As a librarian, I love it when I find books that relate to one another in terms of themes or content, which gets me thinking about potential program ideas. The titles selected for this first column of the new year are full of such connections. Starting with the idea of focusing on longer fiction, I found two semiautobiographical novels in verse, and both are historical fiction that deal with the protagonist coming of age. Two other novels are connected by the relationship of a child with a grandparent that both explore the idea of coping with loss, which relate to a third, classic title about the relationship between a child and a cherished uncle. Then there are two books of scary short stories rooted in the Latino tradition. And finally, a new biography of a cherished Latino musician.

An article by Frank Bures in a recent issue of The Rotarian magazine entitled “The Bicultural Advantage” reminded me of the fact that one of the best ways to understand and see through the eyes of others is to learn their language. Once we speak the language, we understand the logic and can move into a space where we are not outsiders to the culture. Even though we may not all speak the language, the books in this column can take us to explore that place and help us be part of a very rich and vital culture. These books celebrate family, a culture informed by language and music, and literary tradition in which magical and strange things are possible.

BROWN, Monica. Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del mambo. illus. by Rafael López. HarperCollins/Rayo. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-006-12-2783-7.
PreS-Gr 2–Brown has written a series of picture-book biographies of Latino poets and musicians that have set the standard for what a biography for young readers should be. She has taken the lives of Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Gabriel García Marquez, and Celia Cruz and created a special type of poetry of her own, with lyrical texts that capture the essence of who these artists were. This newest title is no different. Puente’s first band was called Los Happy Boys, and, like his music, reading this book aloud can’t fail to put a smile on one’s face. It’s particularly exciting that Rafael López, the illustrator of Brown’s biography of Celia Cruz, has returned for this portrait of another Latin musician. From the cover that shows a grinning Puente gleefully beating on drums with what look like four arms, the joy that he took in music-making can hardly be contained on the page.

Activity Ideas: Of course the only thing lacking is the music itself, so I suggest using Tito Puente as the basis for a Latin-music-themed storytime. Since the book is bilingual, it lends itself to the technique of using two readers—one to read in English, and the other in Spanish. Then play some Mambo music, preferably by Puente himself, and let everyone dance. If you know the mambo, the rumba, or the cha-cha, you could even teach some basic steps. (A basic rumba rhythm is included on the back page of the book.) Brown mentions that Puente was making music before he could walk, banging on spoons and forks, and pots and pans. Bring some utensils and see how your storytime crowd can make music. Since Puente notably recorded with Celia Cruz, you could pair this with Brown’s My Name Is Celia (Luna Rising, 2004 )for a celebration of Latin rhythms. If you use an iPod for your storytime music, there is an “iTunes Essentials” playlist of Puente’s music that you could purchase that includes a track with Cruz singing a number entitled “Celia y Tito.”

ENGLE, Margarita. The Lightning Dreamer. Houghton Harcourt. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-80743-0.
Gr 6 Up–Engle has produced a fabulous work of historical fiction about Cuban poet, author, antislavery activist and feminist Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda. Written in free verse, the story tells of how Tula, which was her childhood nickname, grows up in libraries, which she calls “a safe place to heal/and dream…,” influenced by the poetry of José María Heredia. In Tula’s voice, Engle writes, “Books are door shaped/portals/carrying me/across oceans/and centuries,/helping me feel/less alone.” She takes elements from Avellaneda’s novel Sab, which is believed to be autobiographical, and creates a portrait of a girl “expected/to live/without thoughts” who will not be forced into an arranged marriage, and who falls in love with a man who wants her to marry the suitor of the woman he has always loved. Tula speaks out against slavery and arranged marriages, finding them both a form of imprisonment. Engle inhabits the voices of various characters from the story, including Avellaneda’s mother, who loses her inheritance because of Tula’s refusal to accept an arranged marriage, and who ultimately banishes her to live with an uncle.

I have always been a little leery of novels in verse because, if there is no artistic reason for the story to take that format, the verse form seems to be little more than a gimmick. Engle is writing historical fiction about a real Cuban poet, and she convinces readers that the story couldn’t be told any other way.

Activity Ideas: This book is ideal for literature units and can be used across the curriculum. Students can read this as an entry point to the history of Cuba, the issues of slavery and feminism, and Avellaneda’s prose and poetry itself. Engle’s book lends itself to teaching, and her appendix includes a bibliography of titles that kids will want to explore and research.

