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!

Photo by emilywjones

The American Library Association just concluded its 2009 Annual Conference a couple of days ago and according to many in attendance, one of the highlights was the Pura Belpré Celebration.

The winners of this coveted award – which recognizes the best in Latino children’s literature – were announced earlier this year, but the awards were actually given out on Sunday in Chicago during a ceremony many call nothing less than a pachanga.

According to the ALA’s website, the Pura Belpré Award, which was first awarded in 1996, “is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.”

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. As a children’s librarian, storyteller, and author, she enriched the lives of Puerto Rican children in the U.S.A. through her pioneering work of preserving and disseminating Puerto Rican folklore.”

You might remember that a while back I reviewed one of the Author and Illustrator Honor Award 2009 winners, The Storyteller’s Candle, which happens to be the story of Pura Belpré herself told through the eyes of two cousins who move from Puerto Rico to NYC and are enthralled by the librarian’s talent to tell stories.

Here’s a list of the 2009 Pura Belpré Winners:

Author Award – The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle (published by Henry Holt). “Engle’s hauntingly beautiful free verse prose breathes life into this finely crafted story that illuminates Cuba’s fight for independence from Spain in the 1800’s. Told from the perspective of four distinct voices, Engle intricately weaves a harrowing, heart-wrenching story of enslavement, survival, determination and heroism.”

Illustrator Award – Just In Case, illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales (A Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press). “Morales’ vibrant, shimmering jewel-tone colors masterfully capture the exuberant and playful story of Señor Calavera’s quest to find the perfect birthday gift for Grandma Beetle. Part ghost story, part trickster tale, the book features motifs from Mexican culture that represent each letter of the Spanish alphabet.”

Author Honor Awards – Just In Case, illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales (A Neal Porter Book published by Roaring Brook Press).

Reaching Out by Francisco Jiménez (Houghton Mifflin Company).

The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos,” written by Lucía González, illustrated by Lulu Delacre (Children’s Book Press).

Illustrator Honor Awards – Papá and Me, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros (Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers).

The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos, illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucía González (Children’s Book Press).

What Can You Do With a Rebozo? illustrated by Amy Córdova, written by Carmen Tafolla (Tricycle Press, an imprint of Ten Speed Press).

I am sure all of these books are worth checking out. I can’t tell you how happy I am to continue to discover so many great titles in Latino children’s literature. Next week, we will launch our monthly series, ReadMe, dedicated to literacy and bilingualism. Can’t wait to share it with you!

In the meantime, I wanted to share this absolutely awesome video that this year’s Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner (who also got an Honor Author Award), Yuyi Morales, put together as part of her acceptance speech this week at the Pura Belpré Celebration. Enjoy!

Photo by moi

Last week, the winners of the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards were announced during BookExpo America in New York City. In case you missed it, we’d like to share the winners in the children´s books categories with you so you can expand your home library.

The awards – first presented in 1999 – were created by Latino Literacy Now, “in recognition of the many positive contributions being made to Latino literature by publishers and writers worldwide.” The non-profit organization, founded by actor and activist Edward James Olmos in 1997, supports and promotes literary excellence within the Latino community.

There are winners in separate categories for books in English, Spanish and those that are bilingual. I’m familiar with some of the authors, including Pat Mora, but most are new names to me and I can’t wait to check them out.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Los Ganadores in the Children’s Books Category:

(Title – Author(s) – Publisher):

Best Educational Children’s Book – English
The Song of the Coconut – Adalucía – Cholita Prints & Publishing Co.

Best Educational Children’s Book – Spanish
Quiero Ser Poeta – Rafael Garcia Jolly, José Carbonell Pla, Antonia Moreno, María D. Torres Bañuls – LetraRoja
2ND Place: El secreto del dorado – Maria Villegas y Jennie Kent – Villegas Asociados S.A.
Honorable Mention: Figúrate: Animales, Fantasía y Mundo – María Villegas y Jennie Kent – Villegas Asociados

Best Educational Children’s Book – Bilingual
Dealing With Insults – Qué Hacer con los Insultos - Marianne Johnson – Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras
2ND Place: Teo in Palo Verde – Adam Del Rio – Lectura Books
2ND Place: Ronaldinho – José María Obregón – Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras
Honorable Mention: Las Abejas – Katie Franks – Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras

Best Children’s Picture Book – English
Abuelos – Pat Mora – Groundwood Books
2ND Place: The Secret Legacy – Rigoberta Menchú – Groundwood Books
Honorable Mention: Kitchen Dance – Maurie J. Manning – Clarion Books

Best Children’s Picture Book – Spanish
Los Reyes Magos De Oriente – Lluis Farre – Bambú
2ND Place: El mejor mariachi del mundo – J. D. Smith – Raven Tree Press
Honorable Mention: Mira, Mira – Angels Navarro – Bambú

Best Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual
Rachel and the Lion – Stephanie Lainez – Story House Books
2ND Place: Colors! ¡Colores! – Jorge Luján – Groundwood Books
Honorable Mention: The Storyteller’s Candle – Lucia Gonzalez – Children’s Book Press

You can find the entire list, which is much more extensive than this one, here.  In it you’ll find something for everyone in the family, including YOU!

Happy reading!

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