Raising Readers
Picture Books
The Birthday Swap
Loretta Lopez
E/L
A five-year-old Mexican American girl who will not be six until December has a great deal to celebrate when her sister swaps birthdays with her in the summer.
A Day's Work
Eve Bunting
E/B
When Francisco, a young Mexican American boy, tries to help his grandfather find work, he discovers that even though the old man cannot speak English, he has something even more valuable to teach Francisco
Jalapeno Bagels
Natasha Wing
E/W
For International Day at school, Pablo wants to bring something that reflects the cultures of both his parents.
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia :
a Mexican Christmas Story
Joanne Oppenheim
SP E Oppe
A retelling of a Mexican legend that describes the origin of the Poinsettia plant. In this version, a young girl has nothing to give the Christ child, but when the weeds she carries in her hands miraculously transform into red flowers, she now has the perfect gift.
Chapter Books
Before We Were Free
Julia Alvarez
SP X Alvarez
In the early 1960s in the Dominican Republic, twelve-year-old Anita learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.
Breaking Through
Francisco Jimenez
SP F Jimenez
Sequel to: The Circuit. Having come from Mexico to California ten years ago, fourteen-year-old Francisco is still working in the fields but fighting to improve his life and complete his education
A Crazy Mixed-up Spanglish Day
Marisa Montes
SP X Montes
In Northern California, Maritza Gabriela Morales Mercado struggles to deal with the third grade bully, to control her temper, and to remember to speak Spanish at home and English at school.
It's a Fiesta, Benjamin
Patricia Reilly Giff
SP X Giff
The neighborhood is getting ready to have a fiesta, but the fun stops when everyone starts fighting.