MCCALL, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite. Lee & Low. 2011. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-429-4.
Gr 6 Up–This autobiographical novel in verse chronicles Lupita’s coming of age set against the backdrop of her mother’s cancer diagnosis. I love the way that the author begins with the diagnosis, and then follows up with a section of poems about her memories of growing up. She then returns to the present, and the final section deals tenderly with the loss of her mother, and the way her father helps the family through the crisis with quiet strength. This novel rightfully won the Pura Belpré Author Award and it deserves wide exposure. I particularly appreciate the glossary of names, Spanish words, and cultural references, which ties readers to the world of South Texas and the Latino culture that is so prevalent in that region.

Children and Grandparents

MCCALL, Guadalupe Garcia. Summer of the Mariposas. Lee & Low/Tu Bks. 2012. Tr $17.95. 978-1-60060-900-8.
Gr 6 Up–This novel more than fulfills the promise of McCall’s Under the Mesquite. In Summer of the Mariposas, she audaciously sets out to retell Homer’s Odyssey within the context of Latino folklore. Odilia is the oldest of five sisters who have vowed to stay together forever. When they happen upon the body of a drowned man in their swimming hole, they decide to take him back to Mexico to his family, who happen to live nearby their own grandmother. La Llorona appears to Odilia and becomes her mentor and guide. The journey to the girls’ grandmother’s ranch involves getting across the border with a corpse without being caught by authorities. Then the magical realism kicks in as Odilia and her sisters have to combat various supernatural beings, including a shape-shifting witch and the dreaded Chupacabras, the monster who eats goats. These are just some of the connections, especially with the books of scary short stories mentioned below, that make this book such a rich source of material to introduce children to Latino myths, as well as theOdyssey itself. I love McCall’s take on La Llorona, whom she sets out to redeem as a sympathetic mother figure, rather than the scary child kidnapper she is most often made out to be.

MANZANO, Sonia. The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano. Scholastic. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-32505-9.
Gr 5-8–Manzano is, of course, best known for her role as Maria on Sesame Street. In this book, she has brought to life an incident from 1969, when a group of young Nationalist Puerto Ricans, known as the Young Lords, occupied the First Spanish Methodist Church, after the clergy turned down their requests to use the building during the week as a place for breakfast and other social services for the poor. The story is related in the voice of Evelyn Serrano, a young teen who realizes that she wants to find ways to create social change. The girl’s social consciousness comes alive in tandem with her grandmother’s arrival. Her abuela takes over Evelyn’s room, forcing her to occupy the couch. Even with this to grapple with, along with the contentious relationship between her grandmother and mother, Evelyn eventually forges a relationship with the older woman, who was a Nationalist in Puerto Rico. She also discovers more about her grandfather, who was on the other side of the political debate, and this makes her all the more anxious to be a part of history. Manzano makes the Puerto Rican barrio come alive, and the atmosphere she creates reminded me a great deal of West Side Story. Of course, she manages to insert a quick reference to Sesame Street itself, which also first aired in 1969.

ADA, Alma Flor & Gabriel M. Zubizarreta. Con cariño, Amalia. S & S/Atheneum. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-006-12-2783-7.
Gr 3-6–This is a Spanish translation of a book that previously appeared in English as Love, Amalia. When Amalia’s friend Martha moves away, she deals with an acute feeling of loss that is soothed by her grandmother. The book portrays this loving relationship in a very tender way that is made all the more poignant when Amalia’s grandmother passes away. At the end of the story Amalia reconnects with Martha via a letter, and works to reforge a connection. The book includes recipes for the dishes that Amalia and herabuela make together.

FARIAS, Juan. Los caminos de la luna. illus. by Alicia Cañas Cortázar. Anaya (Sopa de libros). 1997. pap. $8.20. ISBN 978-84-207-8293-5. www.anaya.es
Gr 5-8–While not about a grandparent, this book, which translates as “The Paths of the Moon,” is about the relationship between a young girl and her uncle, known as Juan el Viejo. When his niece Maroliña actually wants to be bored, he takes the opportunity to show her the wonder of life, and to prepare her for a time when he will no longer be there. Written in small snippets of poetic prose, this book has been a longtime favorite. Here’s how it begins: “Juan el Viejo loved walking along the beach at sunset, when the gulls had not yet gone to sleep. Almost always he was accompanied by his niece, Maroliña, the one who listened best. Juan el Viejo tells stories of what comes to his memory.” Each section of the book is introduced by a quote from another book, and, at the end, Farias talks about each quote and its connection with his story, and encourages readers to explore these other books. Sadly, Farias, who won numerous awards in the Spanish literary world for his children’s books, died in 2011.
Activity Idea: After experiencing any of these books, the best thing would be to take kids to a place where they can interview seniors and capture oral history. Years ago when I worked for the Dallas Public Library, there was a senior center directly behind the branch library and we took kids there to do just this. The interviews were all recorded, then transcribed. This was a satisfying experience for everyone involved.

