Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Latinx Authors and Illustrators
By Monica C.
Tue, September 15, 2020
Today, September 15, marks the beginning of National Hispanic American Heritage month.
As part of the celebration, we want to highlight the works of Latinx authors and illustrators of picture books. These books will entertain, teach, and inspire young readers all year long!
Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away written by Meg Medina; illustrated by Sonia Sánchez
ebook available from Overdrive.
Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special.
Already a Butterfly: A Meditation Story written by Julia Alvarez; illustrated by Raúl Colón
ebook available from Overdrive.
With so much to do in so little time, Mari Posa is constantly on the move, flitting from flower to flower, practicing her camouflage poses, and planning for migration. She’s the busiest butterfly around. But does being productive mean she is happy? Mari couldn’t say. The only way she feels like a butterfly is by acting like one. Little does Mari know, the secret to feeling like herself is simply to focus her breath, find her quiet place, and follow her instincts.
Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
ebook available from Overdrive.
Gustavo is good at doing all sorts of ghostly things: walking through walls, making objects fly, and glowing in the dark. And he loves almost nothing more than playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo is shy, and some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye scream or making friends with other monsters. Whenever he tries getting close to them, he realizes they just can’t see him. Now that the Day of the Dead is fast approaching, what can he do to make them notice him and to share with them something he loves?
ebook available from Hoopla.
Jimmy lives in a small Caribbean town where there's not a whole lot to do. Fortunately, there is a boxing gym, and one day the owner, Don Apolinar, suggests that Jimmy start training. He also gives Jimmy a cardboard box full of books and newspaper clippings all about Muhammad Ali. Jimmy reads and re-reads as he never has before. He is filled with admiration for Ali who said, "I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was." He starts to feel good, realizing that he doesn't need to have a lot of fancy stuff, that he's a pretty good boxer himself, and that he can look forward to the future. But by the time Don Apolinar has to leave for the big city, Jimmy realizes that he can have a great life running the gym, creating a library, dancing, and boxing, right where he is.
ebook and Spanish ebook available from Overdrive.
If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; José, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes, too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all—and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin stories or names.
Dreamersebook and Spanish ebook available from Overdrive.
This lovingly-illustrated picture book memoir is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes, and your history. It’s the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world, and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it’s a promise that you can make better tomorrows.
ebook and audiobook available from Overdrive.
United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities of kids (and people of all ages) in this picturebook. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges—and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we’re not sure why, all we have to do is just ask.
ebook available from Overdrive.
In this story inspired by the life of Apolinar Navarrete Diaz—author Angela Dominguez’s grandfather and a successful mariachi musician—Abuelo and his grandchildren sing through the bad times and the good. Lifting their voices and their spirits, they realize that true happiness comes from singing together.
ebook available from Overdrive.
Bilingual in a new way, this paper-over-board book teaches readers simple words in Spanish as they experience the bustling life of a border town. Follow Little Lobo and his dog Bernabe as they deliver supplies to a variety of vendors, selling everything from sweets to sombreros, portraits to piñatas, carved masks to comic books!
ebook available from Overdrive.
A lyrical celebration of multiculturalism, as a parent shares with a child the value of their heritage and why it should be a source of pride, even when others disagree.
Be sure to check our catalog and Overdrive Kids eReading Room, for these titles and many more being added!
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