Latino Books

The integration of people of Latin descent into the U. S. society is a very complex issue. To start with, while Spanish is a common language among people whose ancestry can be traced to an origin we call Latin, their differences are pronounced. From a cultural perspective, their differences are as great as any found on the European continent. Their history also predates the arrival of European explorers, generally given as 1492. This book chronicles their history and struggle for acceptance into the U. S. society. Told using cartoons, the subject is very serious.
The Europeans conquered and subjugated the cultures native to the western hemisphere, then imported blacks from Africa to do the hard labor when there were not enough Native Americans. Racism and prejudice were rampant for hundreds of years as it was the policy of the United States to dictate the behavior of Latin American governments. It was a major policy change when in 1928 President Herbert Hoover first coined the phrase "Good Neighbor Policy" that was more a change in rhetoric than policy. The United States still militarily intervened in Latin American countries for decades after the statement was made.
All of this is chronicled in this book, written more from the perspective of the Latin rather than the Anglo. However, although it occasionally depicts the Anglo forces as being brutish and stupid, it is not really all that biased. The history of the Latin struggle for rights and opportunity is fraught with incidents of the police and other government and social forces exhibiting prejudice against people of Latin descent. This book is a good and readable introduction to their triumph after centuries of struggle.

Deliciously left wing, and direct and powerful, Ilan Stavans is not afraid to stand and be counted and he knows that you might not like what he has to say. And what he has to say is " Look here. This is good. This is powerful."

He reaches out to inform -- and celebrate the culture-- with authority and panache. He speaks the truth about the oppressed and the oppressor and his book pulls no punches in a direct attack on any hint of a poor Latino self-image. No time for pity here because the time for ascendance is coming.

This book is a necessary shakeup. It's a primer, albeit uneven at times, to folks outside the Latino community and a step in reaching out to those who don't know the truth of their (varied) civilizations.

Rich and potent, this opinionated polemic stands out as a tool to understanding and pride.

Este libro vale su precio. Hace falta buena literatura latina. Los autores hablan sobre temas de la historia que son importantes para nuestra comunidad. Creo que a los adolescentes en especial les gustaran mucho las caricaturas del Sr. Alcaraz. Yo lei el libro de jalon y me quede muy satisfecha.

The mezcla of the cartoons of Lalo Alcaraz (of the comic strip La Cucaracha) and the scholarship of Ilan Stavans creates a lively and informative overview of the history of US Latinos, cleverly incorporating traditional Latino theatrical characters and symbols as the storytellers. The book is great fun to read; its format makes it accessible to readers of all ages, and anyone fuzzy about the role Latinos have played in US history and culture during the past 500 years or so should RUSH to buy it.

Ilan Stavans studies and teaches Latino and Latin American culture and most recently authored Spanglish: The Making Of A New American Language. Lalo Alcaraz reaches the public on a daily basis through his most excellent comic strip La Cucaracha. Together they have joined to take the reader on a trip through Latino USA: A Cartoon History. Biting and sweet, biased and fair, incomplete but thorough, Latino USA is a good way to introduce yourself to the history of the majority minority in the United States. The scholarship is tight and Alcaraz's art makes it go down easy. I can't wait to get my copy into the school library, where I hope some of my not very cosmopolitan anglo students and not as self-aware as they could be latino students get pulled in by the drawings and learn a little history. I highly recommend this book!

This book focuses on how a Hispanic family need to work for a white man and that speaking Spainish is not really valuble. Please choose another book when looking for a multicultural book for your class or child.

A Day's Work

Calling all gardening lovers, you should read this book by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Ronald Himler. The characters of the book are a little boy
named Francisco, Francisco's Abuelo, and Ben the
gardening worker. When Abuelo wants a job, he
goes to a parking lot where there are trucks that
pick up workers. When a gardening person comes,
Francisco lies saying that his Abuelo is a great
gardener but he is not. So Abuelo gets a job as a
gardener in a field and something goes wrong.
I like this book because it is telling you to never
give up. I think Francisco learned not to lie. I
recommend this book to someone who likes
gardening.



Jonathan C

This story describes an American lifestyle that most of us will not experience. It avoids criticism of that life and presents a situation in which honest people are trying to survive. The author provides a human face to the characters. Very nice.

