Category Latinx Literature

Oct 26 2017

Book Reviews: Marta Big and Small & The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra

 

Reviews by Ruby Jones

MARTA! BIG & SMALL

Marta! Big & Small CoverDESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: Marta is una niña, an ordinary girl . . . with some extraordinary animal friends! As Marta explores the jungle, she knows she’s bigger than a bug, smaller than an elephant, and faster than a turtle. But then she meets the snake, who thinks Marta is sabrosa—tasty, very tasty! But Marta is ingeniosa, a very clever girl, and she outsmarts the snake with hilarious results.

With simple Spanish and a glossary at the end, this fun read-aloud picture book teaches little ones to identify opposites and animals and learn new words.

MY TWO CENTS: Marta is a little girl who is exploring the animals around her. Compared to a horse, Marta is lenta. Compared to a turtle, Marta is rapida. All of this fun catches the eye of an animal that finds Marta sabrosa. Using her cleverness, Marta is able to escape.

Judging by only the title and the beginning of the book, you might be tricked into thinking that Marta! Big & Small is about opposites but you would be wrong! This picture book has an ingenious ending that is actually empowering to little girls….girls can be clever! What I really appreciated was that at the end of the book, there are Spanish to English translations of both Marta’s attributes and also the animals she encounters. Not only that, but the illustrations are very clean but bold and vibrant. It’s a great book for any young reader.

TEACHING TIPS: This book is a great opportunity to learn about opposites and comparing our attributes to the world around us. A good lesson would be comparing our size to various objects like a pencil or a house. Teachers could also review a variety of animals in English and Spanish.

WHERE TO GET IT: To find Marta! Big & Small, check your local public library, your local bookstore, or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

copyright Meredith Zinner PhotographyABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jen Arena is a former editorial director at Random House Books for Young Readers. She now writes books for children full time, including 100 Snowmen, a wintry counting story, and Besos for Baby, a bilingual board book of kisses. Her books have been translated into French, Korean, Arabic, and of course, Spanish.

 

 

Image resultABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:  Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City, grew up in the great state of Texas, and lived in San Francisco. She’s the author and illustrator of picture books such as Let’s Go, Hugo!;Santiago Stays; Knit Together, and Maria Had a Little Llama, which was an American Library Association Pura Pelpré Honor Book for Illustration. She now writes and creates in her studio in Brooklyn, New York.

 

 

THE CHUPACABRA ATE THE CANDELABRA

The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra CoverDESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: Like most goats, Jayna, Bumsie, and Pep’s greatest fear is being eaten for dinner by the legendary chupacabra. (It’s common knowledge that goats are a chupacabra’s favorite food!) One night, tired of living in fear, the impetuous goats whip out their trusty candelabra and head off to find the beast and scare it away before it can find them. Little do they know that candelabras are the chupacabra’s third-favorite food . . . and he isn’t about to stop there. This chupacabra has quite the appetite, and the goats are in for a big surprise!

MY TWO CENTS: The chupacabra loves to eat many, many things. Three little goats hope that it definitely isn’t them! To make make sure they don’t become dinner, goats Jayna, Bumsie and Pep set off to scare the chupacabra before he scares them. When they encounter the continually hungry chupacabra, he devours their candelabra in an instant and demands more. When they are unable to produce more candelabras, the chupacabra eats his second-favorite meal. Finally, when they are unable to satisfy his desires using his third- and second-favorite foods, the chupacabra reveals what his favorite thing to eat is: Goat cheese! The relieved goats merrily proclaim that they have so much goat cheese, he’ll never be hungry again.

The first thing that you notice is this book’s winning feature: it’s beautiful and vibrant illustrations. It is obvious the illustrator was inspired by the colors and history of Mexico. She does a wonderful job of depicting the story line while still interjecting humor and whimsy.

The story line itself, however, has some issues. Mainly, the writing reads rather choppy and forced. I would have much preferred if the chupacabra were more similar to the little old lady who swallowed a fly, where the chupacabra would devour any ridiculous thing including a candelabra. Also, reading this book aloud was very difficult for me as some of the wording didn’t really seem to flow right. Finally, there were some phrases that most kids will fail to get like “the whole enchilada” or words like “cucaracha”.

In the end, the book is a whimsical and funny read, but I was left wishing for more finesse with the storytelling.

TEACHING TIPS: Teachers could definitely use this book to teach the culture and history about the chupacabra, highlighting the place it holds in, not just Latino culture, but throughout the Americas. There could also be a unit on Mexican art, using this book’s illustrations for inspiration. Children could also perform their own little “Three Billy Goats Gruff” version of goats and the chupacabra as a play!

WHERE TO GET IT: To find The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra, check your local public library, your local bookstore, or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Marc Tyler Nobleman ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marc Tyler Nobleman is the author of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman and Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, which helped correct the credit line of one of the world’s most beloved characters. Formerly a writer for Nickelodeon Magazine and a cartoonist whose work has appeared in over a hundred publication, Marc lives in Maryland. His third-favorite thing to eat is anything banana flavored.