Scary Stories

Below are two books of scary short stories that will appeal especially to boys. Both of these books mine the very rich lode of Latino folklore; any number of these stories would be great to read aloud, or to learn to tell on your own. Both books are bilingual, with the stories presented in both English and Spanish in the same volume.

GARZA, Xavier. Kid Cyclone Fights the Devil and Other Stories. Piñata. 2010. Tr $10.95. ISBN 978-1-55885-599-1.
Gr 5-8–Garza is mostly known for his picture books about lucha libre, or Mexican wrestling. The title story of this collection is about a lucha libre fighter, Kid Cyclone, who ends up wrestling with the devil. In “Llorona 911,” a group of kids at a slumber party call the aforementioned phone number, and La Llorona. This would be the most ideal story to learn to tell aloud. Garza also creates stories with other mythical characters such as the Owl Witch, who torments a girl named Esperanza nightly, asking for her baby sister. Then there is the Elmendorf beast, which finds its match in a very strong and stubborn pig. There are also the “Winged Beasts of Elotes County,” which you ignore at your own peril. There is an interesting tale of the U.S.-Mexican border in which a border patrol officer learns that the thing in the shadows is not an illegal alien, but the legendaryChupacabra itself. Some stories center on the idea of revenge, such as a woman known as “Donkey Lady” who turns the tables on her tormentor. The theme that runs through this collection is that of young people trying to prove, unsuccessfully, that old legends are not true. A great choice for any time a scary story is needed.

SALDAÑA, René, Jr. Batiando con el diablo y otros cuentos de mas allá/Dancing with the Devil and Other Tales from Beyond. tr. by Gabriela Baeza Ventura. Piñata. 2012. Tr $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55885-744-1.
Gr 5-8–The title story is about a high school dance in which Joey hopes to dance with Marlen, his major crush, but doesn’t get to her in time. Instead Marlen accepts an invitation to dance from the devil, which turns out to be fatal for her, and tragic for Joey, who could have saved her were it not for his inattention. Saldaña provides a La Llorona tale that mixes the original story with a more contemporary one in which the tragic scenario plays itself out again. In a second variant on the tale, “Have I Got a Marble for You,” a boy who wants to win a marble tournament obtains a magic marble from a creepy kid who turns out to be working forLa Llorona, helping her obtain a second child. In “Louie Spills His Guts,” an old wives’ tale literally comes true when Louie cuts his toe and then finds his leg swelling up. In Latino culture, a common phrase is “Sí Dios quiere” or, “If God wills it.” This phrase is often used to respond to invitations when there is some uncertainty involved. In “God’s Will Be Done” a girl who wants to go to a dance and meet a forbidden boy decides to do it whether God likes it or not. She finds out through the medium of a fierce bull that God doesn’t really want her to go. All of these stories are full of uniquely Latino cultural elements.

Tim Wadham is the director of the City of Puyallup Public Library in Washington State. Email him at wadhambooks@gmail.com.

This year’s slogan is Día: Diversity in Action. Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. Libraries can register at the Día website, where ALSC also offers a resource guide, booklist and logos for download.

The Día celebration was founded in 1996 by children’s book author Pat Mora, who proposed conceptually linking the existing El Día del Niño with literacy. The founding partner of Día is REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. For more information on Día, please visit dia.ala.org.