Let me begin by saying that I am a big fan of Eve Bunting and admire her for writing about people who otherwise receive little attention in stories. "A Day's Work" is worthy of that reputation. It is a story of day laborers from Mexico; moreover, it describes how the whole family pulls together to make ends meet (a theme that Francisco Jimenez beautifully explores in "The Circuit/Cajas de Carton). Though it's a simple story, there are several surprise twists. As with her other stories, Eve Bunting tells this one with her characteristic sensitivity without indulging in, you know, the mushy stuff. This book will enable children and adults alike to take a new look at honesty and, as the title says, a day's work.

This book has touched me very much. I have read it three times and I bought the book. I think this book is a must in every classroom and in every house. It powerful describes how people struggle with the daily paid, not only in the US but in the world and it also teachers about important vales as family values and honesty. A beautiful book for all ages.

I give five stars for this book. I loved the way the author gives a glimpse about the immigrants in this country and the powerful values they have and can share to this country. I also love the illustrations very much.

I had to read this book for a class and I am so thankful that my professor introduced me to it. While reading this book, I found that I could not put it down. It is an easy read and is appropriate for 6th grade and higher. This book gives the reader an understanding of the hardships of migrating to a new country and how scary it was to be on the lookout for Immigration. Furthermore, this book offers an incite to how non-criminal illegal immigrants are - that they are people who are just trying to survive.

Interesting story that doesn't glamorize or sugar coat the struggle of immigration. The decriptive language could have been richer and more challenging, but the reading level seems appropriate for upper middle school readers.

Maria and her family are trying to escape from El Salvador. The Gaurdias had killed her Papa. Now Maria, Oscar(her brother), and Julia (her pregnant sister)are all hiding in Chicago. Due to a raid on the place she worked, her best friend was sent back to El Salvador. Julia's baby was about due and she might have to go to the hospital, where most illegal Latino's are caught. To find out what happens to Julia you'll need to read the book. I enjoyed this book because it is a multicultural book based on an actual event in the past. I enjoyed it and I hope you read it, and like it as much as me.****

My fifth grade teacher gave this to me as a gift. I read it several times, mainly because I thought that if a teacher had given it to me,then it must be good.
Needless to say, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I didn't really sympathize too much with the characters, and I found it unbelievable that a girl could see pictures that she had created with...magic markers. Anyway, I had no other exposure to anything remotely south of the border before, so it was a new experience.

The reason why I give this four stars is because it really wasn't as bad as I seem to be saying. Things happen to Maria that are easy to realte to--falling in love for the first time, trying to be an adult while still very young, and dodging sexual exploitation while working and living illegally in the States.

Maybe the reason why I was disappointed was that this could have been a more vividly described story. The story of the bird seemed more like a blatantly literary device which wasn't properly integrated.

Well, this is my two sense. Worth investigation, worth a read.

Full of romance and struggles to understand a new language and the people around her, this book has the greatest elements to draw you in as a reader to read this book again and again until it falls apart. The beginning was gripping, you kept wondering if they'd make it...the only bad thing about this book was that the "quizel" the bird in other words was a corny element and should have been left out. Other than that, this book was fantastic and should be read by all at one point of their lives when stressed and searching for self understanding.

A delightful book by Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez. Who does not know the legend call AROD? Bright illustrations by Frank Morrison tell the story. What mother of a baseball enthusiast does not know the sound of a tennis ball bouncing against the indoor wall of the house? The story is good--our beloved Alex can write as well as play ball! It's inspirational, but not overly done--Alex touts sustainable effort to achieve goals. Post-story includes four pages of personal notes and a timeline of photographs. A must-have for young fans, but a genuinely good baseball story, even without knowing who the main character is.

The child I bought this for loved it ! Great pictures and an easy reader for your children.

I find this a great book with some wonderful surpises inside for young boys and girls who are just getting into baseball. They can learn what it means to be part of team and it shows respect to one another. My grandson had a great time with it.

Nicely written; very simply presented with good illustrations.

Children need to know the importance of long term goals and "practice makes perfect"...This story presents those values.

After reading Jorge Posada's excellent children's book, "Play Ball!" at least a dozen times at my four-year-old son's request, I was excited to see "Out of the Ballpark" by Alex Rodriguez, one of the great players of our time.

Although other reviewers seem to love the book, my son can barely tolerate it and will pick any other baseball book before this one. He doesn't light up like he does with Posada's book, or any of his baseball books, for that matter.