 

feather-weight_400

Photo by Feather Weight

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Ana Aranda was born and raised in Mexico City, where she first befriended a chupacabra, and she completed her undergraduate studies in illustration in France. She now lives in San Francisco, California, where she has painted murals in the Mission District, for the consulate general of Mexico, and for the prestigious de Young Museum. Her biggest inspirations are her childhood memories, the vibrant colors of Mexico, and music. Her first, second, and their-favorite things to eat are tacos.

 

 

 

headshotABOUT THE REVIEWER:  Ruby Jones has been working in public libraries since 2007 in various capacities, including Adult & Teen Services technician and webmaster at her current library.  She currently lives in Maine with her husband and precocious 2 year old. She continually strives to impart a passion and a sense of fearlessness toward technology, reading and learning for all ages.

Oct 23 2017

A Conversation with YA Author Francisco X. Stork

As devoted fans of Francisco X. Stork, we were excited to learn about Disappeared, the latest in his growing collection of novels for young adults. Garnering acclaim from many corners of the book world, Disappeared brings to life the heart-pounding story of Sara and Emiliano Zapata, a pair of siblings from Juárez, Mexico, who are thrown into peril as Sara delves into the unsolved disappearances of young women and Emiliano stumbles into criminal activity.

At Latinxs in Kid Lit, we advocate for strong and authentic representation of Latinx characters. There is much to praise in Francisco’s body of work, which includes The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, The Memory of Light, and Marcelo in the Real World. When Francisco agreed to answer questions about Disappeared, as well as other aspects of his writing life, we could not have been more thrilled!

 

Latinxs in Kid Lit: Welcome, Francisco! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

Francisco X. Stork: Thank you! I’m delighted to be here.

LiKL: You have publicly stated that the creative impulse for Disappeared flowed partly from your response to the recent surge of anti-immigrant/ anti-Latinx sentiment taking place in the United States. In this novel, how did you manage the dual challenge of representing these often disheartening realities, yet offering young readers a gripping story?

FXS: It ultimately boils down to creating believable characters that readers identify with and care about. If the story is to work, that is, if the story is to pull the reader into its world, then there must be something in the characters and something in the adversity which speaks to or touches the reader in a personal way. Often this is a recognition that what the characters are experiencing is something that the reader has experienced also. It could be that the experience was hidden in the reader and he or she is putting words to the experience for the first time. Books about disheartening realities can be gripping if there are heroes in the story that we can identify with. And by “heroes” I mean frail human beings like us who struggle to muster up what is best in us.

LiKL: In Disappeared, your depiction of Mexico and, in particular, Ciudad Juárez, is likely to come as a revelation for many U.S. readers. While you do show characters engaged in activities widely associated with Latinx culture, such as a quinceañera, you also complicate the picture by placing them along a full range of economic classes and professions, including newspaper journalism and information technology. You also shine a spotlight on Mexico’s problems with criminal violence and corruption. Talk about incorporating these complex, and sometimes contradictory, elements in a tightly plotted novel.

FXS: The idea here was to be as true as possible to reality. The reality of Mexico happens to be very complex, just like the reality of the United States is complex. If I were to show only the good side of Mexico, or a simplistic view of Mexico, I would be doing a disservice to Mexicans, to the reader, and to myself. The best antidote to stereotype is complexity. Hatred reduces the person or the object hated to a caricature. The beauty of good literature is that it can destroy hatred by taking us to a place where caricature doesn’t work because it doesn’t keep our interest, it doesn’t keep afloat that “suspension of disbelief” that is needed to keep on reading. It’s wonderful how the literary and the moral join forces in a good book.

  

LiKL: You have made a big mark through your explorations of intersections between varied Latinx experiences and the difficult terrain of depression and other mental health challenges and cognitive differences. This is evident in Marcelo in the Real World, whose main character is on the autism spectrum, and in The Memory of Light, which is about a girl fighting the demons of suicidal depression. You are also one of the contributors to Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Struggles, an anthology of personal stories about mental health issues. Why is it important to you to write about mental health issues, and how do you as a creator stay focused on your projects, all the while managing the challenges of depression?

FXS: I decided to write about things like cognitive disorders and depression and suicide attempts only after I felt that I could do this in a hopeful way—in a way that would give me, if I were reading the book, the courage to keep on living. All my books are deeply personal, not necessarily in an autobiographical sense, but in the existential sense that through them I grapple with my own ultimate concerns about what it means to be a human being. I’ve always treasured the experience of finding the soul of the author behind the story that is being told—that sense of here is someone I can trust because she has felt what I am feeling. So that is what I hope the reader finds in the books that deal with mental illness. I am fortunate to have found, with the help of a doctor, the right medication and the right dosage that allows me to work and to try to be useful to others. Also, I have had many years to work on the right perspective on my illness, one that is a balance of acceptance and fight, of being kind to myself and challenging myself with realistic goals and ideals. A difficult balance that takes constant effort even if never fully attained.

