Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with these books for children.
Picture Books and Younger Elementary
(Español Juvenil - ESPAÑOL Ej Do)
While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City. Suggested for ages 3–6. Text in Spanish.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Mar)
When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. Suggested for ages 3–6.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 921 Morales Mor)
Dreamers is a celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. It's a story about family—a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Suggested for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Eng)
Girls cannot be drummers. No one questioned that rule—until one dream girl. When at last her dream-bright music was heard, it was decided everybody should be free to drum and dream! Suggested for ages 3–6.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J-FC Brown)
Series: Lola Levine
Second-grader Lola has a wonderful family, a great teacher, and the best friend ever, Josh, and they all help her feel better after she is teased and forbidden to play team sports at recess for having accidentally hurt classmate Juan during a soccer game. Suggested for ages 6–9.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Med)
When a little girl’s far-away grandmother comes to stay, love and patience transcend language in a tender story written by acclaimed author Meg Medina. Suggested for ages 6–9.
(Español Juvenil - ESPAÑOL Ej Bro)
Marisol McDonald, a biracial, nonconformist, soccer-playing pirate-princess with brown skin and red hair, celebrates her uniqueness. Suggested for ages 6–9. Text in English and Spanish.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Mor)
Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no holds barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills. Suggested for ages 3–6.
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Ton)
When Papa Rabbit does not return home as expected from many seasons of working in the great carrot and lettuce fields of El Norte, his son Pancho sets out on a dangerous trek to find him, guided by a coyote. Suggested for ages 6–9.
(Español Juvenil - ESPAÑOL Ej Taf)
A young Mexican American girl celebrates the paleta, an icy fruit popsicle, and the many roles it plays in her lively barrio. Suggested for ages 3–6. Text in Spanish and English.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Floresg)
When unrest hits the streets of Havana, Cuba, Julian's parents must make the heartbreaking decision to send him and his two brothers away to Miami. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Espanol Juvenil - ESPANOL J 811.54 Coo)
Poems celebrating Hispanic culture are the focus of this collection. Topics for poems extend from hot dogs to learning English to the revolution in Nicaragua. What all of the selections have in common is the adolescent experience at the core of the poem. Suggested for ages 8–12. Text in English and Spanish.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Ryan)
A fictionalized account of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Neftalí), who grew up a painfully shy child in the rainforests of Chile, ridiculed by his overbearing father, but who became one of the most widely-read poets in the world. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Ryan)
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Perez)
María Luisa O'Neill-Morales (who really prefers to be called Malú) reluctantly moves with her Mexican American mother to Chicago and starts school with a bang—violating the dress code and spurning the school's most popular girl in favor of starting a band. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Nonfiction - J 759.13 Posada Ton)
Funny Bones tells the story of how the amusing calaveras—skeletons performing various festive activities—came to be. They are the creation of Mexican artist José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada, and have become synonymous with Mexico's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Balcarc)
12-year-old Quijana is a biracial girl, desperately trying to understand the changes that are going on in her life. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Cervant)
While spending a summer in New Mexico with her grandmother, 12-year-old Izzy makes new friends, learns to cook, and for the first time, hears stories about her father, who died before she was born. Suggested for ages 8–12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Ada)
A collection of stories about young Hispanic immigrant experiences in the United States. Suggested for ages 8–12.