Tag Archives: children’s literature

Jan 29 2023

Latinxs in Kid Lit January 2023 Newsletter

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In our January 2023 newsletter, we have a book review by Cris Rhodes of Jonny Garza Villa’s award-winning young adult novel, FIFTEEN HUNDRED MILES TO THE SUN. We also have a “We Read Banned Books” segment by Dr. Sonia Rodriguez and Dora M. Guzmán on GABI, A GIRL IN PIECES, and a Q&A with author Alexandra Alessandri, whose debut middle grade novel, THE ENCHANTED LIFE OF VALENTINA MEJÍA, releases in February.

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Click here to access the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/5580ae1d7f62/latinxsinkidlitjanuary2023

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To get future newsletters in your inbox, you will need to subscribe. Click here to subscribe: http://eepurl.com/hzptzX

Sep 12 2022

The Latinx KidLit Book Festival’s 2022 Schedule

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The Latinx KidLit Book Festival kicks off its 2022 event this Thursday (see below). The festival then has events–all available to be streamed online–throughout National Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month.

From their website:

The Latinx KidLit Book Festival will be streamed live on the festival’s YouTube channel, or YouTube links can also be found on each individual event below. All posted times are in EDT!

Sessions can be safely streamed into the classroom and shared with students using an educator’s account. Classrooms can engage with festival authors and illustrators using the live-chat option! All video content will be recorded and available after the festival. Sign up for our newsletter to receive links to all the panels directly to your inbox!

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These panels are free! What a great opportunity to connect students with Latinx authors and their work! We are supporting the festival and will remind people of the schedule, but we encourage you to go to their website at www.latinxkidlitbookfestival.com for all the information you need! Below are the scheduled events:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

FOR WRITERS: MULTICULTURAL PUBLISHING BOOTCAMP, HOW TO ENRICH STORIES WITH MULTICULTURAL ELEMENTS

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

FOR EDUCATORS: REDEFINING THE WRITING WORKSHOP

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

FOR WRITERS: DEBUT AUTHORS, EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

FOR EDUCATORS: DESIGNING A UNIT ON LANGUAGE, IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY — AN INTENSIVE WORKSHOP

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13

9:45 AM – 10:00 AM

MORNING ANNOUCEMENTS: GIVEAWAYS AND OUR NEW SCHOOL VISITS FUND!

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10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

WE ARE ALL CUENTISTAS: THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

BEYOND THE SORTING HAT: CELEBRATING LATINX FANTASY

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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

WE’LL BE BRIEF: WRITING SHORT STORIES

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

ARCOÍRIS: QUEER LATINX STORYTELLING

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

ILLUSTRATOR DRAW OFF: CHARACTERS IN ACTION!

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

HIJAS MÁS CHINGONAS: STORIES OF YOUNG WOMEN DOING POWERFUL THINGS

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

CRAFT WORKSHOP: BASED ON A TRUE STORY

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

STORYTIME FOR ALL AGES

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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

HIGH SCHOOL, BOY BANDS, AND INSTAGRAM: WRITING CONTEMPORARY STORIES

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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

EN ESPAÑOL ILLUSTRATOR DRAW OFF: LET’S EAT: PUPUSAS, TACOS AND FLAN FOR ALL!

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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

A MIDDLE-EARTH OF OUR OWN MAKING: LATIN AMERICAN INSPIRATION IN FANTASY

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3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

MEG MEDINA PLAYS IT COOL

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

9:40 AM – 10:00 AM

MORNING ANNOUCEMENTS WITH SPECIAL GUEST MARIA HINOJOSA

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10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

PURA AMOR: THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF WORDS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

ARTES GRÁFICAS: CREATING LATINX HEROES IN GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMIC BOOKS

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11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

CRAFT WORKSHOP: DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM YOUR FAVORITES!

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

ILLUSTRATOR DRAW OFF EN ESPAÑOL: FANTASMAS, CHUPACABRAS Y LA LLORONA!

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

A LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF: WRITING OUR LIVES INTO THE STORIES WE TELL

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

NUESTRO MUNDO: KIDS NAVIGATING THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

ILLUSTRATOR DRAW OFF: THE LUNGS OF OUR PLANET, THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

STORYTELLING IN STYLE: WRITING NOVELS-IN-VERSE

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1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

RESISTENCIA VIVA: WRITING SOCIAL JUSTICE KIDLIT

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2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

CELEBRATING THE RICHNESS OF LATINX STORIES: A KOKILA SHOWCASE

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3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

SOY YO: IDENTITY, ANCESTRY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE

Aug 25 2022

The 24th International Latino Book Awards Winners!