THIS MONTH WE’LL BE TAKING A LOOK AT

CANETTI, Yanitzia. Uno Dos Tres: My First Spanish Rhymes. illus. by Patrice Aggs. w/CD. Frances Lincoln. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-84780-193-7.
This is an outstanding and indispensable volume and one of those special books that is truly a gift to librarians. Canetti has selected the most popular versions of rhymes from around the Spanish-speaking world. She has organized them into thematic sections that reflect activities that transcend cultural barriers, such as traveling, going to the country or a farm, studying, playing, eating and sleeping. In the body of the text the rhymes are presented in Spanish only, though as a help to non-Spanish speakers, some of the key words are labeled in the illustrations. All of the popular, well-known rhymes are here, including “De colores,” “Los pollitos dicen,” and “Yo tenía diez perritos.” Also very helpful are the English translations, explanations, and background information given on the back endpapers. (The bad news is that typical library processing with the book jacket will cause you to lose some of this information.) On the CD, the selections are spoken and, in some cases, sung. This is marvelous for non-Spanish speakers, as you can hear the pronunciation, and even learn the tunes that go along with the rhymes.

RUESGA, Rita Rosa. La piñata/The Piñata. illus. by Soledad Sebastian. Scholastic. 2012. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0545-41995-6.
This book is a selection of traditional Spanish songs. A number of elements make it eminently useful. First, English translations are provided for the Spanish lyrics. Musical notation is provided for each song. Each pick includes a brief bilingual explanation of its background and origin. The illustrations are highly appealing and complement the piece. There are some well-known songs here, such as “Las mañanitas,” “La cucaracha,” and the lullaby “Arrorró mi niño” along with some more unfamiliar tunes that you’ll want to learn and incorporate in upcoming programs.

Concept Books

WEILL, Cynthia. Count Me In! A Parade of Mexican Folk Art Numbers in English and Spanish. illus by the Aguilar Sisters. Cinco Puntos. 2012. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-935955-39-9.
Photos of clay figures created by the Aguilar sisters from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico grace this fine bilingual counting book. Its conceit is that all of the figures are in a parade, led by a man with a balloon. The element of the folk-art aesthetic makes this an ideal title to use to teach numbers, while celebrating Mexican cultural heritage at the same time. The figures themselves are beautiful, creative, and sometimes whimsical, such as the giants maneuvered by a person wearing the costume who can be seen peeking through from inside.

MARTIN, Bill, Jr. & John Archambault. Chica Chica Bum Bum. illus. by Lois Ehlert. S & S. Libros Para Niños. 2011. BD $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2292-6.
It’s amazing that the first Spanish-language edition of this classic alphabet book has only just recently appeared. The English text has been lovingly translated into Spanish, with its own rhyme scheme that meshes perfectly with the Spanish pronunciation of each letter, and even the letter ñ, unique to its alphabet, is included. To share this board book with a larger group, you might consider scanning the pages to a PDF file, and then use an iPad connected to a projector to show the book on a large screen.

SCARRY, Richard. Richard Scarry’s Best Counting Book Ever/El mejor libro para contar de Richard Scarry. ISBN 0-87358-876-2.
–––– . Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever/El mejor libro de palabras de Richard Scarry. ISBN 0-87358-874-6.
ea vol: 2004. Luna Rising. Tr $8.95.
It is wonderful to have these classics back in print as bilingual books. Best Counting Book Ever takes children from 1 to 20, and then by 10s to 100. The book is framed by the story of Willy Bunny, who has no one to play with. His father tells him to practice counting, and to come back that night and tell him all the things he has counted. While it is probably too long for reading in a single storytime, individual pages could be ideal for counting and identifying objects and animals in Spanish and then English or vice versa. The same thing can be done with Best Word Book Ever. Each page has objects and characters based on different topics such as the playground, a farm, an airport. If you were doing a storytime based on a food theme, for example, you could use the mealtime page and have kids identify different foods. The large format is also enormously helpful for use with groups.

MEMBRILLAS, Sergio. Good Morning/Buenos días. ISBN 978-849-29-6817-6.
–––– . Good Night/Buenas noches. ISBN 978-849-29-6818-3.
ea vol: Bilingual Readers. 2012. BD $8.95.
PreS–These two board books are wonderful discoveries, first because they are from a relatively new publisher. Secondly, these are the kind of quality bilingual board books that we’ve all been looking for. They are perfect for babies and toddlers. In the first book, a child says good morning to various things in her world, including the books on the bookshelf, and ends by saying, “Good morning, baby,” as she looks in the mirror. Good Night follows the same pattern, with some very lovely choices such as having the child say goodnight to Mr. Owl. What makes these books special is the excellent design and the quality of the illustrations, which use a limited color palette, but have just the right level of stylization for young readers. If you have bilingual parents who are bringing their children to your lapsit or toddler times, they need to see these titles. Bilingual Readers has two websites, one in Spanish: bilingualreaders.es and another in English: bilingualreaders.com

TULLET, Hervé. Presiona aqui. Chronicle. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-1287-9.
PreS-Gr 2–Originally appearing in French and subsequently translated into English to great success, Press Here is now available in Spanish. It is an interactive title that uses simple colored dots and a text that instructs readers to touch and manipulate the pages accordingly. With each page turn, a transformation is accompanied by new instructions. There are even directive to tip the book, and of course, all the dots go to one side of the page. This book is absolutely delightful. It takes the trend of interactive electronic books and takes it back to the book itself. When using it in storytime, you might have each child take a turn following the instructions on a page. Much laughter and merriment will ensue.

