Jasmine's Book Shelf

Happy New Year!

I was going through my granddaughter Jasmine's bookshelf yesterday looking for something to write about and I was amazed at how many books we've collected since she was born in 2003. I thought I'd take this week's post as an opportunity to recommend a year's worth of reading. Most of these books are older but definitely all are requirements for the well-read little Xicanita or Xicanito. Some I've already written about and I'm going to do my best to write about them all in the weeks to come. I'm sure I'm going to miss some and hope my compadres here at La Bloga will add to my list. I encourage everyone to add their favorite books and I challenge all of you to read these great little books with Jasmine and I this year. I've listed the books in the order Jasmine and I found them on her shelf.

How Tia Lola Came to Stay - Julia Alvarez
Finding Miracles - Julia Alvarez
Dona Flor - Pat Mora
The Night the Moon Fell - Pat Mora
The Secret Footprints - Julia Alvarez
Agua, Agua, Agua - Pat Mora
The Bakery Lady - Pat Mora
A Birthday Basket for Tia - Pat Mora
Confetti: Poems for Children - Pat Mora
Pachanga Deliciosa - Pat Mora
The Desert is My Mother - Pat Mora
The Gift of the Pointsetta - Pat Mora
A Library for Juana - Pat Mora
Love to Mama - Pat Mora
Listen to the Desert - Pat Mora
Maria Paints the Hills - Pat Mora
Pablo's Tree - Pat Mora
The Race of Toad and Deer - Pat Mora
The Rainbow Tulip - Pat Mora
Las Mejores Alas - Antonio Malpica
Napi - Antonio Ramírez
A Summer Life - Gary Soto
Baseball in April and Other Stories - Gary Soto
Too Many Tamales - Gary Soto
Chato and the Party Animals - Gary Soto
The Skirt - Gary Soto
Chato's Kitchen - Gary Soto
Chato Goes Cruising - Gary Soto
I Don't Want to Melt - Alma Flor Ada
How the Rainbow Came to Be - Alma Flor Ada
Pin, Pin, Sarabin - Alma Flor Alda
Waiting for Papa - René Colato Laínez
From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Stories - Francisco X. Alarcon
In My Family - Francisco X. Alarcon
Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems - Francisco X. Alarcon
Harvest - George Ancona
A Movie in My Pillow - Jorge Argueta
Pablo Remembers - George Ancona
My Diary From Here to There - Amada Irma Perez
My Very Own Room - Amada Irma Perez
The Upside Down Boy - Juan Felipe Herrera
Mi Casa - George Ancona
Serafina's Stories - Rudolfo Anaya
The Farolitos of Christmas - Rudolfo Anaya
Friends From the Other Side - Gloria Anzaldua
Prietita and the Ghost Woman - Gloria Anzaldua
Pelitos - Sandra Cisneros
Gathering the Sun - Alma Flor Ada
The Woman Who Outshone the Sun - Rosalma Zubizarreta
Calling the Doves - Juan Felipe Herrera
In My Family - Carmen Lomas Garza
Uncle Nacho's Hat - Harriet Rohmer
Arrorro Mi Nino: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games - Lulu Delacre
My Pal Victor - Diane Gonzales Bertrand
The Empanadas That Abuela Made - Diane Gonzales Bertrand
Grandma and Me at the Flea - Juan Felipe Herrera
Featherless - Juan Felipe Herrera
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child - Francisco Jiménez
The Christmas Gift - Francisco Jiménez
La Mariposa - Francisco Jiménez
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida - Victor Martinez
Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan
Becoming Naomi Leon - Pam Munoz Ryan
A Crazy, Mixed-Up Spanglish Day - Marisa Montes
Mice and Beans - Pam Munoz Ryan
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way - Luis J. Rodriguez
Benjamin and the Word - Daniel Olivas
America Is Her Name - Luis J. Rodriguez
A Gift From Papa Diego - Benjamin Alire Saenz
Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas - Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Adventures of Connie and Diego - Maria Garcia
Antonio's Card - Rigoberto Gonzalez
Super Cilantro Girl - Juan Felipe Herrera
Where Fireflies Dance - Lucha Corpi
Xochitl and the Flowers - Jorge Argueta
Soledad Sighs - Rigoberto Gonzalez
Angels Ride Bikes and Other Stories - Francisco X. Alarcon

We have some fantastic illustrators and authors out there mi gente!

Hasta pronto,

Gina Marysol Ruiz