His favorites are the amazing Casey At the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Caldecott Honor Book), the entertaining Casey Back at Bat, the beautifully illustrated Home Run: The Story of Babe Ruth and a book that features his favorite player, Dear Ichiro.

The story felt like it was trying too hard to me and never really developed the great rhythm good children's book authors seem to find. Take note: this is a fictional story loosely based on events in A-Rod's life...a fact that isn't revealed until you've completed the story. I probably wouldn't have purchased the book had I known it was fiction.

When it comes to children's books, Posada hit a homerun. A-Rod, well, I'll give him a bloop single...and I'm giving him that for picking a decent illustrator!

This book is an excellent resource for teachers. After reading this book to them, I had them write about one of their family traditions. THis book really inspired their creative writing skills! Many students could relate to some of the traditions in this story. It made them feel special and it caused a lot of verbal interaction between students. It made the students want to learn about each other's cultures!

My 5 year old daughter loves this book. She enjoys both the brief stories accompanying each illustration, and examining each illustration and looking closely at the fascinating details. The text describes a large family and their many traditions that are interesting whether or not you are familiar with Mexican-American traditions and customs. Although we don't read Spanish, we like having the text in Spanish available for us to learn the words and phrases.

I have read many children's books; this book however, isn't really a book for reading. It's greatest attribute are it's pictures. It does have a small descriptive paragraph opposite each picture in both English and Spanish, therefore making the book accessible to many different children. It is a great multicultural book; you can learn about the culture and traditions of a Mexican American family. It is a good book to develop multiculturalism and can be used in many ways in the classroom.

Family Pictures is an excellent example of an autobiographical as well as multicultural book written for children from kindergarten through fourth grade. Lomas Garza covers a short period of her own childhood and the social life and customs of Hispanic Americans. The reader's attention is held by the detailed illustrations done in a variety of materials including oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and gouache on arches paper. While children will be drawn by the wonderful paintings, they will be learning a great deal about the Hispanic culture.

This book is a must have for ALL classrooms, but especially Bilingual and Dual Language Classrooms! I use it all year long! My students LOVE it so much that I bought them each their own copy for Día del niño this year. We use it as a writing prompt, they connect text to self and compare and contrast. The illustrations are beautiful. This year we used it for our yearly diorama project. Instead of the children choosing random books to do a diorama on, they chose the cuadro that most spoke to them and their family experience, and did their diorama on that. They also did a beautiful piece of polished writing comparing a family memory with that cuadro. This is my favorite book to use in the classroom, and many adults love to receive it as a gift as well. It brings back beautiful memories to all ages. This is truly a treasure. I cannot reccomend it highly enough! It is also great to leave for a substitute because it is bilingual and you know you cannot count on all subs speaking Spanish! The students never get tired of reading it or writing about it!

A MUST BUY!

Our 2.5 year old absolutely loves this book and we have fun reading it to her.

My three year old loves Dora and this book was great to get her used to starting daycare/preschool. We read it together and then she would read it to me. Good buy.

This book really helped with the "first time in school" jitters that my little Grandaughter felt. She loves Dora and if Dora could face it and get through it then she could too. I highly recommend this book for the great lesson it teaches. Plus, the kids love to read it or have it read to them too!!!

This book is not only positive in that it has more than one nationality portrayed, but it also displays positive helping skills. My child loves hearing about school.

"Hola! I'm Dora and this is my best friend, Boots. It's our first day of school today! And look, there's our teacher, Maestra Beatriz! She's on her way to school too." --from the story

Maestra Beatriz is riding her bike to school and gets a flat tire. Dora and Boots help Maestra Beatriz make her way to school with the help of their trusty friend, Map. The quickest way to school is through Letter Town and over Number Mountain. El autobus helps take them through Letter Town, which feature streets paved with letters. As children find the route with the alphabet, they sing the ABC song.

Then, Azul the train arrives to help take them over Number Mountain. While the book doesn't teach the child to count from 1-10 in Spanish, it *does* show the numbers forwards and backwards so they can count from 1-10 up the mountain...and 10-1 as the go down the other side.

With the schoolhouse in the distance, Dora's cousin Diego shows up on the back of a Condor. Encouraging the reader to say "Squawk, squawk!" to call the Condors, Dora, Boots, Maestra Beatriz and Diego rides on the back of the birds all the way to the school house. Before they enter the door, there are 8 items from Backpack that are shown...but which ones are Maestra Beatriz' school supplies?