The following two books are among my all-time favorites for bilingual storytimes.

SASTRÍAS, Martha. Queta la vaca coqueta. illus. by Enrique Martínez. Fondo de Cultura Económica. 1999. RTE $13.99. ISBN 968-16-5757-6.
PreS-Gr 2–Queta is a vain cow who loses a tooth and her tail. A dog comes along and tries to help her. He gives her a rat’s tail but soon a greedy cat comes along and takes it, and Queta is forced to be the way she is. The illustrations are very funning and exaggerated, particularly two full-page spreads, one with Queta’s body spread out like a carpet, and another showing her face with the missing tooth stretched out across the spread.

SASTRÍAS, Martha. El sapo que no quería comer. illus. by Enrique Martínez. Fondo de Cultura Económica. 1998. RTE $13.99. ISBN 968-16-5758-8.
PreS-Gr 2–The frog king has traveled a long distance to attend the spring festival hosted by the turtle queen. Each day she serves the frog king a dish that he does not want to eat. Doctors and specialists examine him, but can find nothing wrong. Finally, a doctor arrives who realizes that the frog king hasn’t eaten because he was too timid to say that his diet consists soley of insects. This would work well in storytime paired with the Spanish translation of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham—Huevos verdes con jamón.

Jokes and Riddles

I’ve always felt that it was important to integrate jokes, riddles, and poetry in Spanish into bilingual storytimes so that kids can hear the beauty of the language spoken aloud. Here are several titles that can provide some material to spice up your storytimes.

CUADRADO, Rafael Ordóñez. Un buen rato con cada plato. illus. by Susana Fernández Igual. Alfaguara Infantil. 2011. Tr $11.95. ISBN 978-970-770-785-6.
This book is a series of poems that are riddles, and the answer to each one is a type of food. The last word of each poem is left out, and is the answer to the riddle, but since the poems rhyme, children have a good hint as to what the answer might be. For example, the poem for which the answer to the riddle is “chocolate” (think of the Spanish pronunciation which is Cho-co-LA-te) ends with the following lines: “Claro que no es tomate/porque es el___.” Cuadrado divides his poem-riddles into sections on breakfast, lunch, party food, and a late night cena. If you use this in a storytime, bring some of the actual food mentioned to pull out from a box or some other hiding place once the kids have guessed the riddle, or to give them the answer if they’re stymied. Then you can eat when you’re done!

LOME, Emilio Ángel. Lotería de adivinanzas. illus. by Enrique Martinez. Alfaguara Infantil. 1999. Tr $6.95. ISBN 978-968-19-0663-4.
These are very simple four-line riddles, and the answer is given just below, with the text upside-down. Because the illustrations make the answers pretty clear, this is probably best used as a resource for little breaks between stories. You might chose riddles for which the answer is something that goes along with the topic of your storytime. Most of the selections are about common things, such as eyes, shoes, or the moon, the wind, and the sea.

Chistes para niños y niñas. illus. by Florencia Cafferata. Susaeta. Todolibro Ediciones. 2011. Tr $9.95. ISBN 978-849-91-3081-1.
This book of jokes is enlivened by delightfully silly illustrations reminiscent of Lane Smith’s work. There are a number of punss in rhyme that are the Spanish equivalent of the classic exchange: “He was so thin.” “How thin was he?” “He was so thin that…” Some jokes are based on the double meanings of Spanish words: One little fish said to the other, “What does your father do?” The answer is “nada,” which means both “nothing” and “he swims.” The illustrations place the jokes in a larger context. There are a couple of caveats when using this book. A couple of the entries might not be deemed appropriate for young audiences. Also, the Spanish origin is apparent in the fact that some of the jokes utilize the “os” form of formal address which may not be familiar to Spanish-speaking children in the United States. However, this is still a good source of material.