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From the organization’s press release:

The 24th International Latino Book Awards Ceremony showcased the flourishing talent of the fastest-growing group in the U.S., with four ceremonies held on August 19th and 20th at Los Angeles City College. These Awards are by far the largest Latino cultural distinction in the country, honoring 249 winners in 105 categories this year. The grand total of authors and publishers honored over the last two decades now stands at 3,719, proof that books by and about Latinos are in high demand in both English and Spanish. Gold, Silver, and Bronze-place winners in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s books, translation, and many more were announced over the two-day event.

Here are the winners–gold, silver, and bronze medals–in the children’s books categories. Click on the book covers for more information:

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The Alma Flor Ada Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book Award – English

GOLD MEDAL Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, Gloria Amescua, Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

SILVER MEDAL Tía Fortuna’s New Home, Ruth Behar, Illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

BRONZE MEDAL Bisa’s Carnaval, Joana Pastro, Illustrated by Carolina Coroa

The Alma Flor Ada Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book Award – Spanish

GOLD MEDAL ¡Corre, pequeño Chaski! Una aventura en el camino Inka, Mariana Llanos, Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

SILVER MEDAL Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Libraries Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, Annete Bay Pimentel, Illustrated by Magaly Morales

Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – Bilingual

GOLD MEDAL Let’s Be Friends / Seamos Amigos, René Colato Laínez; Illustrated by Nomar Perez

SILVER MEDAL Isabel and Her Colores Go to School, Alexandra Alessandri, Illustrated by Courtney Dawson

Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – English

GOLD MEDAL Abuelita and Me, Leonarda Carranza, illustrated by Rafael Mayani

SILVER MEDAL Tía Fortuna’s New Home, Ruth Behar, Illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

BRONZE MEDAL May Your Life Be Deliciosa, Michael Genhart, Illustrated by Loris Lora

Mejor libro ilustrado de ficción para niños

GOLD MEDAL Pitu le Baila al Mar, Gama Valle; Illustrated by Yamel Figueroa

SILVER MEDAL La Jirafa que no Cabía en su Cuento, Haydée Zayas Ramos

BRONZE MEDAL El monstruo más feo del mundo, Luis Amavisca, Illustrated by Erica Salcedo

Best Children’s Nonfiction Picture Book – English

GOLD MEDAL One Whole Me, Dia Mixon, Illustrated by Natalia Jiménez Osorio

SILVER MEDAL In the Spirit of a Dream: 13 Stories of American Immigrants of Color, Aida Salazar, Illustrated by Alina Chau

BRONZE MEDAL Alphabet & Affirmations with The Black Unicorn, Sandra Elaine Scott

Best Children’s Nonfiction Picture Book – Spanish or Bilingual

GOLD MEDAL Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Libraries Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, Annete Bay Pimentel, Illustrated by Magaly Morales

Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual

GOLD MEDAL Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Libraries Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, Annete Bay Pimentel, Illustrated by Magaly Morales

SILVER MEDAL Popol Vuh Stories for Children, Denis O’Leary

BRONZE MEDAL Lala and the Pond by the Rock / Lala y el Charco de la Piedra, Susana Illera Martínez

Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – English

GOLD MEDAL Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, Gloria Amescua, Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

SILVER MEDAL We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGuire, Illustrated by Eduardo Trejos

Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – Spanish

GOLD MEDAL Morderse las uñas, Paula Merlán, Illustrated by Brenda Figueroa

Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual

GOLD MEDAL Pura’s Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Libraries Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories, Annete Bay Pimentel, Illustrated by Magaly Morales

SILVER MEDAL The Last Butter!y / La última mariposa, Regina Moya & Carmen Tafolla

Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – English

GOLD MEDAL Courageous Camila: A story about finding your inner warrior, Naibe Reynoso & Giselle Carrillo; Illustrated by María Tuti

SILVER MEDAL The Voices of the Trees, Elisa Guerra y Fernando Reimers; Illustrated by Ana RoGu

BRONZE MEDAL Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua, Gloria Amescua, Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – Spanish

GOLD MEDAL Tienes un color especial, Lorena Sierco Espino; Mr. Momo, Lantia Publishing Group

