Enrique O. Sanchez

Esperanza is nervous as she and her grandmother weave tapestries with intricate designs to sell in the market. Will the people in the market still want to buy something handmade? Will they be scared by grandmother’s birthmark? On market day, Esperanza feels alone, but soon realizes she has nothing to worry about after all. Gentle acrylic illustrations capture the Guatemalan countryside and busy market, as well as the beautiful fabrics central to the story. Spanish version available.

Maria’s story begins as she honors her baby brother on the first Day of the Dead. Maria is sad about the deaths in her family, but she feels a little bit better while she spends time with her family. When her parents go North to the United States, however, Maria has to confront a new kinds of sadness — until the family is again reunited and Maria helps them maintain their important traditions in a new place. Young children who have experienced loss or separation may feel a particular connection with Maria and her story.

Marisol is rushing home from school to see to her cat, but on the way she’s stopped by adult family members and neighbors who need her to translate from Spanish for them so that they can communicate with shopkeepers and officials in English. Whether she’s helping Uncle Tomas bargain with the poultry man, showing her neighbor how to fill out an application form, or speaking for Mama about a problem with the telephone bureaucracy, Marisol translates the words and also interprets the messages across cultures. — Booklist

This Taino creation story describes how the island of Puerto Rico came into existence when the Earth was a desert without water. A young boy’s adventures lead to the growth of a beautiful forest on top of a mounatain and then the introduction of the sea and its creatures around the base of the mountain, which becomes an island. The lovely, stylized illustrations are a perfect match for the traditional story.

Danilito is excited about coming to America, but he is also scared — it is so different and cold, and he doesn’t speak any English. Then he experiences his first snowfall. After feeling the snowflakes on his cheek and leaving footprints in the snow, he begins to feel a little more confident in this new country. Warm illustrations bring an immigrant family’s journey, and their first snowfall, to life.