LiKL: At Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, your editor was Cheryl Klein. It’s obvious that Cheryl loved working with you, because she often writes and speaks about the satisfying process of editing your novels. Check the index for her recently published The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults and you’ll see that Marcelo in the Real World is referenced 23 times! We would love to hear a bit from your side of the writer-editor equation. And for the writers among us, please throw in some tips regarding the writing life and the process of taking a book to the finish line.

FXS: Finding Cheryl Klein was either a blessing or very fortunate depending on your world view. Writing is both solitary and communal and on the communal side my writing got exactly what it needed when it got Cheryl. Her editorial genius complemented all my writing lacks while allowing me to remain true to my writing voice and my writing vision (and reminding me of that voice and vision when I strayed). Yes, there were many times when the editing process was very hard and even at times discouraging but I never lost faith that Cheryl wanted what was best for the book and for the future reader and that kept me going. What I would like to convey to young writers is that they do all they can to enjoy the actual process of writing, of being alone with the work, and have patience with regards to the results they hope to attain. Those results may or may not come, but the process of creating a work that is beautiful and true is still worth the effort. Most of all, find a way to tell your story that is unique to you. Finding that uniqueness takes a lot of honesty and it takes a lot of practice and all the mistakes and rejections that you get will only make you a better writer and a better person if you see writing not as the publication of a book or the recognition that comes with it but as a way of life you are called to live.

LiKL: What are you reading right now (YA or otherwise)? What YA books would you recommend to a writer who wants to write books for that age group?

FXS: I’m re-reading Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless me, Ultima. Rudolfo Anaya is in many ways the father of Mexican-American literature and there is so much to learn from him about the presentation of the Mexican-American experience in a novel. One of my favorite books I always recommend to YA writers is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because, well, there’s an author who found a way to tell an interesting story about a serious situation in a unique way. But I would also encourage YA writers to read all kinds of books, not just YA. Read fiction and non-fiction works that have nothing to do with what you are writing and you will be surprised by how they ultimately do. Read especially those books where the author’s soul touches yours.

LiKL: Lastly, we can’t let you go without asking what you’re working on next and when we can expect to see it in print.

FXS: I didn’t intend to do this when I was writing Disappeared, but I am interested in following Sara and Emiliano as they make their way in the current United States. I’m not sure when you will see it in print. I want to get it right and give the book all the time it needs.

Francisco X. Stork is the author of Marcelo in the Real World, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Teens and the Once Upon a World Award; The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, which was named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Teens list and won the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; Irises; and The Memory of Light, which received four starred reviews. He lives near Boston with his wife. You can find him online at franciscostork.com and @StorkFrancisco.

For more on Francisco’s books and writing life, check out the following interviews:

“One Thing Leads to Another,” YALSA 

An audio chat on Publishers Weekly KidCast

 

 

Oct 19 2017

Latinxs in Kid Lit at the Library: Interviews with Fellow Librarians: Maria F. Estrella

 

The Latinxs in Kid Lit at the Library series features interviews with children’s librarians, youth services librarians, and school librarians, where they share knowledge, experiences, and the challenges they encounter in using Latino children’s literature in their libraries. In this entry we interview fellow REFORMA member Maria F. Estrella.

Maria F. Estrella

Maria F. Estrella

Assistant Manager, Cleveland Public Library, South Brooklyn Branch, Cleveland, Ohio

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your identity, and your library.

I am originally from Colombia and currently reside in Cleveland, Ohio. I came to the United States approximately thirty years ago, and grew up in a working-class community on the east side of Cleveland. During the 1980s, a small pocket of Latino families lived in my neighborhood, so maintaining our customs and culture was a priority.

I work for the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) as an Assistant Manager. Better known as the People’s University, CPL is a five-star library, recognized by the 2016 Library Journal Index of Public Library Service. Throughout my seventeen years of library experience, I have worked in various capacities. While obtaining my Bachelor’s of Arts and Sciences in Social Work and Spanish, I worked as a Youth Services Department Library Page and in Library Assistant-Computer Emphasis. I then obtained a Master’s of Communication and Information in Library and Information Science from Kent State University, and was promoted to Children’s Librarian, and then to Youth Services Subject Department Librarian. I currently work at the South Brooklyn Branch, one of twenty-seven branches within the Greater Cleveland, where there is a vast Latino population.

What process does your library take to select and acquire Latino children’s books for the collection? Do you have any input in this process?

There are several ways the Cleveland Public Library selects and acquires Latino children’s books for all of our twenty-seven branches and our main library. Our International Languages Department is responsible for the collection development of all Spanish materials, the Youth Services Department purchases diverse juvenile/teen titles, and our Children’s Librarians who serve the Latino community purchase Spanish or Latino children’s books for their collection.  

