Staff Picks
Read All About It: Hispanic Heritage Month in Picture Books
- Children's Room
- Thursday, October 01, 2020
Collection
Hispanic Heritage month is a celebration of the countless contributions of Hispanic culture. Check out these picture books to learn more about how Hispanic culture has influenced our literature and our lives.
And don't miss our Hispanic Heritage Month in Novels book list!
Looking for even more good books? Check out our personalized recommendations or call us at 803-799-9084.
Dreamers.
Published in 2018
In 1994, twenty-five-year-old Yuyi Morales traveled from her home in Yelapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy, and she spoke no English whatsoever. But due in large measure to help and guidance provided by area children's librarians, she learned English the same way her young son learned to read: through the picture books, they shared together. In spare, lyrical verse and with the vibrant images for which she has become legendary, Yuyi has created a lasting testament to the journeys, both physical and metaphorical, that she and Kelly have taken together in the intervening years. Beautiful and powerful at any time-but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain-this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
Imagine!
Published in 2018
"When a boy visits an art museum and one of the paintings comes to life, he has an afternoon of adventure and discovery [that] changes how he sees the world ever after"-- Provided by publisher.
Carmela Full of Wishes
Published in 2018
Carmela, finally old enough to run errands with her brother, tries to think of the perfect wish, while his wish seems to be that she stayed home.
Starring Carmen!
Published in 2017
Singer, dancer, actress, and costume designer Carmen puts on a show every night for her exhausted parents, who would like Carmen to share the stage with her biggest fan, her little brother Eduardo.
Islandborn
Published in 2018
"Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland...and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage"-- Provided by publisher.
Our Celebración!
Published in 2018
A brief rain shower does not dampen a Latino family's enjoyment of their town's parade and summer celebration, which includes street food, bands, a corn princess, and fireworks. Spanish words, interspersed in the rhyming text, are defined in a glossary.
La Princesa and the Pea
Published in 2017
"A rhyming twist on a classic fairy tale in which a queen places a pea under a young lady's mattress to see if she is truly a princess. Incorporates Spanish words and Includes a glossary"-- Provided by publisher.
The Drum Dream Girl
Published in 2015
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.
Drum Dream Girl
Published in 2015
Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.
Drum Dream Girl
Published in 2016
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.
Pedrito's Day
Published in 1997
When Pedrito replaces, from his own earnings, money he has lost, his mother decides that he is finally big enough for some of his father's earnings to be used towards buying him a bicycle.
Lucía the Luchadora
Published in 2017
Lucia 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: Lucia comes from a family of luchadoras, the bold and valiant women of the Mexican lucha libre tradition. But when she's confronted with a case of injustice, Lucia 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.
All Around Us
Published in 2017
Finding circles everywhere, a grandfather and his granddaughter meditate on the cycles of life and nature.
All Around Us.
Published in 2018
Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. Can you see? That's only half of the circle. That rest of it is down below, in the earth. He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return. They share and create family traditions in this stunning video adaptation of the Pura Belpre award-winning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.
Imagine
Published in 2018
"When Juan Felipe Herrera was very young, he picked flowers, helped his mama feed the chickens, slept under the starry sky, and learned to say goodbye to his amiguitos each time his migrant family moved on. When he grew up, Juan Felipe Herrera became a poet. His breathtaking poem "Imagine" and Lauren Castillo's evocative illustrations will speak to every reader and dreamer searching for this place in life."-- dust jacket.
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Published in 2018
A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from ? and who she may one day be. If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza Jos? Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; Jos?, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all ? and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Published in 2019
If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza Jos? Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; Jos?, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all?and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. Through Alma's vibrant story, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Published in 2018
When Alma Sofia Esperanza Jos©♭ Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents.
Tìa Isa Wants a Car
Published in 2011
Tia Isa and her niece try to save enough money to buy a car to take the whole family to the beach.
De Dónde Eres?
Published in 2019
When other children and their parents keep asking a young girl where she is from, she puts the same question to her grandfather who describes the land and people from which her family originated.
Where Are You From?
Published in 2019
"When a young girl is asked where she's from�where she's really from�she's no longer as she was. She decides to turn to her dear abuelo for some help with this ever-persistent question. But he doesn't quite give her the answer she expects."--Page [2] of cover.
Doña Flor
A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart
Published in 2005
Doña Flor, a giant lady with a big heart, sets off to protect her neighbors from what they think is a dangerous animal, but soon discovers the tiny secret behind the huge noise.