Poetry

The following two books are for slightly older readers than the storytime crowd. They could be used in after-school programs for the 8-11 year-old set as inspiration for their own writing. However, with some adaptation, particularly with the haikus, they could be shared with a preschool audience.

SHUA, Ana María. Las cosas que odio y otras exageraciones. illus. by Jorge Sanzol. Alfagurara Infantil. 1998. Tr $9.95. ISBN 978-970-770-132-8.
Gr 5 Up–This title contains a series of poems written in a child’s voice about the things that she or he truly hates. The selections exaggerate some of these dislikes, allowing children to laugh about them as well. The topics include things that are annoying to kids of any culture, country, or language, such as getting you haircut, taking a bath (especially if the water is cold), cleaning one’s room, or getting up early. One particularly fun poem is about scary clowns that ruin circuses and birthday parties for a youngster. After sharing one of these spirited selections, you could ask listeners what they truly dislike, and they could perhaps even write a poem of their own.

Basho, Matsuo, et al. Al viento: Antología de haikús. illus. Gerado Suzán. Alfaguara Infantil. 2008. Tr $6.95. ISBN 978-970-58-0204-1.
Gr 3 Up–This is a lovely anthology of haiku poetry by multiple authors translated into Spanish. It is a perfect introduction to the form for Spanish-speaking readers, and with a little explanation, could provide examples for kids to create their own haikus.

Tim Wadham is the director of the City of Puyallup Public Library in Washington State. Email him at wadhambooks@gmail.com.

Welcome to Libro por libro/Book by Book. I’m thrilled to be writing this new column, which marks the beginning of a new approach to SLJ’s coverage of Spanish-language and bilingual books for young readers. Rather than simply offering random reviews, the focus of this column will be building core collections and using those books to create connections with readers. With each column I’ll be introducing a topic(s) or theme(s) and I’ll include both new and backlist titles, and discuss how they can be effectively used in schools and public libraries. The books reviewed in this column are all recommended for school or public library collections that serve bilingual and Spanish-speaking readers. And they are not recommended simply because they are good books. These books also provide young Spanish-speaking readers with something more intangible, yet vitally important: a sense of their cultural heritage. In these books, they will see themselves, they will hear the music of the Spanish language, and they will explore the many varieties of the Latino cultural experience.

I welcome your feedback. If you have any requests for topics or themes that would be helpful to you in your library, please let me know. This column will only be worthwhile if it is practical. Please contact me at wadhambooks@gmail.com.

This month I am focusing on three important cultural topics: Food, Folktales, and Family.

Food

Pat Mora once said that “language is culture.” If the Spanish language is the primary ingredient of Latino culture, its cuisine has to be the second. Here are a couple of new tales, and one from the backlist, that focus on foods from Latino culture:

ARGUETA, Jorge. Guacamole: Un poema para cocinar/Guacamole: A Cooking Poem. tr. by Elisa Amado. illus. by Margarita Sada. (Cooking Poems Series) Groundwood/Tigrillo. 2012. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-133-5.
PreS-Gr 3–In this third book in the series from Argueta, a young girl makes guacamole in a joyful, fanciful, imaginative narrative. A liberal dash of similes makes the poetry sing. However, the most unique thing about this book is the way that Sada’s illustrations change perspective as the story progresses, showing the children smaller than the avocado itself. The magical realism of the children playing in and on the avocado make this book all about finding magic and wonder in the everyday. Kids reading the book can easily follow along and make guacamole themselves with the recipe that is provided at the end. Argueta’s previous two cooking poem books, Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding (2010) and Sopa de frijoles/Bean Soup (2009, both Groundwood) should also be part of your collection.

DE ANDA, Diane. A Day Without Sugar/Un día sin azucar. illus. by Janet Montecalvo. Piñata. 2012. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5702-5.
Gr 1-4–Given that diabetes is a significant problem in the Latino community, this book is recommended even though it exists almost entirely to teach a lesson. And that lesson is that excess sugar is not healthy. Tito, who is 10, realizes that he is at risk, as he has older relatives who have diabetes. So while staying with his cousins at his aunt’s house, Tito tries to go an entire day without sugar. He and his cousins make it a game, finding the hidden sugar in products they didn’t realize contained it. They discover that they can make substitutions and have delicious food even if sugar is not added.

