5360 Literature for Children
June 20, 2020
Annotated Bibliography Assignment - List 4: Pura Belpre Award
Ruthie and her family have immigrated from Cuba to New York City. Ruthie has become a better English speaker and is about to be placed with the “normal” kids when her family is in a car accident that leaves her confined to a bed for almost a year. She learns lessons in patience, compassion, and overcoming obstacles. This book is appropriate for middle school, age 10+ readers, and independent readers. The contents are good to show resilience and being stronger than we believe.
If you like books that hone in on surviving through tough situations, check out The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora.
Brown, M., & Parra, J. (2017). Frida Kahlo and her
animalitos. New York, NY: NorthSouth Books, Inc.
Monica Brown's story about Frida Kahlo tells the story of
the artist's life with the help of her museum of animals that she had
throughout her life and featured in her art. Kahlo did not have an easy
life. She was diagnosed with polio when she was young and survived a horriffic bus
accident at 18. Readers will learn of how Frida overcame all of these
obstacles and become familiar with her quirky spirit and how it matched the
various attitudes and personalities of her animals. Through Brown's story,
readers will learn what it takes to be an artist. They must have "curious
eyes," a free spirit, and determination. Additionally, the focus on all of
Kahlo's pets gives readers another way to connect to the artist's life by incorporating animals. All of the different animals
add fun to each illustration.
If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales.
Elya, S. M., & Martinez-Neal, J. (2017). La princesa and
the pea. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Princesa and the Pea is a retelling of the Princess and the Pea
fairy tale but with an Hispanic influence. The meat of the story is the same
but is far more involved than the original Hans Christian Anderson version. The
queen mama has is determined to keep her son all to herself. While the princess
still must pass the test of discerning the presence of a pea under twenty
mattresses, the prince gives the maiden he loves some help in that area with a nice
twist in the end.
The author melts in Spanish words effortlessly with the
English text. Most of the words can be figured out through context alone making
this a great book to use to pick up a little second language vocabulary. The author included a glossary section for
readers who may struggle with having terminology. The illustrations help
readers decode the new vocabulary and also add to the story's deep appreciation
of culture with the Peruvian outfits and settings shown on each page.
If you liked this book, you might also like - Sugar Cane: A Caribbean Rapunzel by Patrica Storace
Gonzalez, X., & Garcia, A. M. (2017). All Around Us. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
All Around Us shares the story of a young girl learning a valuable lesson from her grandfather as they work in the family garden, walk through their neighborhood, and water the apple tree that was planted when the grandfather was born. Everything in this world is connected, like a circle, and we can find those circles all around us. The message is simple, but Xelena Gonzalez deepens it with the realization that we usually only see half the circle, and there is a half that we can't see, just like there is always more to a story than what you see on the surface. Another addition to the depth of this book is Adriana Garcia's illustrations. Indeed, the first two-page spread after the title page is an eye catching fusion of luminescence, like she drew her pictures in rays of light. Certainly, Garcia's work catches the intimacy in the relationship with the grandfather and his granddaughter, which adds to the feeling of wisdom being passed down from one generation to another.
If you want to check out another title by a fellow Texan, check out The Way to Make Perfect Mountains by Byrd Baylor.
Medina, M., & Dominguez, A. (2015). Mango, Abuela, and me. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
This book is about Mia’s abuela. She can no longer take care of herself so she moves into Mia’s house and they share a bedroom. Mia discovers that her bit of Spanish and abuela’s bit of English makes communicating with each other hard. Mia gets a great idea to help each other communicate one day when she visits a pet shop.
This book is on a 3rd grade readability level and is great for students who have a cohabitating grandparent. It is also a great resource for students working to learn another language.
Interested in this story? You might want to read Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales.