As an Assistant Manager, I no longer select or acquire juvenile/teen books for a collection. However, while working in the Youth Services Department, I created a Pura Belpré Award Book section, where all Pura Belpré award winners and honors are displayed. Additionally, I was one of two librarians responsible for ordering diverse titles for the department on a weekly basis.  

What type of children and youth programming does your library offer that promotes Latino children’s literature? How frequently?

Throughout the years, the Cleveland Public Library has conducted storytimes during Hispanic Heritage Month and Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros. I have recently partnered with the Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center to conduct a monthly bilingual storytime for families. The purpose of the storytime is to spark the love of language and literature in all forms (both English and Spanish) in early readers.

In terms of promoting events and community outreach, what does your library do?

The Cleveland Public Library promotes library events through various social media platforms and printed announcements, such as our monthly Up Next brochure. Our library staff members conduct numerous community outreaches throughout our urban neighborhoods, and we have an Outreach and Programming Services Department. Our library system also has the On the Road to Reading program, which delivers library materials and services to caregivers of young children, birth to 5 years of age. The project is conducted at selected childcare settings, pediatric clinics, and community events.

One cool thing the library acquired two years ago is the Cleveland Public Library People’s University Express Book Bike. The Book Bike’s overall mission is to celebrate both literacy and healthy living, while implementing creative ways to educate, provide library services, and instill pride in our urban communities. The traveling library displays informational services and materials, serves as a library checkout station, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and acts as a welcoming library hub at any outreach event. During the summer, I have the great privilege to ride the bike!

What is the reaction of kids, teens, and families regarding Latino children’s books and programming? And the reaction of your co-workers and library staff?

As a result of Cleveland, Ohio, being very diverse in population, it’s common for our children, teens, and families to experience diverse books and programming. What I love to do the most is introduce children and families to a small piece of our culture by doing simple things like reading a Latino-inspired tale or conducting a Día de los Muertos program. The library staff and co-workers love it, have provided a helping hand, and some have invited me to their branches to conduct a storytime.

Any challenges regarding the acquisition of Latino children’s books or in getting your programming approved? What would you like to do in terms of programming that you haven’t be able to?

I have never had any challenges regarding the acquisition of Latino juvenile books or programming. Sometimes, I am in shock that my past and present supervisors and our Outreach and Programming Department liked my program ideas, because at times they are a little outside the box! A program that I would love to have is a children/teen Latino writer/ illustrator series during the month of the Día celebration. I would love to illustrate to our Latino youth and their families that all dreams are possible, and demonstrating to them that diverse characters and displaying the Latino culture in books are worth creating!

Do you address issues of prejudice and oppression in your library through and in children’s books? 

As a result of being an almost 150-year-old institution, we don’t censor any material, and we do come across children’s books that portray certain prejudices. As an academic/public library system, we preserve those literary works for scholars to utilize in their research. However, we have marvelous youth-services staff members, who constantly inform themselves on the need for great diverse books for children. Currently, our institution has librarians on various ALA/ALSC book award committees. I had the honor of serving on the 2016 ALSC/REFORMA Pura Belpré Committee, which annually selects a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Any advice for other librarians/educators who would like to use and incorporate Latino children’s literature into their programming?

Please do your research, read, and truly be an advocate for Latino children/teen literature, especially since, at times, you may be the only one doing it.

Which are the most popular Latino children’s books at your library?

Anything by Yuyi Morales, Duncan Tonatiuh, Meg Medina, and Margarita Engle.

And finally, which Latino children’s books do you recommend?

There are many books that I love and utilize during storytime and with my children! I love that there is a Colombian character in the children’s book Juana & Lucas, written and illustrated by Juana Medina. 

juana-and-lucas

Oct 16 2017

Spotlight on Independent Publishers with Great Spanish Content

By Christa Jiménez (founder of the Pura Vida Moms blog)

We know that reading to our kids in their home language is the key to their academic success in that language, and that’s why Spanish-speaking parents continually seek out bilingual and Spanish books for our kids. What can get difficult is finding high quality, culturally relevant texts that support the home culture. I am continuously amazed at the well-meaning publishers who release “bilingual” books that contain pervasive cultural or linguistic errors.  Over the past three years, I have combed through books for my daughters to read–and have come across these four small Spanish language book publishers that are committed to producing high-quality, authentic Spanish language and bilingual books.

Books del Sur

books-del-surBooks del Sur is a one-woman extravaganza of a book company out of Illinois. The owner, Heather Robertson-Devine, is a dual language teacher who saw the need for high-quality, authentic Spanish literature in schools and homes, and began importing titles from Chile. From there, her collection has continued to grow, and now includes the Anti-Princess collection so beloved by author Junot Díaz. We love her Baby Book Bundle. My younger daughter often totes De Paseo around the house in her shopping cart, and both my daughters love to read the entire collection on our daily morning walk. To read more about Books del Sur, click here or visit the online store and enter the coupon code BilingualWe for special offers.

Lil’ Libros

loteriaI had first read about Lil’ Libros and their incredible story in Latina magazine, but I hadn’t
had a chance to purchase any books in the craziness that was birthing my second daughter. I recently decided to purchase a copy of Lotería for my daughters, and I was absolutely floored by the book. The illustrations are simple and vibrant, and the color palette is incredible. Each page includes both the Spanish and English translation of the picture, and I love that the definite article is included. Had I known about these books when I was still in the high school Spanish classroom, I would have used them constantly as models for our Spanish Children’s Book project. These books are the best, and can be purchased at many Target stores, or on Amazon.

Trinity University Press

hello-circulosWhen my younger daughter turned one, we asked for bilingual books. An artist friend of mine came across the Trinity University Press children’s books at the Denver Art Museum, and Hello Círculos is part of our daily reading routine. The book has reproductions of famous art prints and sculptures surrounded by bilingual prompts that spark academic discussion about numbers, shapes, colors – and of course about all of the art. I love that the appendix includes all of the information about the works on each page. The book is board-book style, but would be great for readers even in the high school Spanish classroom as they study works of art and Latin American artists. This book collection from Trinity University Press should be a staple in every bilingual household. To purchase books from the collection, click here.

Lorito Books

con_mis_manos_largeWe recently went to our local Denver Public Library branch to check out audiobooks in Spanish. We brought home the 10 that they had, and some were definitely better than others. The best book was Con mis manos, part of a series about the five senses. The book was beautifully illustrated, and read in a manner that was easy for my three year old to follow along. The page chimes were consistent and easy to follow, and the story kept her engaged. Lorito books is another woman-owned business that started with a dream and became reality out of the owner’s house. I’m excited to acquire more Lorito books for my kids. Check out more books here.

 

christajimenezChrista Jiménez left the bilingual classroom after 15 years and is now the founder of Pura Vida Moms – a website dedicated to bilingual parenting, family travel, recipes, and bicultural and expat living. She’s married to a Costa Rican, and together they have two young bilingual daughters. When she’s not blogging, traveling, parenting, or reading she co-hosts the BilingualWe weekly vlog, applying the latest bilingual education research to the best practices for everyday bilingual parenting. You can find her at www.puravidamoms.com or join the BilingualWe Facebook Group to connect with other bilingual parents. Christa believes it’s important to make bilingualism at home a priority- no matter what that looks like in your house!

Find Pura Vida on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Disclosure: this post contains links to affiliates that support the Pura Vida Moms blog).

 

Blue Manatee Press

Review by Lila Quintero Weaver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two bilingual board books from Blue Manatee Press provide very young children an introduction to the seasons of spring and fall. With engaging text by Susana Madinabeitia Manso and eye-popping photo illustrations by Emily Hanako Momohara, this pair of concept picture books offers an appealing approach to traditions commonly associated with each season.

The page spreads of In Autumn/En Otoño show a child model in a series of fall activities. She romps in a pile of bright-hued leaves, grins like a jack-o-lantern over a patch of pumpkins, and imitates a squirrel clambering up a tree, to cite three examples.

 

In Spring/En Primavera shows a different child model as he splashes in a puddle, sings like a robin, hops like a bunny, and enjoys other springtime activities.

 

In each spread, the text follows a rhythmic set-up appropriate for the ears of toddlers, and appears in echoing segments of English and Spanish.

In spirng…seeds grow. I want to grow like a seed!

En primavera…las semillas crecen. ¡Quiero crecer como una semilla!

Don’t you think I make a good seed?

¿A que sería una buena semilla?

And:

In autumn…the wind blows. I can blow like the wind!

En otoño…el viento sopla. ¡Puedo soplar como el viento!

Can you blow like the wind?

¿Puedes soplar como el viento?

Note: It’s a definite plus that the child models for both books showcase America’s racial and ethnic diversity.

Image result for Susana Madinabeitia MansoABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susana Madinabeitia Manso is a Spanish teacher and translator. She received her Masters of Arts at West Virginia University and now teaches Spanish at Miami University.

 

 

Emily Hanako MomoharaABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Emily Hanako Momohara is an artist and academic in photography and video arts. She received her Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Kansas and now teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati as an Associate Professor.

 

 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Lila Quintero Weaver is the author-illustrator of Darkroom: A Memoir in Black & White. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Darkroom recounts her family’s immigrant experience in small-town Alabama during the tumultuous 1960s. It is her first major publication and will be available in Spanish in January 2018. Her next book is a middle-grade novel scheduled for release in July 2018 (Candlewick). Lila is a graduate of the University of Alabama. She and her husband, Paul, are the parents of three grown children. She can also be found on her own website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Oct 12 2017

Book Reviews: Lucía the Luchadora by Cynthia Leonor Garza; illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez and ABC Pasta by Juana Medina

 

LUCÍA THE LUCHADORA

Review by Dr. Sanjuana Rodriguez

Lucia the Luchadora CoverDESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK: Lucía zips through the playground in her cape just like the boys, but when they tell her “girls can’t be superheroes,” suddenly she doesn’t feel so mighty. That’s when her beloved abuela reveals a dazzling secret: Lucía comes from a family of luchadoras, the bold and valiant women of the Mexican lucha libre tradition. Cloaked in a flashy new disguise, Lucía returns as a recess sensation! But when she’s confronted with a case of injustice, Lucía must decide if she can stay true to the ways of the luchadora and fight for what is right, even if it means breaking the sacred rule of never revealing the identity behind her mask. A story about courage and cultural legacy, Lucía the Luchadora is full of pluck, daring, and heart.

MY TWO CENTS: The cover of the book is flashy with a larger than life young girl in a luchadora outfit. The story begins with Lucía playing on the playground where there are two other boys. Lucía tries to play with the boys, but they are not interested in playing with her. One of the boys tells Lucia that “girls can’t be superheroes” and she gets angry that they have told her this. That’s when Lucia’s abuela whispers a secret to Lucía. Abuela shows Lucia her cape and mask and tells her about the Mexican lucha libre tradition. She shares that she was a luchadora as a young girl and tells her that “a luchadora has moxie. She is brave and full of heart, and isn’t afraid to fight for what is right.” The next day, Lucia goes back to the playground wearing her luchadora cape and mask. Everyone notices Lucía, but she does not reveal her identity to the kids. One day when she is playing she notices another luchadora dressed in pink. She hears the boys telling her the same thing, “girls can’t be superheroes! Girls are just made of sugar and spice and everything nice!”. Lucía remembers when her abuela told her that “a real luchadora must fight for what is right” and reveals that she is a girl. When others start clapping, she notices that there are luchadoras all around her who also reveal their identity. She continues to play without her mask and tells herself the following with her grandmother smiling as she watches her play, “I am still the best kind of superhero. I am Lucía the Luchadora, mask or no mask.”

This book is a rare jewel–it features a strong Latina girl as a superhero! This book sends a clear message to all kids to be courageous in the face of injustice. Lucía does not reveal who she is until she understands that it will help another little girl who is going through something similar. In the end, Lucía realizes that she does not need a mask to be a hero. The book also shows the importance of inter-generational relationships in the Latinx culture.  Lucía’s abuela is the one who shares her own experience and shares with her the mask and the cape. The last picture shows abuela smiling as Lucía plays with the other luchadoras on the playground.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and bright. My favorite illustration shows Lucía when she gets angry.  In a full page spread, red and orange peppers surround Lucia to show that she is “spicy mad. KA-POW kind of mad.” The illustrations are very detailed and show careful attention to the depiction of cultural artifacts and symbols such as rosary beads and the abuela’s perfume.

TEACHING TIPS: At the end of the book, the author included a note on luchadoras, luchadores, and lucha libre in which the author discusses luchadores in Mexico and the history of lucha libre.

The author worked with an educator to create a curriculum guide to go along with Lucía the Luchadora. The guide includes questions, lesson ideas, and information about the author and illustrator.

http://www.cynthialeonorgarza.com/curriculum-guide-download-for-lucia-the-luchadora/

The following is an article of an interview with the author, Cynthia Leonor Garcia.

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/books/article/Luc-a-the-Luchadora-author-wants-more-11056270.php

This guide titled “Lucha Libre and Mexican Culture for Kids” features information about lucha libre as well as other picture books about this topic:

http://www.spanishplayground.net/mexican-culture-lucha-libre/

WHERE TO GET IT: To find Lucía the Luchadora, check your local public library, your local bookstore, or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Cynthia Leonor GarzaABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website): I’m a writer and write all sorts of things. My debut picture book Lucía the Luchadora was published in March 2017. I’ve written essays for The Atlantic, commentaries for NPR’s All Things Considered and am an alum of the VONA/Voices writer’s workshop. I’m also a journalist and have worked as a reporter for several newspapers including the Houston Chronicle and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I graduated from Rice University and have a Master’s in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. I was born and raised in South Texas and currently live with my husband and two young daughters in Nairobi, Kenya. Reach me via Twitter or at luchalady [@] gmail.com

Photo by Mark Cowles

Photo by Mark Cowles

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR (from her website): As a born and bred New Yorker, my recent move to Tasmania has led me to discover a limitless wellspring of inspiration in the form of an urban and rural coalescence.  My artistic framework stems from my undergraduate and graduate degree courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where I studied illustration, computer animation and interactive media. Illustration is my main form of communication and memory keeping, and I believe that even the smallest life experiences can be the greatest asset to inspired creations. To me, art is a powerful motivator which equips me with the ability to transcribe my imagination into something tangible. I hope to direct those who view my work into a deeper experience with curated colour, delightful subject matter and professional craftsmanship.

 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Sanjuana C. Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Literacy and Reading Education in the Elementary and Early Childhood Department at Kennesaw State University. Her research interests include the early literacy development of culturally and linguistically diverse students, early writing development, literacy development of students who are emergent bilinguals, and Latinx children’s literature. She has published in journals such as Journal of Language and Literacy Education, Language Arts, and Language Arts Journal of Michigan.