Dreamers
Published in 2018
In 1994, twenty-five-year-old Yuyi Morales traveled from her home in Yelapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy, and she spoke no English whatsoever. But due in large measure to help and guidance provided by area children's librarians, she learned English the same way her young son learned to read: through the picture books they shared together. In spare, lyrical verse, Yuyi has created a lasting testament to the journeys, both physical and metaphorical, that she and Kelly have taken together in the intervening years. Beautiful and powerful at any time?but given particular urgency as the status of our own Dreamers becomes uncertain?this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
Dreamers
Published in 2018
"An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"-- Provided by publisher.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle
Published in 2020
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there. My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle
Published in 2019
A celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood, by an award-winning author and illustrator duo. When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there. With vivid illustrations and text bursting with heart, My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle
Published in 2019
"When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her"-- Provided by publisher.
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat!.
Published in 2020
Little Lobo returns to share his love of food and wrestling in this delicious follow-up to Vamos! Let's Go to the Market from Pura Belpr? Medal-winning illustrator Ra?l the Third. In this new Vamos! title, Let's Go Eat, Little Lobo is excited to take in a show with wrestling star El Toro in his bustling border town. After getting lunch orders from The Bull and his friends to help prepare for the event, Little Lobo takes readers on a tour of food trucks that sell his favorite foods, like quesadillas with red peppers and Mexican-Korean tacos. Peppered with easy-to-remember Latin-American Spanish vocabulary, this glorious celebration of food is sure to leave every reader hungry for lunch! Jam-packed with fun details and things to see, the Vamos! books are perfect for fans of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo?
Vamos! Let's Go to the Market
Published in 2019
Little Lobo, a Mexican American, and Bernabe, his dog, deliver supplies to vendors at the Mercado, a busy border town market.
A Gift from Abuela
Published in 2018
"The first time Abuela held Niña, her heart overflowed with tenderness. And as Niña grows up, she and Abuela have a lot of fun doing simple things. Abuela decides that she wants to buy Niña a special treat, so she saves a little bit of her money every week. But then something terrible happens, and Abuela's dream of a surprise for Niña seems impossible. Luckily, the time they spend together and the love they have for each other are the best gifts of all."-- Provided by publisher.
Sebi and the Land of Cha Cha Cha
Published in 2017
Sebi loves the color and music of Carnival, but most of all she loves to dance--cha cha, merengue, samba--although her mother says she is too young for formal lessons, so a bird takes her and her friend Keeke to a magical land of dancing.
Chato's Kitchen
Published in 1995
To get the "ratoncitos," little mice, who have moved into the barrio to come to his house, Chato the cat prepares all kinds of good food: fajitas, frijoles, salsa, enchiladas, and more.
What Can You Do with a Rebozo?
Published in 2008
A spunky young girl explains the many uses of her mother's red rebozo, a traditional Mexican woven shawl.
Dear Primo
A Letter to My Cousin
Published in 2009
Two cousins, one in Mexico and one in New York City, write to each other and learn that even though their daily lives differ, at heart the boys are very similar.
The Princess and the Warrior
A Tale of Two Volcanoes
Published in 2016
"Award-winning author Duncan Tonatiuh reimagines one of Mexico's cherished legends. Princess Izta had many wealthy suitors but dismissed them all. When a mere warrior, Popoca, promised to be true to her and stay always by her side, Izta fell in love. The emperor promised Popoca if he could defeat their enemy Jaguar Claw, then Popoca and Izta could wed. When Popoca was near to defeating Jaguar Claw, his opponent sent a messenger to Izta saying Popoca was dead. Izta fell into a deep sleep and, upon his return, even Popoca could not wake her. As promised Popoca stayed by her side."-- Provided by publisher.
The Princess and the Warrior
A Tale of Two Volcanoes
Published in 2016
WINNER OF THE BELPRÉ ILLUSTRATOR HONOR BOOKS AWARD! Award-winning author Duncan Tonatiuh reimagines one of Mexico's cherished legends. Princess Izta had many wealthy suitors but dismissed them all. When a mere warrior, Popoca, promised to be true to her and stay always by her side, Izta fell in love. The emperor promised Popoca if he could defeat their enemy Jaguar Claw, then Popoca and Izta could wed. When Popoca was near to defeating Jaguar Claw, his opponent sent a messenger to Izta saying Popoca was dead. Izta fell into a deep sleep and, upon his return, even Popoca could not wake her. As promised Popoca stayed by her side. So two volcanoes were formed: Iztaccihuatl, who continues to sleep, and Popocatepetl, who spews ash and smoke, trying to wake his love.
Looking for Bongo
Published in 2016
"When a boy's abuela accuses him of being careless with his beloved Bongo, he devises a trap and catches the toy thief red-handed"-- Provided by publisher.