamales. :-)

Our family loves this book! We checked it out from our local library and soon it was my four year old daughter's favorite. When December rolled around, I checked it out again, bought tamale makings and my four year old and I made cheese tamales. We took them to her pre-school class for snack along with the book. Her teacher read the book to the class and then they all had the tamales that my daughter and I made. It was a huge hit!! Now that she is in kindergarten, we will do it again (I am buying the book since I have two girls and I think this tradition will go on for a while!). Tamales are a really kid friendly activity and it was a great experience for both of us. You should try it!

I love this story because it brings back memories of when my family would get together at Christmas time to make the annual batch of tamales. Everyone was involved and when all the work was done, we couldn't wait until they were ready to eat. The story is well told and my students look forward to hearing the story year after year.

My class of second and third graders really enjoyed this book. Many of them make tamales at home every year. They enjoyed reading about someone else that shares the same traditions. It opened up a lot of discussion about telling the truth. The only problem was all the talk about tamales made them hungry!

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
Laura Amores is a tortillera -slang for "lesbian" in Miami's Cuban-American social scene, and a term either of endearment or a slur, depending on who is using it. But once Laura's secret is out, a tortillera is all Laura seems to be-to her mother, the nuns at her Catholic school and even some friends. Laura is thrown out of school and even from her house: "I'm sorry, Laura, but I can't continue loving you if you stay gay," Mami says as she literally pushes her daughter out the door. Luckily, Laura meets "bois" who introduce her to Miami's Cuban gay scene, and her best friend shares her home and family, unconditionally. Laura remains reluctant to accept her gay identity, however, and her exploration of possible relationships-with a boi, a "delicious" young woman and a boy she dates in hope of restoring herself to her mother's good graces-form the main arc of this honest, intense and at times moving romance. Using Spanish colloquialisms and slang, this debut author pulls off the tricky task of dialect in a manner that feels authentic. As Dole tackles a tough and important topic, her protagonist will win over a range of teen audiences, gay and straight. Ages 14-up. (Mar.)--Publisher's Weekly

Mayra Lazara Dole's Down to the Bone will be talked of everywhere this year in the GLBT blogs, but should be purchased for all high school collections. (Yes, I know I'm an elementary school librarian this year, but this book was amazing and I couldn't resist reading it.)

Controversial? Sure. More explicit than most novels I see daily? Sure. But, an absolutely amazing book that kept me reading and avoiding all phone calls. This book can't be pigeon-holed. It is a debut novel written in response to the questions, "Where are all the lesbian books? Where's the racial diversity?"

Laura is a Cuban-American girl in Miami who is caught reading a love letter from a girl while at her Catholic school. As she is ejected from the school, her mother rejects her "deviance" and throws her from the family. Laura struggles to discover herself, her place in a family, and her sexual preferences while trying to deny and change herself. Her struggle and decisions are realistic.

Mayra Lazara Dole involves you so deeply with this character that I found myself cheering for Laura to accept her feelings and to stop trying to be what others expected. Teenage love angst, relationships with peers, dropping out of school, and trying to maintain family sibling relationships despite all obstacles. This book was an amazing debut. It is joyous, hilarious, fun and stretches you emotionally. The descriptions of Miami were lively and we were able to glimpse life in Cuba and Puerto Rico from the conversations of characters. A Refreshing and needed title.

Count how many times I said "Amazing". Get the picture. --Diane Chen. Practically Paradise - Blog on School Library Journal

A colorful, vibrant, insightful, easy-to-read, interesting book that portrays real issues relating to teenagers, sexual orientation, and their taboos. This book addresses the strong, negative views that parents face with their homosexual children, especially in the Hispanic community.

I picked up the "last" copy of "Down To The Bone" at Border's and read it in one night. I couldn't put it down!! So much of Down to the Bone described my own experiences growing up. Finally at 4:45am, I turned my night light out and went to sleep smiling. Thanks for a great night, Mayra Lazara Dole!... : )

Grisel

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole gives us a look at the disenfranchisement of gay and lesbian teens, particularly in the Cuban community. Seventeen year-old Laura has fallen in love with Marlena. They have been involved in a committed relationship for two years, however, neither of their families know. That all changes when Laura is caught reading a love letter from Marlena by one of the nuns at her Catholic high school. Not only does the nun retrieve the letter, she reads it to the entire class. Immediately, Laura becomes an outcast in the eyes of her friends. When she goes home she discovers that her mother was notified and she is immediately cast from her home.

Laura goes to live with her friend, Soli and her mother, Viva, who are more open-minded and loving but she never stops yearning to go home. Laura is unable to tell anyone that she is a lesbian, so for most of the novel she lives a closeted lifestyle. The reader is allowed to feel Laura's pain as she loses the people in her life and also her joy as she matures. Down to the Bone was filled with the angst and drama young people endure when their lifestyle choices are different than their families expect. Ms. Dole does a fine job of allowing us a peek into the Cuban, gay and lesbian teen culture without ever being sexually titillating or graphic. The author also provides us a clear view of the pain these teens must go through to be themselves. I recommend Down to the Bone to teens older than sixteen and other readers who can learn from the subject matter.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub