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Books for Latinx + Hispanic Heritage Month
In the U.S., National Hispanic & Latinx American Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15th. This is a time for recognizing and honoring the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. We’re proud to highlight some of the influences, achievements, and experiences of the American Latinx community—join the celebration and share these books with young readers during Hispanic American Heritage Month.
Without Separation by Larry Dane Brimner; illustrated by Maya Gonzalez
You may know Larry Dane Brimner as the author of several award-winning nonfiction civil rights titles, including the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner Twelve Days in May and the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Honor Black & White. In Without Separation, Brimner dives into the historical fiction genre to chronicle the true story of Roberto Alvarez, whose court battle against racism and school segregation in Lemon Grove, CA, is considered the first time an immigrant community used the courts to fight injustice successfully.
Books are a tool that can show and support agents of change and healing—a philosophy found throughout Without Separation’s illustrator Maya Gonzalez’s work in her community and as an award-winning children’s book illustrator and author. She has helped develop several curriculum lines for children in public schools that offer a holistic approach to learning and open doors to new ways of thinking and relating in the world. Gonzalez also co-founded Reflection Press in 2009, an independent press that publishes radical and revolutionary children’s books along with works that expand spiritual and cultural awareness.
Without Separation emphasizes that, like Roberto, young readers’ voices can make a critical difference.
Kirkus Reviews Best Book • Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year • NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book
Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos /¡Llámenme Roberto! Roberto Clemente alza la voz por los latinos by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
This nonfiction picture book — available in both English and Spanish — by MLB.com journalist Nathalie Alonso and award-winning illustrator Rudy Gutierrez shows the emotional highs and lows of Roberto Clemente’s career as he fought racism—from fans, reporters, and other figures in the sport—to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time. With English and Spanish words intermingled in the text, this book will inspire young readers as they learn about Clemente’s contributions to Black, Latino, and American history. Four starred reviews!
Dreams of Green: A Three Kings’ Day Story/El Verde De Mis Sueños: Un Cuento De La Tradición De Los Tres Reyes Magos by Mariel Jungkunz, illustrated by Mónica Paola Rodriguez
It’s eleven days after Christmas and Lucía yearns to be in lush Puerto Rico celebrating Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, with family and friends. But this year, instead of dancing and singing in the parrandas of her Puerto Rican neighborhood, she is surrounded by cold and silence in snow-blanketed Ohio. How will she ever be able to guide the Three Kings to her new home in the frosty Midwest? This picture book is a celebration of Puerto Rican culture, heartwarming family tradition, and a reminder that we all carry a piece of home with us wherever life may take us.
Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock/El Barrilito Mágico de Papá and Mamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas/Las Magníficas Plantitas Bailadoras de Mamá by Jesús Trejo, illustrated by Eliza Kinkz
Creators Jesús Trejo and Eliza Kinkz both won a Pura Belpré honor for Papá’s Magical Water Jug Clock/El Barrilito Mágico de Papá, a vividly creative picture book featuring the character of Little Jesús as he goes to work with his landscaper dad. This “marvelous portrait of a working-class Latina family” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) is based on Trejo’s childhood and was also recognized with three starred reviews, and named a NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Title, a New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, and a Chicago Public Library Best Book for Children. New this Fall is Mamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas/Las Magníficas Plantitas Bailadoras de Mamá, which brings back the mischievous character of Little Jesús and tells the story of what happens when he babysits Mamá’s beloved plants.
Night Stories: Folktales from Latin America/Cuentos de noche: Relatos de Latinoamérica by Liniers
Critically acclaimed cartoonist Liniers is back with TOON again, following up on the successes of his earlier books like Eisner-winner Good Night, Planet and Batchelder Award Honor-winner Written and Drawn by Henrietta. This time he’s tackling a selection of Latin American folktales in Spanish and transforming them for the modern-day with his signature wit and mastery of the comics medium.
Come Closer Tatita/Tata, Tatita, Tata by Imapla
This moving tale introduces the youngest picture book audience to a girl who misses her grandmother—whom she calls Tata or Tatita, as is traditional in many Spanish-speaking cultures—and yearns to spend time with her. But Tatita is not here any more. The spare, striking illustrations make it ambiguous whether the girl misses her tata because she lives in a faraway place, is ill, or has passed on. Yet this gorgeous, deceptively simple book’s ending makes it clear that no matter what, your tatita lives in your heart, and you can always hold her in your memory.
Like so many people worldwide facing difficult times, a little girl and her family in this eye-catching and emotionally satisfying picture book have had to leave their home. Antonia tells the story of this displaced family and the little girl main character who loses her dog, Antonia, on the journey. But, she ends up gaining a friend in the process, making Antonia a great book for empathy-building, as it features the message of making friends and reaching out to others even in the toughest circumstances.
My Name is Jorge by Jane Medina; illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck
Written in both Spanish and English, the poems in this timely book for young readers are told from the point of view of Jorge, a young immigrant from Mexico who struggles to make a new life in a new country. From learning a new language to getting a library card, taking tests, and making friends, Jorge wants to fit in at school, but he doesn’t want to forget his homeland.
Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book • NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
A Sky Without Lines by Krystia Basil; illustrated by Laura Borràs
On the 2020 list of Outstanding International Lit by USBBY, in A Sky Without Lines, Arturo and Antonio, two brothers who did everything together, are torn apart by lines on a map. Or, as Arturo’s mother explains when she and Aturos are separated from his father and Antonio, separated by country borders meant to keep people from moving freely across the land. Artful, moving watercolor illustrations express a young boy’s sorrow at separation and his joyful dreams of a world without lines.
An Outstanding International Trade Book, USBBY * A National Council of Social Studies Notable Book * A Best Multicultural Children’s Book of 2019, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
Discover the important history of California’s migrant workers and their strike for fair wages during the Delano grape strike in the 1960s in this nonfiction middle-grade book. Award-winning author Larry Dane Brimner’s riveting text, complemented by black-and-white archival photographs and the words of workers, organizers, and growers, tells the powerful history. Three starred reviews!