They all make it inside before the third bell...even fending off an attempted theft from Swiper the fox!

My only beef with this book is that "Maestra Beatriz" is quite the mouthful to say over and over and over. I would have thought they'd pick simpler name to say for the story.

LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THESE BOOKS TEACH KIDS VALUABLE LESSONS IN A FUNNY WAY, LIKE IN THIS ONE:MANNERS.

We were having trouble with Please and Thank You until Dora made it the right thing to do. The Grandkids are all responding better with manners now and even will shush each other when someone is talking instead of trying to talk over them. All the Moms love this book and so do I. The kids love it and always ask for it.

I bought this book for my 3 year old granddaughter so I could read it to her. I have to agree with the other reviewer. It is too wordy to keep the childrens attention spans. Other than that, it has a good moral and my granddaughter does now think twice about her manners. So all in all it was an ok book

It is... OK. We really like Dora these days but this book is a bit to wordy to really get the message across.

This book is great!! Aside from the fact that my daughter loves Dora the Explorer it allows you to teach your child good manners and shows them how important it is to treat their playmates. I would recommend this to a parent.

This gorgeous gem of a book has some of the most beautiful and colorful illustrations I have ever seen, much like the colors of the cloth woven by Esperanza and her grandmother. It's a beautiful, touching look at the traditions of a women in a family and a culture we so often take for granted.

The book is great, but it was delivered to me and completely bent. Could have been prevented had a piece of cardboard been slipped in with the book.

This is one of our children's favorite stories. Especially since 5 of our children are adopted from Guatemala. It is a beautiful story of love and family. The illustrations are lovely as well. My Guatemalan born children love to have me read this story to them as well as my birth children.
I highly recommend them book to all families hoping to share a little bit of guatemala with their children.

A beautifully illustrated book written by Omar S. Castaneda who was born in Guatemala and teaches writing at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. The artist, Enrique O. Sanchez was born in the Dominican Republic and has worked as a graphic artist for Sesame Street. Together they create magic.

Esperanza is a girl who is learning to weave with her grandmother, Abuela. On the day of the Fiesta de Pueblos in Guate, they decide to reveal their work to the world.

"Esperanza, however, wore her favorite huipil: it was a white blouse with red, blue and green threads in the rectangular collar. Under that, the colors bled into silver and blue, and hidden within the intricate designs of the blouse were tiny quetzals flying freely in the threads the way they once flew in the great forests of Guatemala."

They have to take a bus and then finally they arrive in the city. Once Esperanza starts to hang up her work, people start to look at the elaborate weavings and some even take pictures. She sells all the items and her grandmother is very proud of her.

A loving story that follows in the tradition of Guatemala's legendary artisans.

~The Rebecca Review

Abuela's Weave is a very good, accurate book about how the Maya people actually live. I've travelled often to Guatemala and visited many villages. The pictures in Abuela's Weave depict life as it really is in the villages... the Mayan dress, the houses, work, animals. Very good. I read this book often to my 4 year old granddaughter and use the opportunity to educate her on Guatemalan culture and to teach her some Spanish. My cousin, Dominga Sic Ruiz, was born in Guatemala and adopted in the USA. We sell weavings made by the women of a village in Guatemala. The weavings go great with the book...hand in hand...to buy a weaving write to domingasic@hotmail.com Thanks. Mary P.

I borrowed this book from another teacher to read to the students in my resource room (grades 2 - 5.) Many of these students are of Mexican descent, though none of them are from migrant families. The book inspired much conversation, particularly on the topics of standing up to bullies and supporting students that are victimized by bullies. Discussions continued and passages were reread. The book moved from desk to desk and hand to hand. I realized I needed to keep this finger-smudged and cover-wrinkled edition and return a brand new copy to its wise owner. This is a book you will be happy to add to your classroom library.

I received this book as a gift for my children who are in the primary grades. The story resonated with me because I remember tutoring little migrant boys like this when I was in high school, boys who are smart but have trouble in school because of constant moves. My children enjoy this story because they can empathize with his troubles and how he is ultimaately able to outsmart the bullies without using his fists. They enjoy seeing his victory at the end. I like the fact that it builds compassion in them for children who face adversity every day. I recommend it.

I loved this book. It is a tribute to the human spirit. Children really understand the underlying theme. Beatifully written.

