Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic—or Latino—Heritage Month, a celebration that runs until Oct. 15, started last week. Unlike years past and because of the influence of the growing Latino population, many more communities have special events and activities during this month-long celebration which are a great way to expose your bilingual children to our culture, food, music and arts.

Our good friend Melanie, from ModernMami, has compiled an awesome list of resources to celebrate this month with your niños. In it you’ll find links to all sorts organizations which have put together fun activities, ideas, lesson plans, recipes, and general information related to Hispanic Heritage Month. Thanks, ModernMami!

While I wish I had the time to work on all of the suggested activities with Vanessa, I’ve decided instead to incorporate her love for books with this yearly celebration by making a conscious effort to read her at least one book related to our heritage throughout the duration of Hispanic Heritage Month. I’m relying on the following suggested reading lists to help me make pertinent choices:

• School Library Journal – Divided into elementary, middle and high school sections, this list makes it easy to choose by age. The bibliography includes both fiction and non-fiction choices.

• Scholastic – These recommendations are also grouped by school age, but they start as early as PreK.

• The New York Public Library – Another great list divided into not only by age – younger and older kids – but also by poetry and song.

• The Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award – Browse their list of current and past winners of the annual award given to “the author/illustrator of the most distinguished book for children and young adults that authentically reflects the lives and experiences of Mexican Americans in the United States.”

• The Seattle Public Library – A short list that includes both fiction and nonfiction as well as bilingual books.

• Colorín Colorado – Divided by age groups from 3 to 12, this recommended reading list includes Latino and South American children’s authors.

¡A leer!