EDUC X460 Books for Reading Instruction

A man and his granddaughter share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.

When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents.

A little girl imagines a lion taking the place of her father who no longer lives with her family, an animal that keeps her safe on her travels from school to home.

A photo-essay about the history and practice of Capoeira, a centuries-old Brazilian martial art which incorporates traditional movements and rhythmic music.

In a collection of free verse poems, Bernier-Grand has reconstructed the life and work of the founder and organizer of the United Farm Workers.

Known not only for his exceptional baseball skills but also for his extensive charity work in Latin America, Clemente was well-loved during his eighteen years playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In a village in Chile, Pedro and Daniel are two typical nine-year-old boys. Up until Daniel's father gets arrested, their biggest worry had been how to improve their soccer skills. Now, they are thrust into a situation where they must grapple with the incomprehensible: dictatorship and its inherent abuses.

Charles, an African American student, learns to appreciate his similarities to and differences from his new friend Hector, who is from Puerto Rico.

Danza is a celebration of the founder of El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Amalia Hernandez's, life and of the rich history of dance in Mexico.

An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story

Bilingual English/Spanish. In this cheerful book, a determined Latina girl accidentally breaks her grandfather's vihuela and discovers his legacy as a mariachi player.

The first time Abuela holds Nina, her heart overflows with tenderness. And as Nina grows up, she and Abuela spend plenty of time together. Abuela can't help thinking how much she'd like to give Nina a very special treat, so she saves a little bit of her money every week -- a few pesos here, a few pesos there. When the world turns upside down, Abuela's dream of a surprise for Nina seems impossible. Luckily, time spent together -- and the love Abuela and Nina have for each other -- could turn out to be the very best gift of all.

Little Diego loves his grandfather, but they don't see each other often because Papa Diego lives in Mexico. Little Diego asks for a Superman outfit for his birthday -- he will fly across the border to Mexico to be with his grandfather. His mother sews him one, but, of course, Little Diego cannot fly. He's heartbroken. Still, he enjoys one of his happiest birthdays ever!

This prequel to Eric Velasquez's biographical picture bookGrandma's Records is the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother. After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up.

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.

As Señor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle's birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all.

A little girl wakes in the night to mysterious, inviting noises. She rouses her brother, and they sneak downstairs and peek into the kitchen. To their amazement and delight, their parents are dancing and singing---"?Como te quiero! Oh, how I love you!" ---as they clean up and put food away. Mama and Papa discover the two kids and sweep them into the embrace of a family dance.

In this bilingual picture book, a young Salvadoran boy dreams of becoming a doctor who speaks both English and Spanish so that patients like his beloved grandmother aren't afraid to visit the doctor. Paired with lively, colorful illustrations by Victoria Castillo, this book will encourage children to think about their own futures as well as the role their culture can play in helping the community.

As the long day comes to an end, Mother Sky fills a tub with falling stars and calls, "Bath time for Little Night!" In English and Spanish

Mia's abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can't read the words inside. Later, Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfecto idea for how to help them all communicate a little better.

As a young boy, Jose Marti he traveled to the countryside of Cuba and fell in love with the natural beauty of the land. During this trip he also witnessed the cruelties of slavery on sugar plantations. From that moment, Marti began to fight for the abolishment of slavery and for Cuban independence from Spain through his writing.

A celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood.

An allegorical picture book about the hardships and struggles of immigration.

An engaging bilingual picture book about a boy's clever efforts to help his classmates understand an Hispanic cultural tradition

Roses for Isabella invites us to experience life in Ecuador through the eyes of a young girl who keeps a journal and loves to write. We learn about Isabella's parents who work on one of the hundreds of farms growing beautiful roses that are sold all over the world. But not all of these farms are fair to workers and kind to the earth. Through Isabella, we learn how her family's life changes for the better when her parents find work at a Fair Trade farm

Señoras y señores, niños y niñas, the time has come to welcome the spectacular, two-of-a-kind . . . LAS HERMANITAS! No opponent is too big a challenge for the cunning skills of Las Hermanitas, Lucha Queens!

In luminous paintings and arresting poems, two of children's literature's top African-American scholars track Arturo Schomburg's quest to correct history. A century later, his groundbreaking collection, known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, has become a beacon to scholars all over the world.

Seven years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family fought to end segregation in California schools.

When Sofi walks through her barrio to the local store, she always passes a huge mural with images from Puerto Rico: musicians, dancers, tropical flowers and--her least favorite--a vejigante, a character from carnival that wears a scary mask.One day on her way home from the bodega, she stops in front of the mural. Is one of the dancers inviting her to be his partner?

The incredible story of José de la Luz Sáenz's fight for Mexican-American civil rights believed in fighting for what was right.

Bilingual English/Spanish. A bilingual biography of Pura Belpré, New York City's first Latina librarian.

A vivid depiction of the early injustices encountered by a young Mexican-American girl in San Antonio in the 1920's.

In this vibrant bilingual picture book biography of musician Tito Puente, readers will dance along to the beat of this mambo king's life.

In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border.

¡Sí, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can! is a bilingual fictional story set against the backdrop of the successful janitors' strike in Los Angeles in 2000.