¡Hola a todos! I hope everyone enjoys this week’s readings as much as I enjoyed gathering them. 😊
– In case you wondered how important nature is in Latin America, check out these 6 Indigenous struggles that need to be talked about during earth day.
— When teaching about immigration, you might appreciate Beacon and Broadside’s reasons for Why Myths About Immigrants and Immigration Are Still with Us Today.
– La Bloga shared great news! Lil’ Libros baby board books now have Latin American culture, historic figures, and more. These board books have figures like Cantiflas, Selena, and even popular short stories like “un elefante.”
— You can learn more about the importance of having stories available in Spanish via this Lee & Low interview with David Bowles and Guadalupe García Mccall as they discuss their experience translating Summer of the Mariposas.
– Remezcla shared 6 books Sandra Cisneros turns to during tough times. I have personally read An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and all I can say is that this book will definitely help you get through tough times!
— Continuing the theme of Earth Day, De Colores reviewed Arriba, Abajo y Alrededor / Up, Down, and Around and Nuestro Huerto: De la semilla a la cosecha en el huerto del colegio /It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garde. Both books are recommended, and both are great for themes about food, agriculture, culture, and nature.
– Latinxs in Kid Lit recommend the book US, In Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos by Lulu Delacre– a Pura Belpré Award honoree author. According to the reviewer, the book “in the hands of kids is an exciting prospect. Individually, you could delve into each character’s story, reveling in the rich development of character, place, and voice.”
— Talking about identity and representation can be complex but here is a way to get out of the margins. The post stresses that “from the outside, it probably seems a self-evident choice when an author from a marginalized group chooses to write a protagonist that shares their lived experience. If ‘write what you know’ is sound advice, then choosing to speak from a personal and underrepresented point of view would seem obvious. But for me and many other ‘own voices’ writers, the decision was not obvious at all.”
–This is the reason why world book day is celebrated on April 23rd according to America Reads Spanish
– From Gathering Books, here is more proof of how reading can impact one’s soul. Follow along on the writer’s exploration through her post on “My Literary Journey Has Taken Me to Uruguay’s Galeano.” She writes that “Reading Galeano was like being given this hearty meal of beef pochero complete with chorizo, after being fed a steady diet of cotton candy or french fries. This, right here, is simply the real deal. Given the current state of the world today, with so many lunatics in positions of power, Galeano’s words filled me, providing me with the energy, clarity, and sustenance required to continue fighting the good fight. Find him. Read him.”
— Finally, Jacqueline Woodson’s upcoming book is a moving letter to kids who feel alone. Woodson confesses that “My mom used to tell us there’d be moments when we walked into a room and no one there was like us. I’ve walked into those rooms many times during my childhood and beyond so I had the sense that this was true of most people and began writing the story.”
Abrazos,
Alin Badillo
Image: Soccer Match. Reprinted from Flickr user Joint Task Force under CC©.
Saludos todos! This week we are celebrating Earth Day with two wonderful books, which I will be reviewing side by side. The first book, The Patchwork Garden/ Pedacitos de huerto, written by Diane de Anda and illustrated by Oksana Kemarskaya, is a bilingual, fictional picture book that tells the sweet and inspirational story of a young girl who, with the help of her dear Abuela, learns to cultivate a garden and grow her own vegetables in the middle of her urban neighborhood. The second book, It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden, written by George Ancona, is a non-fictional book equally sweet and inspirational, that tells the story of a group of children right here in New Mexico who grew and took care of their own vegetable garden. Together these two books can inspire readers of all ages to grow their own vegetables in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner. And, just as Abuela says in The Patchwork Garden, “‘They taste much sweeter than the ones you buy in the store.’”
The Patchwork Garden/ Pedacitos de huerto, tells the story of a young girl whose wise Abuela teaches her how to cultivate a healthy and fruitful garden, despite some modern-day challenges: “‘I wish I could have my own vegetable garden,’ replied Toña, ‘but there’s nothing but cement around our apartment building.’” Abuela reassures her, telling her that all you need is a small plot of land– a garden can be beautiful, no matter how small. With this information, Toña realizes that there is a little patch of dirt behind the neighborhood church that might be suitable for her garden, so she goes to ask Father Anselmo for permission to use it, adding that he can take as many colorful, sweet vegetables as he’d like: “‘Ah,’ said Father Anselmo, thinking of the fresh salads and steamed vegetables, ‘beautiful and healthy.’” As Toña and her Abuela embark on their journey of organizing a plan for their garden, they enlist the help and support of the community, simultaneously teaching others about sustainable living and healthy eating, while also fortifying their community bonds.
Saludos todos! This week we are kicking off April with a wonderful, spring-timey book. Our themes for April are the Earth and nature in celebration of Earth Day and also poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month. Although not all of my books for this month will be able to combine both of these themes so nicely, this week’s book indeed does. Con el sol en los ojos/ With the Sun in My Eyes, written by an Argentinian poet, Jorge Lujan, and illustrated by an Iranian artist, Morteza Zahedi, is a lovely story (written as a collection of poems) about a young boy and girl who discover the world and all of its natural beauty: “In this book of short poems, a young boy and girl find wonder, magic, beauty and humor in everything around them.” Although this book at first glance may seem sweet and simplistic, the poetry can be difficult to understand for younger children and the degree of artistic license and creativity used in this book might make it more interesting and enriching for older children (years 9-12).
The book opens with a quote by Walt Whitman that can guide readers in their subsequent readings of the poems: “There was a child went forth every day,/ And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became.” This quote expresses the beautiful way in which children can become absorbed by their surroundings, and how the details of our environment, which sometimes allude us busy adults, are not lost on children and their wonderful creativity and imagination.
¡Buenos días!
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