SILVER MEDAL Memoria de un abedul, Daniel Cañas, Illustrated by Blanca Millán

BRONZE MEDAL Peque y yo, Alicia Acosta, Illustrated by Mercé Galí

Best Learn to Read Book

GOLD MEDAL The Awesome Reading Adventures of Super Sammy and Marvelous Megan, Vanessa Caraveo

Best Youth Latino Focused Chapter Book

GOLD MEDAL Falling Short, Ernesto Cisneros

SILVER MEDAL Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Emma Otheguy

Best Youth Chapter Fiction Book

GOLD MEDAL Falling Short, Ernesto Cisneros

SILVER MEDAL Catalina Incognito, Jennifer Torres

BRONZE MEDAL Julia y el mar, Olvido Guzman Pons

Most Inspirational Youth Chapter Book

GOLD MEDAL Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna, Alda P. Dobbs

SILVER MEDAL Efren Divided, Ernesto Cisneros

SILVER MEDAL Raulito: The First Latino Governor of Arizona, Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford

Best Young Adult Latino Focused Book

GOLD MEDAL On the Hook, Francisco X. Stork

SILVER MEDAL Lifetime Passes, Terry Blas, Illustrated by Claudia Aguirre

Best Young Adult Fiction Book

GOLD MEDAL The Immortal Boy / El Inmortal, Francisco Montaña Ibáñez

SILVER MEDAL Encarnación Castro’s Journey in the Anza Expedition
1775-1776, Linda Castro Martinez

SILVER MEDAL Three, Brenda Nicole Peña

BRONZE MEDAL Fat Angie: Homecoming, e.E. Charlton Trujillo

Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure – English

GOLD MEDAL The Grimrose Girls, Laura Pohl

SILVER MEDAL The Ghost Tracks, Celso Hurtado

Best Young Adult Fantasy & Adventure – Spanish

GOLD MEDAL El Último Dragón: Las espadas del legado, José del Real Antiquera

SILVER MEDAL Catarina Freytas y el anillo perdido, Raymond Vollmond

BRONZE MEDAL El Mundo del Olvido, Cristian Otárola Jiménez

Best Young Adult Romance Book

GOLD MEDAL Monstrua, NLa Contreras

SILVER MEDAL La descendiente, Marie D.

Best Educational Young Adult Book

GOLD MEDAL No te creas todo lo que leas, Didi Whitefalcon, Illustrated by Verónica Rodríguez
SILVER MEDAL Voices of Diversity, Vanessa Caraveo

Most Inspirational Young Adult Book

GOLD MEDAL Harvesting Dreams, Erica Alfaro; Barker & Jules

SILVER MEDAL Your Heart, My Sky, Margarita Engle; Simon & Schuster

Jun 7 2022

Latinxs in Kid Lit’s June 2022 Newsletter

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In our June 2022 newsletter, we have a guest post by author Cynthia Harmony about the importance of community, June releases, and recent reviews.

Click here to access it: https://mailchi.mp/dad1785cd1d7/ziik0z85vf

To get future newsletters in your inbox, you will need to subscribe. Click here: http://eepurl.com/hzptzX

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Photo credit: TheoP Photography

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May 23 2022

Book Review: Tía Fortuna’s New Home: A Jewish Cuban Journey written by Ruth Behar, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth

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Reviewed by Maria Ramos-Chertok

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: A poignant multicultural ode to family and what it means to create a home as one girl helps her Tía move away from her beloved Miami apartment.

When Estrella’s Tía Fortuna has to say goodbye to her longtime Miami apartment building, The Seaway, to move to an assisted living community, Estrella spends the day with her. Tía explains the significance of her most important possessions from both her Cuban and Jewish culture, as they learn to say goodbye together and explore a new beginning for Tía.

A lyrical book about tradition, culture, and togetherness, Tía Fortuna’s New Home explores Tía and Estrella’s Sephardic Jewish and Cuban heritage. Through Tía’s journey, Estrella will learn that as long as you have your family, home is truly where the heart is.

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MY TWO CENTS: I am a big fan of Ruth Behar’s and have enjoyed her adult books as much as her middle grade books Lucky Broken Girl (2017) and Letters from Cuba (2019). Tía Fortuna’s New Home is her first picture book aimed at younger audiences.

