Latinx Heritage Month happens every year from September 15 to October 15. There are lots of ways to celebrate during this time, and one is to read books written by and about Latinx Americans. This could mean educating your children through nonfiction or using fictional stories that feature Latinx main characters to help them gain a better understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures within the Latinx community. Here are a few suggested books that can help kids learn more about and take pride in Hispanic and Latinx culture and history:
Nonfiction:
The New York Public Library Amazing Hispanic American History: A Book of Answers for Kids by George Ochoa
Dreams from Many Rivers: A Hispanic History of the United States Told in Poems by Margarita Engle
Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (also available on Axis 360 and hoopla)
Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by Isabel F. Campoy (also available in Spanish)
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré by Ankia Denise
Fiction:
Islandborn by Junot Díaz (also available in Spanish)
Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (also available in Spanish and on Libby/Overdrive, Axis360, and hoopla)
What Can You Do With a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla
Charlie Hernández & the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
– Cindy, Youth Services Specialist