MAZE, Stephanie, ed. Healthy Foods from A to Z/Comida sana de la A a la Z. illus. by Renée Comet. Moonstone. Sept. 2012. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-0-9834-9831-5.
PreS-Gr 4–This delightful book is illustrated with photographs of healthy food, and on each page the photographer uses the foods to create a healthy food face. The names of the foods are provided in Spanish with English translations below in parentheses. This title is particularly helpful in that it includes suggestions for making your own healthy food faces, along with other projects. There is also supplemental information for parents about the nutritutional benefits of the foods depicted.

KETTEMAN, Helen. Señorita Gordita. illus. by Will Terry. Albert Whitman. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-7302-0.
PreS-Gr 2–In a book that combines food and folktales, the Little Gingerbread Boy is transported to the American Southwest. He also receives a gender and cuisine switch to become a thick, fried, corn masa tortilla known as Señorita Gordita, who escapes numerous desert predators until she is tricked by an owl sitting atop a saguaro cactus. Terry’s illustrations emphasize the menacing nature of critters such as Araña, the spider, along with a snake and a scorpion.

RUIZ-FLORES, Lupe. Alicia’s Fruity Drinks/Las aguas frescas de Alicia. tr. by Gabriela Baeza Ventura. illus. by Laura Lacámara. Piñata. 2012. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5705-6.
K-Gr 4–Alicia attends a fiesta where she learns about aguas frescas, or smoothies, and asks her mother if they can try them at home. They do, using a blender that makes the drinks slightly different from what she had experienced at the fiesta. When Alicia learns that one of her friends on her soccer team has diabetes, she invites the entire team to her house for healthy, no-sugar-added aguas frescas. The book lacks a recipe, but the illustrations make you want to grab whatever fruit you have available and fire up the blender right away! This book will pair well with A Day Without Sugar/Un día sin azucar.

VAMOS, Samantha R. The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred. illus. by Rafael López. Charlesbridge. 2011. RTE $17.95. ISBN 978-1-5808-9242-1.
PreS-Gr 1–This colorful title is a winner of a Pura Belpré Honor award for illustration. Its fresh take on the rhyme “The House That Jack Built” chronicles the making of a delicious pot of arroz con leche, or rice pudding, in which all of the farm animals from the hen to the goat to the burro find a way to contribute. What really makes this a standout is López’s signature acrylic illustrations. A recipe is included.

Activity ideas: Of course the most obvious, and certainly most delicious, activity to do along with these books is to make some food. The easiest would be to make guacamole from the recipe in Argueta’s book, and serve it with chips. You might also want to make fruit smoothies after reading Alicia’s Fruity Drinks. Healthy Foods from A to Z provides lots of activity ideas appropriate for libraries such as creating bracelets with whole wheat noodles, or using potatoes or jicama to carve a stamp design, and then dipping them in paint to print the design on paper.

Folktales

Here are three new essential titles that celebrate the rich traditions of Latino folktales:

BERNIER-GRANDE, Carmen T., retel. Our Lady of Guadalupe. illus. by Tonya Engel. Amazon. 2012. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7614-6135-7.
K-Gr 3–One of Mexico’s most beloved folktales is treated both reverently and poetically in this retelling. Bernier-Grand’s rich language captures the humility of Juan Diego, who when he first see’s the Virgin Mary states “I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, a tail end, a leaf.” The muted illustrations capture a folkloric feel perfectly suited to the tone of the story.

COFER, Judith Ortiz. La fiesta de los animales: Leyendas latinas/Animal Jamboree: Latino Folktales. Piñata. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-5588-5743-8.
Gr 4-6–Pura Belpré-winner Judith Ortiz Cofer presents a bilingual book of Latino folktales about animals. This book is formatted with the English and Spanish versions of the tales on opposite sides rather than on opposing pages of a spread, you simply flip the book over to read the tales in the other language. These tales show the tables getting turned on animals, whether it is a pair of arrogant starving lions whose plot to cook a goat gets turned back on them, or a group of mice that bury a cat as a gesture of goodwill, only to find that the cat might not be dead. Also included are stories about a tiny ant that assists an elderly couple in saving their garden and a parrot who loves sausages.