The main character in this book, Chico, is Hispanic, but his story is universal and engaging. I was delighted when my third-grader, who is a reluctant reader, read this book without stopping. She loved how Chico stood up for himself and solved his problems with Math. The illustrations are wonderful and the story has a terrific moral without preaching.

Oog. I always have a great deal of difficulty giving poor reviews to books that fill a need. And I especially find it hard to give a tough review to a book that not only tells a tale about a boy of Latin American descent, but also won a coveted Pura Belpre Honor. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I was unimpressed by author L. King Perez's foray into the world of children's picture books. Though a well-meaning tale about standing up for one's self, the story is an overly familiar one and its packaging is nothing to write home about.

Our hero is a boy named Chico. Chico moves with his family up and down California as they pick fruits and vegetables to support themselves. Now it is September when the grapes are ready to be picked and Chico is not particularly fond of the idea of going back to school. He moves around quite a lot and is familiar with bullies and kids that tease him because he is different. In this particular school, however, something changes. His teacher likes him, he does particularly well in math, and he finds a way to deal with the bullies that he meets. As the book flap says, "This story of personal triumph is a testament to the inner strength in all of us". Well...sort of.

The fact of the matter is, there's not a lot here that hasn't been hashed and rehashed in better books. Want to read a story about a child that deals with some prejudices that are less obvious than the ones dealt with in this story? Try finding A.F. Ada's, "My Name is Maria Isabel". Like the idea of a child of migrant workers that finds strength in standing up to people without relying on violence? Look at fellow Pura Belpre winner, "Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez" by Kathleen Krull. These books have a style and wit all of their own, and they're well worth seeking out. "First Day In Grapes"? Not so much.

Here were my problems with the book. First of all (and there's no getting around it) the book's boring. I'm sorry, but there it is. Moments of tension aren't properly built up. Accompanied by illustrator Robert Casilla's interesting but by and large mediocre pictures, the book has a kind of dragging feel. Then there's the method by which Chico defeats his bullies. I have little doubt that there are ways to outsmart such villains. You'll just have to forgive me if I don't think shaming them with math skills is one of them. The ending is a bit patchy, and more than a touch unbelievable. I can hear people claiming that such a thing could happen. And maybe in a better book I would have bought it. But L. King Perez, while having an interesting story on her hands, hasn't sold it to the reader properly.

My final call? Some kids will dig this book, but most won't. Its themes and ideas are so common in children's literature and picture books that I can say with almost absolute certainty that you will have minimal difficulty finding them in other better pieces of kiddie lit. While I agree with almost every Pura Belpre Honor book there is, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this one. That's all.

This book is great! I have been reading the stories to my middle school class of ESL students. They love it. The lessons on Respect, Honor, and Values hit home. We have posted dichos all over our room. I especially like that this book shows Hispanic people who keep thier values and culture can be rich, famous, and respected. Wonderful!!

To be honest, I expected more folktales and traditional stories from Mexico, but that's not what this is. There are about 100 contributors, each giving a personal story relating to the subject of a particular chapter. There are very few who did this for more than one chapter. This is the main component of the book. This is why I found it a hard book to read cover to cover. Since each chapter is dedicated to a particular virtue, and has a combination of "dichos," and personal stories, all of which are very short - no more than one to two pages long. While one of the reviewers found this to be a good thing, I found it distracting. Another problem is that the "dichos" are often translations of English/American sayings. While there are some sayings that seem to be universal - touch wood, for instance - I find it hard to believe that so many are.
What I was looking for was something to help me remember some of the "dichos" or stories that my mother and abuelita used, now that I have a son. I was hoping to keep some of the same sabor in our house that I grew up with. While I find this book a good additional to my library, it's not quite what I expected or hoped for and it's not better than what I expected.

You don't have to be Hispanic to love this book. On these pages you will find insight and inspiration for everyone. It gives an Anglo like me an indepth view of a community filled with wisdom and bursting with great stories. I highly recommend it.

This book is great, it tells many different stories from many different latinos. It also has some spanish childrens songs that even my mom knew! My favorite part of this book is the "Dichos", they have trancended generations from mexicanos to mexican americans....

I'm a college instructor (UCLA Extension, Loyola Marymount University Extension, The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, and Brooks College).

In some classes, 40% of my students are Hispanic.

I read the stories in this book to them, and they find them very inspiring.

Given the short attention span of students nowadays, the fact that Nava's stories are short and to the point makes them that much more impactful.