 

ABC PASTA: An Entertaining Alphabet

Review by Cecilia Cackley

DESCRIPTION OF THE  BOOK:
A is for angel hair acrobat
M is for Macaroni the Magician
and T is for tortellini trapeze artist.
It’s an ABC circus that’s good enough to eat

MY TWO CENTS: We all know pasta is delicious, but who knew it could be so colorful and informative? After focusing on depicting animals in her last delightful concept book 1 Big Salad, Juana Medina adds human limbs, features and accessories to various pastas and other ingredients to create an engaging circus alphabet. Her lines are bold and sketchy, with splashes of color for cheeks and clothing added to create a beautiful, balanced effect. Medina has told me that Quentin Blake was a huge influence on her art, and it’s really visible in these energetic drawings. She constantly changes the way she incorporates the photographs of the different kinds of pasta (plus a few herbs and cheeses), sometimes using it for the body of the character, sometimes the head or the hair, and occasionally for wheels, instruments or hoops. This is a delicious concept picture book that readers of many ages will be thrilled to pick up.

TEACHING TIPS: This is a book that rewards careful observation, and teachers can use it with preschool and kindergarten classes as a fun read aloud for introducing the alphabet. For slightly older students, a scavenger hunt would be a fun way to create an activity to go with the text, asking kids to find letters that use the pasta for different effects, or count how many letters include an instrument. Medina’s vocabulary is very sophisticated for an alphabet book, making this a good choice for a language lesson explaining words like ‘spectator,’ ‘invincible,’ or ‘zestful.’ Art teachers can use this alongside Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s found object art to spark ideas for student drawings using pasta or other items. I’d also like to point out that unlike many other circus themed books, Medina focuses solely on the humans, with no animals included at all. Now that the Ringling Bros circus has closed, most circuses in the U.S. have retired the elephants and seals and instead feature an incredible range of acts from acrobats to jugglers to clowns. It was nice to see those acts introduced to young people in this book.

Photo: Silvia Baptiste © 2013ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Juana Medina was born in Bogotá, Colombia, where she grew up, getting in a lot of trouble for drawing cartoons of her teachers. Eventually, all that drawing (and trouble) paid off. Juana studied at the Rhode Island School of Design – RISD (where she has also taught). And she has done illustration & animation work for clients in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe. She now lives in Washington, D.C., where she teaches at George Washington University. She is the illustrator of Snick! by Doreen Cronin and the author and illustrator of 1 Big Salad, Juana and Lucas (which won the Pura Belpré Award) and the upcoming picture book Sweet Shapes.

WHERE TO GET IT: To find ABC Pasta, check your local public library, your local bookstore, or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Click here for a post about a studio visit with Juana Medina.

 

Cackley_headshotABOUT THE REVIEWER: Cecilia Cackley is a performing artist and children’s bookseller based in Washington DC where she creates puppet theater for adults and teaches playwriting and creative drama to children. Her bilingual children’s plays have been produced by GALA Hispanic Theatre and her interests in bilingual education, literacy, and immigrant advocacy all tend to find their way into her theatrical work. You can find more of her work at www.witsendpuppets.com.

Oct 5 2017

Book Review: Side by Side/Lado a Lado by Monica Brown, illustrated by Joe Cepeda

 

Reviewed by Maria Ramos-Chertok

Side by Side/Lado a Lado CoverDESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Every day, thousands of farmworkers harvested the food that ended up on kitchen tables all over the country. But at the end of the day, when the workers sat down to eat, there were only beans on their own tables. Then Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez teamed up. Together they motivated the workers to fight for their rights and, in the process, changed history.

Award-winning author Monica Brown and acclaimed illustrator Joe Cepeda join together to create this stunning tribute to two of the most influential people of the twentieth century.

MY TWO CENTS: Growing up, my mother told us we had to boycott grapes. At that time, I only understood farmworkers were treated badly and Cesar Chavez was helping them. Years later, I’ve found a bilingual children’s book that would have helped me understand, not only the history of the farmworker movement, but who Cesar Chavez was and how he and Dolores Huerta worked together to inspire a national consciousness about the treatment of farmworkers. I love that this book introduces Dolores and Cesar as children and connects their early life experiences to the decisions they made as they grew up. I value the discussion of poverty, which the author introduces by explaining that Cesar’s family ended up working as migrant farmworkers after they lost their home. Given the shame and confusion children are apt to feel when their family faces eviction and/or loss of a home, the book offers an important perspective on family displacement by following Cesar throughout the loss, showing how it impacted his life as an activist for human dignity. It also does a good job of showing how a teacher, Dolores Huerta, became a social justice leader, adding a texture and dimension to those in the teaching profession that students might not otherwise get an opportunity to witness.

The illustrations by Jose Cepeda really welcome readers into the story and younger children will be engaged visually. His illustrations are lively and are reminiscent of comic book characters.

