Hispanic Literature

A. Bibliography

Engle, M., & López, R. (2017). BRAVO!: POEMS ABOUT AMAZING HISPANICS. Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 9780805098761

 

B.  Plot Summary

Musician, botanist, baseball player, pilot—the Latinos featured in this collection come from many different countries and from many different backgrounds. Celebrate their accomplishments and their contributions to a collective history and a community that continues to evolve and thrive today!

Biographical poems include: Aida de Acosta, Arnold Rojas, Baruj Benacerraf, César Chávez, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, Félix Varela, George Meléndez, José Martí, Juan de Miralles, Juana Briones, Julia de Burgos, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Paulina Pedroso, Pura Belpré, Roberto Clemente, Tito Puente, Ynes Mexia, Tomás Rivera

 

C.  Critical Analysis

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the cover of the book. It is full of vibrant and the illustrations are striking and give a great representation of the historical figure. This book is poetry on 18 different historical Hispanic and Latino figures.

This book can be used to highlight important people in the different Spanish-speaking cultures. A variety of cultures are represented in the book, so this text can be used when talking about many different cultures. On the page highlighting Julia De Burgos, it says, “I struggled to become a teacher and a poet, so I could use words to fight for equal rights for women, and work toward meeting the needs of poor children, and speak of independence for Puerto Rico.” Another page highlights Arnold Rojas, a cowboy, and says, “My Mexican ancestors included Yaqui and Maya indios, people who fought to stay free and live in their own traditional ways.” These quotes show just two of the many cultures represented in the text.

 

D. Review Excerpts

Kirkus Reviews: "This book features the lives of a variety of Latinos who faced life's challenges with aplomb and in their own ways. . . each person is stunningly portrayed in López's strong and vibrant style; opposite is a first-person biographical poem that provides a glimpse into its subject's life."

 

School Library Journal: "this book is a welcome addition to schools and libraries, as it expands the canon of historically significant individuals in the United States in such a lyrical and aesthetically pleasing manner."

 

E. Connections

You might like these other books about Poetry:

Ada, Alma Flor. YES! WE ARE LATINOS: POEMS AND PROSE ABOUT THE LATINO EXPERIENCE. ISBN: 978-1580895491

Carlson, Lori Marie. COOL SALSA: BILINGUAL POEMS ON GROWING UP LATINO IN THE UNITED STATES. ISBN: 978-1250016782

 

 

A. Bibliography

Soto, Gary. (2006). ACCIDENTAL LOVE. New York, Harcourt. ISBN 978-015-2061135

 

B.  Plot Summary

After accidentally grabbing the wrong cell phones, Marisa, a quick-tempered chola, and Rene, a skinny nerd, meet to exchange them. From then forward, Marisa and Rene become inseparable. With each other’s support, they make personality changes for the better. Although they are different and face several obstacles, Marisa and Rene strive to make their relationship work.

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

In this contemporary novel, the two main characters, Marisa and Rene, are authentic and accurately represent the experiences of typical teenagers who fall in love. The twist of Marisa being a street tough chola and Rene being a nerd with an asthmatic laugh is fresh and entertaining. Although the majority of the characters are of Hispanic backgrounds, they are culturally accurate and reflect distinct cultural experiences in regards to the Hispanic culture. The story also has a balance of likable and unlikable characters. In regards to the cultural values, the story does contain cultural details that are consistent with the Hispanic culture such as, the mention of popular Hispanic foods, Hispanic celebrities, and Hispanic traditions. In addition, the story naturally integrates Spanish words without compromising or interrupting the flow of the storyline. A glossary with Spanish words and phrases is provided at the end of the book for non-Spanish speaking readers.

Overall, the story is written in an appealing format in that it is a short quick read novel whose storyline is about young love. Teenagers who read this book will be able to relate to Marisa and Rene and cannot help but root for them as they deal with the struggles of a relationship. This young adult novel is amusing and provides insight on modern day Hispanic teens.

D. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “With humor and insight, [Soto] creates memorable, likable characters.”

 The Bulletin: “The tough-girl/good-guy romance is a refreshing twist, and Marisa and Rene are unique and long-overdue characters.”

 

E. Connections

Check out other books by Gary Soto:

NOVIO BOY: A PLAY ISBN: 978-0152058630

FACTS OF LIFE. ISBN: 978-0547577340

BURIED ONIONS. ISBN: 978-0152062651

 

 

A. Bibliography

Tonatiuh, Duncan. (2014). SEPARATE IS NEVER EQUAL: SYLVIA MENDEZ AND HER FAMILY’S FIGHT FOR DESEGREGATION. New York, Abrams Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1419710544

 

 

B.  Plot Summary

When her family moved to the town of Westminster, California, young Sylvia Mendez was excited about enrolling in her neighborhood school. But she and her brothers were turned away and told they had to attend the Mexican school instead. Sylvia could not understand why—she was an American citizen who spoke perfect English. Why were the children of Mexican families forced to attend a separate school? Unable to get a satisfactory answer from the school board, the Mendez family decided to take matters into their own hands and organize a lawsuit.