The book’s landscape is the relationship between an aunt and her niece. The story follows little Estrellita as she tracks the process of her aunt moving out of her beloved home into a facility for the elderly. This move is the second big move in Tia’s life, the first being when she immigrated to the United States from Havana, Cuba. While both of these moves are objectively hard ones, Tia manages to enjoy the present and keep an optimistic attitude which positively influences Estrellita’s experience. 

I liked that the story focused on the opportunities inherent in changing one’s circumstances and presented an uplifting paradigm. Having Sephardic characters and bilingual text enhances the story by providing a personal and unique slice of life. I wish this book had been available to me when I was young.

The illustrations by Devon Holzwarth are amazing, and I found myself being drawn into the story more and more through the vivid and colorful artwork.

TEACHING TIPS: I could see using this book to discuss life transitions generally and the attitude one brings to change. Students can discuss the contrast between focusing on the negative versus the positive aspects of a pending life transition. For students who have a grandparent moving into assisted living, this book would be a great orientation to one way that move can happen.

The book can also be used as part of a module on cultural diversity, as it covers Cuban-Jewish characters.  In a Jewish Day School, the book would be ideal in exposing students to the multiculturalism of the Jewish people.

In teaching about family trees, the book references how family recipes are passed down from generation to generation. In this vein, it would be interesting to have children interview their parents or grandparents to find out what recipes they make that were passed down to them and from whom. 

The Author’s Note at the end of the book is a story unto itself and where I’d recommend teachers begin in order to gain context before sharing the book with students. There is also a fabulous glossary of words that could be a fun addition for students to learn new words.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website): As a storyteller, traveler, memoirist, poet, teacher, and public speaker, Ruth Behar is acclaimed for the compassion she brings to her quest to understand the depth of the human experience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she grew up in New York, and has also lived in Spain and Mexico. Her recent memoirs for adults, An Island Called Home and Traveling Heavy, explore her return journeys to Cuba and her search for home as an immigrant and a traveler. Her books for young readers are Lucky Broken Girl and Letters from Cuba. She was the first Latina to win a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, and her honors also include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a Distinguished Alumna Award from Wesleyan University, and an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from the Hebrew Union College. She is an anthropology professor at the University of Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR (from her website): Devon Holzwarth is a picture book illustrator, author, and painter. Born in Washington D.C., Devon grew up in Panama surrounded by nature and her dad’s art supplies, and has lived in many other places over the years. She currently lives in Germany with her family including her husband, two kids, a galgo dog from Spain and a little dachshund from Romania.

Devon earned her BFA in 2000 from the Rhode Island School of Design focusing on screen printing and painting. She has written & illustrated two picture books: FOUND YOU and SOPHIE’S STORIES, with Alison Green Books/Scholastic UK. She has a number of picture books publishing in 2022, including “Tia Fortuna’s New Home” (Knopf Books, English & Spanish language versions), “Listen” (Dial Books and Penguin UK), and “Everywhere With You” (Walker Books US and Walker Books UK).

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Maria Ramos-Chertok is the author of The Butterfly Series: Fifty-two weeks of Inquiries for Transformation and a contributor to three anthologies: All the Women in My Family Sing: Essays on Equality, Justice, and Freedom (FEB 2018) edited by Deborah Santana, She’s Got This! Essays on Standing Strong and Moving On (FEB 2019), and What We Didn’t Expect: Personal Stories About Premature Birth edited by Melody Schreiber (NOV 2020). For more information and/or to receive her monthly blogs posts visit www.mariaramoschertok.com

May 12 2022

We Read Banned Books: My Papi Has a Motorcycle written by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

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Welcome to another Book Talk, which can be found on our YouTube channel!

Here, Dr. Sonia Rodriguez and Cris Rhodes talk about MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE written by Isabel Quintero and illustrated by Zeke Peña.

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ABOUT THE BOOK: 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.

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Click on the link below to watch the book talk and then add your comments below to join the conversation. ENJOY!

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Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, PhD is an Associate Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College (CUNY) where she teaches composition, literature, and creative writing. Her academic research focuses on decolonial healing in Latinx children’s and young adult literature. Sonia is a Mellon Emerging Faculty Leader.

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Cris Rhodes is an assistant professor of English at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses of writing, culturally diverse literature, and ethnic literatures. In addition to teaching, Cris’s scholarship focuses on Latinx youth and their literature or related media. She also has a particular scholarly interest in activism and the ways that young Latinxs advocate for themselves and their communities.

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