Culturally Authentic Literature

Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

This bilingual picture book is the first that artist Maya Christina Gonzalez has written. Maya, with the help of her bird friends, finds beautiful colors in her desert world. She discovers vibrant purples in Mama‘s flowers, greens in the cactus, hot pink in clouds at sunset, and black in her Papi‘s hair. As young readers follow Maya‘s search for all the colors of the rainbow, they too might ask – where are the colors in my world?

This original cumulative tale effectively engages younger children in the ancient art of pottery making. On the opposite page, older children can read the story of Juan Quezada and his quest to re-create this art form from the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua, Mexico. For students of art who want to learn more about pottery making, the last five pages are devoted to the process. The multilayered text is accompanied by artwork brimming with creativity,...

Honoring the unique rhythms of Celia Cruz music, My Name is Celia pays tribute to the life and music of the famous Cuban singer. In combination with vivid illustrations this book is an exceptional picture book that will keep the memory of la reina de la salsa (the queen of salsa) alive, recognizing her legacy of artistic works and musical contributions.

Hood tells the story of a real child growing up in an actual place—Cateura—a community of people who live and feed themselves by picking through the tons of trash generated by the capital city of Asunción, Paraguay, and salvaging items to recycle and sell. Despite her bleak surroundings, Ada Ríos liked to imagine each garbage truck was "a box of surprises. One never knew what might be inside." When Ada was 11, a man named Favio Chávez started...

Set in Martinique, this version of Cinderella is told from the fairy godmother's point of view. As in the Perrault version, Cendrillon becomes the stepchild of a selfish woman whose only daughter was spoiled and demanding. Cendrillon in the end finds true love. The story is interspersed with French Creole words and phrases that are explained in a glossary.

In the heart of Guatemala City, a Chinese immigrant family owns a specialty store where they sell fabric, buttons, thread, and ribbons, in addition to a small selection of Chinese imports. The events of a typical busy day are recounted as seen through the eyes of the family's youngest daughter who is not yet old enough to attend school. We hear the voice of a young child in her first-person narration and see what she sees in the delicately detailed...

Carlson follows up Cool Salsa (1994) with another bilingual collection of poetry. In Spanish and English, this collection includes many well known writers such as Martin Espada, Luis J. Rodriguez, Gary Soto and Gina Valdes as well as emerging poets. They speak of the challenges of being bicultural, and of amor, neighborhoods, and family moments. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Oscar Hijuelos, wrote the introduction. Teen readers of all backgrounds...

Abuela weaves colorful tales as she weaves Isabela’s hair, “Our stories, like our braids, bind us forever,” inspiring her granddaughter to create and write stories of her own. Isabela is saddened, yet inspired, when she realizes her storytelling grandmother doesn’t know how to read, and sets out to teach her using her family’s traditional Mexican bingo game of la lotería, This endearing tale of a modern Latino family, reminds us how special...

José is a little uncertain when he learns that his Abuelita is coming from Mexico to live with his family. He has to share his room as well as his soccer space in the backyard. To the boy‘s surprise, even though Abuelita is old, wrinkly, and gray-haired, she is teeming with life. She plants a huge vegetable garden, cooks tantalizing foods, teaches him rhymes in Spanish, and reads stories with José and his little sister. Yes, "she is old, but she...