 In the end, the Mendez family’s efforts helped bring an end to segregated schooling in California in 1947, seven years before the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in schools across America.

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

This picture book is inspired by the real life story of the Mendez family’s fight for school desegregation. The characters in the story are authentically portrayed and reflect the cultural experiences of that time. Due to their brown skin color, black hair, last name, and Hispanic background, Sylvia Mendez and her brothers were denied enrollment at Westminster and were forced to attend a “Mexican school,” which was inferior to Westminster in regards to facilities and educational opportunities. Overall, there is a balance of characters in the story with those who supported segregation and those who opposed it. Those who supported segregation were White such as, the school receptionist, the school superintendent, the county superintendent, the school board, and the students who teased Sylvia. However, there were other characters who supported integration such as, other Hispanic parents, organizations, lawyers, education experts, and judges. The attitudes and beliefs of the characters in the book are consistent with the setting because the story is set in 1944 in California, where segregation and an aura of inferiority existed as well as the belief that segregation was morally and ethically wrong.

In regards to cultural values, the story is rich in cultural details that are consistent with the Hispanic culture. Using italics to make a distinction, Tonatiuh beautifully incorporates Spanish words and phrases into the story, with the English translation immediately following it. A glossary is also provided at the end of the book to ease understanding.vites readers to reflect on their own biases and attitudes.

The illustrations accurately portray diverse cultures. Using hand drawn illustrations that were later collaged and colored digitally, Tonatiuh distinguishes the characters through skin color, hair color, eye color, and attire. In addition, he incorporates other cultural markers such as, the “No Mexicans Allowed” signs and the deplorable conditions of Hoover Elementary. In the author’s note section, Tonatiuh provides sepia photographs of Sylvia and her parents in 1947 as well as photographs of Westminster and Hoover Elementary. Lastly, a recent color photograph of Sylvia Mendez is provided alongside a short biography about her. This historical fiction picture book because it highlights the influential story that helped pave the way for school desegregation across the U.S.

D. Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: “Tonatiuh offers an illuminating account of a family’s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education.”

Booklist: “Pura Belpré Award-winning Tonatiuh makes excellent use of picture-book storytelling to bring attention to the 1947 California ruling against public-school segregation.”

 The Horn Book Magazine: “The straightforward narrative is well matched with the illustrations in Tonatiuh’s signature style, their two-dimensional perspective reminiscent of the Mixtec codex but collaged with paper, wood, cloth, brick, and (Photoshopped) hair to provide textural variation. This story deserves to be more widely known, and now, thanks to this book, it will be.”

 

E. Connections

Check out these other books by Duncan Tonatiuh:

DIEGO RIVERA: HIS WORLD AND OURS. ISBN 978-0810997318

FUNNY BONES: POSADA AND HIS DAY OF THE DEAD CALAVERAS. ISBN 978-1419716478

PANCHO RABBIT AND THE COYOTE: A MIGRANT’S TALE. ISBN 978-1419705830

A. Bibliography

Mora, Pat, and Rafael Lopez. (2007). Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico!: America’s Sproutings (Spanish Edition). New York, Lee and Low Books. ISBN 978-1600602689

 

B.  Plot Summary

This book is a collection of haiku poems describing fourteen foods native to the Americas. Each food is celebrated with a creative and fun haiku and illustration. Informative text boxes are also included and provide readers with interesting facts about the food.    

 

C.  Critical Analysis 

Through haikus, fourteen indigenous foods of the Americas are named and described. The mouth-watering adjectives used to describe the tasty foods leave readers craving America’s sproutings. Because the book is a collection of foods with each food showcased by a haiku and box of informational text, there are no specific characters. However, the characters that are illustrated are happy and take delight in eating the delicious foods described. As for the content of the poems, the haikus are consistent with the food’s characteristics. For example, the chile poem is an accurate depiction of the chile pepper because the chile’s heat characteristics do make one teary eyed while at the same time bringing a delicious fire to one’s tongue. Moreover, the book is rich in cultural details that are consistent with the Hispanic culture. Through text boxes on the sidebar, snippets of information about the specific food are provided, such as, history, usage, origins, etymology, commonly found locations, growing seasons, and interesting trivia facts. The creative haiku poems and informational text boxes make reading this book enjoyable.

Rafael Lopez uses bold and vivid colors on the illustrations in this book, which are characteristic of the Hispanic culture. The people illustrated in the book are also accurately depicted in skin color and dress. The illustrations of the homes and environments in the book also showcase the Hispanic culture.

D. Review Excerpts

Booklist: “This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas.”

School Library Journal:  “Teachers will find this a welcome addition to their social-studies units, but it should also win a broad general audience for its inventive, fun-filled approach to an ever-popular topic: food.”

 

E. Connections

Readers who enjoyed this book may also enjoy:

 BOOK FIESTA!: CELEBRATE CHILDREN’S DAY/BOOK DAY ISBN 978-0061288784

GRACIAS/THANKS. ISBN 978-1600602580

TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. ISBN 978-0375803499