Mora, P., & Colon, R. (2005). Dona Flor: A tall tale about a giant woman with a big heart. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Dona Flor was as tall as a mountain and grew that way because her mother sang to her when she was little. Just like her mother, she cares for everyone who lives in her village. She digs them a river with her thumb, feeds them with raft sized tortillas and ropes the wind so they and she can sleep peacefully. She also must track down a giant puma that is terrorizing the villagers, but she finds out not all problems are as big as they seem.
As with many tall tales, some of the joy of this story lies in reading about all of the unrealistic tasks Dona Flor is able to accomplish. Even when her size or abilities are inconsistent as is common in folk tales about giants, that just adds to the whimsy of the tale. Raul Colon's illustrations also add to the magic of the story for the young readers as they see a woman reach the top of a mountain or a group of kids float on the water on a giant corn tortilla.
If your little ones are interested in more tall tales and stories that are bigger than life, try out Pecos Bill by Stephen Kellogg.
Soto, G., & Guevara, S. (1995). Chato's kitchen. New York: Putnam's.
Chato the cat sees a new family of mice move in next door, he decides to be hospitable and invite them over for a meal. The mice family accepts but asks to bring a guest that had already planned on visiting them. Chato plans a meal in his kitchen but is in for a surprise when he meets the mice family’s friend. This is a perfect book for elementary aged students. It has a 3rd grade readability level.
Check out The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney if you enjoyed this title.
Tonatiuh, D. (2011). Diego Rivera: His world and ours. New
York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers.
Duncan Tonatiuh gives a quick history of Diego Rivera's
life and how he learned to paint and then takes readers on a tour of the
different pieces of Mexico's history and culture that became the main points of
many of his works of art. Through Tonatiuh's text and stylistic images, readers
will learn about how the Mexican people fought for independence and the dances
that represents Mexico's culture that Rivera's paintings celebrate. Readers
will also see sneak peas into the ancient past with a look at Aztec culture,
and with the way he organizes his drawings, the author causes readers to think
about how different our current time period is from the past when they see the
stark contrast in the illustrations imitating the content of Rivera's paintings
versus our contemporary life style. This book will not only ask children to
compare the past to the present, but also to think about what they can do to
make the future a better place.
Need a similar text? Check out Dreamers by Yuyi Morales.
Vamos, S. R., & Lopez, R. (2011). The cazuela the farm
maiden stirred. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
Written as a far more interesting variation of the nursery
rhyme "The House that Jack Built," The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden
Stirred adds new lines with each page to the singsong story of how arroz con
leche is made with the help of everyone and every animal on the farm. Samantha
Vamos' use of Spanish vocabulary combined with the repetition and images
provide an excellent means to help young readers learn some Spanish words and
appreciate the culture associated with the language. It's also a great game to
try and figure out what each word means and will be sure to inspire readers to
want to learn more Spanish terms when they're through with the story. The illustrations
further add to the fun by helping readers discern word meanings, and they add
to the sense of cooperation as well with each smiling face working together to
create a delicious bowl of rice pudding to be shared and enjoyed with friends.
If you liked this book, you might also want to check out Pink
and Say by Patricia Polacco.
Velasquez, E. (2010). Grandma's gift. New York, NY: Walker & Company.
The story, Grandma's Gift tells the true story of a winter break when Eric Velasquez spent time with his grandmother in El Barrio. Velasquez helps his grandmother make pasteles, a (traditional Puerto Rican dish resembling tamales,) and travels with her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where they encounter a portrait of Juan de Pareja. As he says in the story, he "couldn't believe this was a painting in a museum" because it looked "like someone we might see walking around El Barrio,". This is the ultimate tone of the book - the significance of one's cultural identity. It is imperative that kids be able have figures of importance in the present and in the past that they can identify with, and it is also equally crucial that kids see world leaders and changers of many different cultures and ethnicities. Grandma's Gift gives a story of a family of African and Spanish descent, one that is not seen in many of the other picture books out there, so it makes a great addition to any home seeking to have a collection representing the wonderful rainbow that is our world.
If you enjoyed the semblance and vibrancy of this book, you might also like Jesse Owens, Fastest Man Alive.
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