September 15th begins the month long celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. My last name of Rodriguez probably tipped you off that my husband has some Hispanic heritage. So, sharing books with our kids by Hispanic authors and illustrators has always been important to us. Today, I’m sharing just some of my favorite children’s books by Hispanic authors and illustrators.
Board Books for Kids by Hispanic Authors and/or Illustrators
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Lourdes Heuer and Zara González Hoang bring us the Teeny Tiendas series in English and Spanish.
Step inside the fruit shop and discover plums, guavas, figs and more. Then, take it all on a picnic.
Next, head over to the flower shop and pick up some lilacs, carnations, peonies, and so many more. Then, take them over to the senior center.
This series is bilingual and builds vocabulary taking it past the basic step of what comes to mind when we think of different fruits and flowers.
It’s never to early to start working on dual language learning. Counting With/Contando Con Frida by Patty Rodriguez is a bilingual book (English/Spanish) that introduces colors and gives us a taste of the Hispanic culture. This is a series with numerous titles that teach about shapes, emotions, and more.
Picture Books for Kids by Hispanic Authors and/or Illustrators
In Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, a shy ghost struggles with finding the courage to make friends. But, he decides to share his passion with others and in turn, introduces himself to a whole new group of friends.
A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez and Karen Lynn Williams is the story of a girl who immigrates from Colombia in the middle of the school year. When her first day of school is canceled because of a snow day, it turns out that it is the perfect day for meeting a new friend. Perfect for children who are moving to a new part of the world where everything seems different and when the family is still far away.
No More Señora Mimí byMeg Medina is a beautiful story of a young girl whose grandmother is coming to live with her and her mother. She’s so excited to have her abuela watch her each day before and after school instead of her neighbor. But, she soon realizes that she is going to miss seeing her daily so they need to come up with a plan to stay connected.
Vamos Let’s Go Eat by Raul the Third. Kids will learn about different foods and pick up lots of Spanish words. And, the illustrations will beg you to look long after you have finished the words. They are purely amazing!
A young child processes the recent loss of his dog while his family prepares la ofrenda in preparation for Día de los Muertos in An Ofrenda for Perro by Judith Valdés. Through the preparations, he learns to process his grief and learns about the symbols of Día de los Muertos.
***Enjoy these other reads too.—>Books about Día de los Muertos
Frederico is on his way to visit his Abuelo when he runs into a hungry wolf Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez. Of course, he outwits him and celebrates with a yummy treat with his Abuelo in the end. This story is an American-Mexican variation of Little Red Riding Hood. And, it’s a delight to read. Plus, you can follow the recipe for pico de gallo.
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown and John Parra is the story of a little girl named Ana. She lives in a very small village in Colombia where books are scarce. She anxiously awaits the Biblioburro to come so she can choose a book to read. Even though the visits of the traveling library are infrequent, she is inspired to create her own story while she waits. Waiting for the Biblioburro is inspired by the real-life librarian, Luis Soriano.
Dinner on Domingos by Alexandra Katona is about that special day of the week when an extended family comes together to share a meal. A recipe for Locro is even included.
A beautiful book is La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Ninos by Susan Middleton Elya. It’s a treasury of nursery rhymes sprinkled with Spanish words to replace the mostly English text. And, the illustrations are just gorgeous.
Drum Dream Girl is inspired by Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a young Cuban woman, who became the first woman drummer in her country. It used to be considered taboo to be a woman drummer in Cuba, but Millo Castro Zaldarriaga changed that through her courage and determination. Drum Dream Girl is by Margarita Engle and Rafael López.
My Two Border Towns by David Bowles is the story of a father and son who travel to the other side. It’s a city super close to their city in the USA. It’s just across the Rio Grande on US-Mexico border. They are free to travel between the two countries because they have a passport. They visit family, share food, play, and make purchases.
On their way back, we learn about a stop they make on the bridge. It’s a spot filled with refugees stuck between the two countries. The boy and his father share basic necessities with one of the families and the boy dreams of a time when the people will no longer be stuck and free to come into the USA.
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba Higuera tells the story of a boy and his monster who are both scared about all the newness of moving to a new place. They both have to process their fear. Several Spanish words imbedded to help build vocabulary also.
***Here are even more books for learning some Spanish words.—> Learn a Little Spanish Books
Gracias~Thanks by Pat Mora uses simple English and Spanish text to explain being grateful for things during the day from dawn until dusk. This is a wonderful book to introduce the idea of gratitude journals with kids.
Rafa Counts on Papá by Joe Cepeda is the story of a father and son who love to measure things. Throughout the first half of this book, we get to watch them measure 14 branches to their favorite spot in a tree and measure how high the dog, Euclid, can jump. The detailed illustrations are full of measuring tools to notice and lots of things to count. Then, Rafa wonders if you can measure love. The last half of the book explores how love could be measured using metaphors. It’s a sweet book of the love between father and son and the common love of math and science.
Jesús Trejo is back with a new book after one of my favorites he created, Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock. This time we haveMamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas. I don’t love as much as his first book but I did enjoy it.
In this story, Jesús has an important job of caring for Mamá’s house plants. All is going well until one of the plants goes crashing to the ground. Yikes!
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