HAYES, Joe, retel. The Coyote Under the Table/El coyote debajo de la mesa. tr. by reteller. illus. by Antonio Castro L. Cinco Puntos. 2011. RTE $19.95. ISBN 978-1-9359-5521-4; pap. $12.95 ISBN 978-1-9359-5506-1.
Gr 2-6–This bilingual collection of stories is one that storytellers will want to come back to again and again. The title story has a dog that makes friends with his former mortal enemy, Coyote. The old dog is about to be put down by his masters who think he is no longer useful. But Coyote has a plan for him to prove his worth, and the dog is later able to repay the favor. Some of these stories have visible roots in European folklore, but they are all distinctly Hispanic. There is a version of “Puss in Boots” in which Gato Pinto, a spotted cat, saves a young man from the jealous treachery of his brothers. In another, a boy gets the power to turn into an ant, an eagle, and a lion, and uses the power to rescue a fair maiden. Hayes has perfected his storyteller’s voice, and the words flow on the page just as if you were hearing the story in person. The Spanish translation is equally readable and tellable for that matter. The illustrations by Castro L. find the most memorable moments in the story and bring them to life with a feeling of action and delightul (and sometimes hilarious) facial expressions. Hayes includes source notes that provide helpful information about the provenance of these tales and the changes that he made in his retellings.

Activity Idea: The thing that makes Hayes’s tales such a gift for teachers and librarians is that they are easy to learn, memorize, and tell on your own. And just as he has made these stories his own, librarians can make them their own. Being a programming librarian working with children means that you are constantly searching for material. Hayes’s books provide that material. You can also have children learn the stories and tell them to the group as well. Check out his other books, such as The Day it Snowed Tortillas (Cinco Puntos, 2003).

*It is necessary to acknowledge the difficulty of presenting an overtly religious tale such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in school and public library settings. This is a challenge with Latino folklore, as many of the folktales have religious roots. Use your best judgment based on your community when sharing these stories.

Family

Latino culture values family, particularly extended family, and ancestors who have passed on as well through celebrations such as El día de los muertos or Day of the Dead. The following books celebrate families in the community, aunts, mother/daughter relationships, and the pain of being separated from family, and the joy of being reunited. These are all universal issues, but each of these titles has a unique cultural perspective.

DORROS, Arthur. Mamá and Me. illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. HarperCollins/Rayo. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-0605-8160-2; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-058161-9.
PreS-Gr 3–Dorros’s book is an ode to a relationship between a mother and her daughter, told in English with a smattering of Spanish. The child wants to do things by herself but she also recognizes the need for help from her mother. Gutierrez’s stylized illustrations capture both the contemporary aspect of the story, while incorporating Latino design traditions.

GONZALES BERTRAND, Diane. The Park Our Town Built/El parque que nuestro pueblo construyó . illus. By Tanja Bauerle. Raven Tree. 2011. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-9362-9914-0.
PreS-Gr 2–In this book, multiple families band together to make their community a better place. Gonzales Bertrand has come up with a unique and clever way to use the “The House That Jack Built” trope as a way to create a successful bilingual story. As the things needed to build the park come together, they are first introduced in English, but when they are repeated the words are Spanish. The conceit works wonderfully, and is supported by a bilingual vocabulary page at the end. Many of the same themes appear in Gonzales Bertrand’s Family, Familia (Piñata, 1999).

MEDINA, Meg. Tía Isa quiere un carro. illus. by Claudio Muñoz. Candlewick. 2012. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6129-8; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5751-2.
PreS-Gr 2–Aunt Isa wants a car so she can drive her niece to the beach. This story, narrated by the unnamed niece, is not just about Aunt Isa achieving her dreams, but is also about the dreams of immigrant families who are often separated for financial reasons, working until they can be together again. A lovely book that speaks to the emotional experience of immigration.

COLÓN, Edie. Good-bye, Havana! Hola, Nueva York! illus. By Raúl Colón. S & S. 2011. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0674-2; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3484-4.
PreS-Gr 3–Edie Colón’s autobiographical story of coming to the Bronx as a girl is a moving account of Castro’s Cuban revolution and the immigrant experience through the eyes of a child. Raúl Colón’s illustrations are the highlight here, his distinctive watercolor and pencil style perfectly conveys the wonder of seeing the New York City for the first time, and the warmth of being reunited with family.

Activity idea: Invite a relative of one of the children who was not born in the United States to come and speak with the children about their immigrant experience.

Tim Wadham is the director of the City of Puyallup Public Library in Washington State. He is the author of Programming with Latino Children’s Materials: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians (1999) and Libros Esenciales: Building, Marketing, and Programming a Core Collection of Spanish Language Children’s Materials (2006, both Neal-Schuman).