I learned several things about the early lives of Caesar and Dolores that enriched my understanding of them as people and about the farmworker movement, so while the book is focused on ages four to eight, I suspect adults will learn something new as well.

Given that I longed for bilingual children’s books when my two sons were growing up, I only wish I had known about this book earlier. I applaud our local library for having a copy on display and bringing it to my attention.

TEACHING TIPS: The story offers educators the chance to engage their students in discussions about social justice. While there are many ways to talk about how and why people have to fight for human rights, this book offers a slice of American history that has resonance with contemporary issues related to the working and living conditions of the people who grow and pick our fruits and vegetables. Teachers might even bring in some fruit or veggies and ask children to think about how it ended up at the supermarket or fruit stand. Making a connection between planting, cultivating, growing, harvesting, marketing, and shipping and the human beings behind each step could be a valuable lesson on introductory economics.

There’s a deeper issue that surfaces in the book about “Why people do things that hurt other people?” (or why would a person do something that hurts another person?). Pre-school and elementary school aged children would already have a frame of reference for exploring the motivations and psychology behind this universal question. Along these lines, I offer one cautionary note related to the issue of how the landowners and bosses are portrayed. The author writes that “mean bosses sprayed the plants with poisons that made the farmworkers sick.” I understand the need to provide accessible language and concepts for four to eight year olds, as well as the desire to avoid delving into profit margins, racism, immigration, landowners versus farmworkers and economic class. Yet, there may well be children in one class/school/community who come from both farmworker families and farm owning families. As such, I think it is important to explore the term “mean” and work to avoid polarized thinking/labels. I’d recommend focusing young children on what motivates someone who’s being “mean” and the consequences of mean treatment:

  • What makes people act in a mean way?
  • Why are people mean to some and not to others?
  • What happens when you are on the receiving end of someone who is mean?
  • What if the person being mean has power over you (e.g. boss, police officer, parent)?

Children know about these issues first-hand, and I’d suspect they’d have amazing insights.

I also see Side by Side being used to talk about work and career. So many adults ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, and that pressure can make kids feel like they have to provide an acceptable response. This book provides insights into how your calling can find you. It also shows how one’s chosen profession, teacher in Dolores’s Huerta’s case, can morph, grow, expand and change over time.

The book offers a wonderful opportunity to explore friendship. By highlighting the platonic partnership and bond between a man and woman working toward a common vision, it shows a model of what two people can do when they unite. The idea of strength in numbers or working in pairs can be explored by asking students about the benefits of working with someone else on a school project or a sports team.

The book can also be used to discuss feminism. Many people think about Cesar Chavez’s connection to the farmworker movement. This book highlights Dolores Huerta’s work as a bold and fearless leader in her own right. She is an important role model for girls, displaying courage, skills to inspire and mobilize, and political savvy. For lessons that focus on women in American History, she would be a great person to showcase.

Finally, because so much of the telling of history has to do with who is telling the story, Side by Side provides a perspective on history that departs from the dominant culture’s narrative on landowning, California’s natural agricultural bounty, modernization, and unionization.

I’d recommend reading the Note for Parents and Teachers at the back of the book to gain more context and facts about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

WHERE TO GET IT: To find Side by Side / Lado a Lado, check your local public library, your local bookstore, or IndieBound. Also, check out Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

 

 monica6ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Monica Brown, Ph.D. is the author of many award-winning books for children, including Waiting for the Biblioburro, Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/ Marisol McDonald no combina The Lola Levine series including: Lola Levine is Not Mean!; Lola Levine, Drama Queen; Lola Levine and the Ballet Scheme, and Lola Levine Meets Jelly and Bean. Find Monica on Facebook at Monica Brown, Children’s Author, on twitter @monicabrownbks, or online at www.monicabrown.net.

For other posts about Monica Brown, click here and here.

 

second_pic_4x6_72ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Joe Cepeda is an award-winning illustrator of children’s books who also works in magazine illustration. He lives in California and serves as president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. For more information, visit his website.

 

 

Joe Cepeda did a two-part interview with us about his work. To read those posts, click here and then here.

 

Extra: A movie about Dolores Huerta released on September 1, 2017. Here is the official trailer:

 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Maria is a writer, workshop leader and coach who facilitates The Butterfly Series, a writing and creative arts workshop for women who want to explore what’s next in their life journey. In December 2016, she won 1st place in the 2016 Intergenerational Story Contest for her piece, Family Recipes Should Never be Lost. Her work has appeared in the Apogee Journal, Entropy Magazine, and A Quiet Courage.  Her piece Meet me by the River will be published in Deborah Santana’s forthcoming anthology All the Women in my Family Sing (Jan 2018) http://nothingbutthetruth.com/all-the-women-in-my-family-sing/.  She is a trainer with Rockwood Leadership Institute www.rockwoodleadership.org and a member of the Bay Area chapter of Write on Mamas. For more information, visit her website at www.mariaramoschertok.com