Texas State University College of
Education created The Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award in
1995 to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the
Mexican American experience. It is named in honor of Texas State University
distinguished alumnus Dr. Tomás Rivera.
Dreamers
By Yuyi Morales
In 1994, Yuyi Morales left her home in
Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son. She left behind nearly
everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed.
She brought her strength, her work, her
passion, her hopes and dreams. . . and her stories. Caldecott Honor artist and
six-time Pura Belpré winner Yuyi Morales's gorgeous picture book Dreamers
is about making a home in a new place. Yuyi and her son Kelly's passage was not
easy, and Yuyi spoke no English whatsoever at the time. But together, they
found an unexpected, unbelievable place: the public library. There, book by
book, they untangled the language of this strange new land, and learned to make
their home within it.
Dreamers is a celebration of what migrantes bring with them when they leave
their homes. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we
are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Beautiful and
powerful at any time but given particular urgency as the status of our own
Dreamers becomes uncertain, this is a story that is both topical and timeless.
The lyrical text is complemented by
sumptuously detailed illustrations, rich in symbolism. Also included are a brief
autobiographical essay about Yuyi's own experience, a list of books that
inspired her (and still do), and a description of the beautiful images,
textures, and mementos she used to create this book.
A parallel Spanish-language edition, Soñadores,
is also available.
They Call Me Güero: A
Border Kid's Poems
By David Bowles
Twelve-year-old Güero is Mexican
American, at home with Spanish or English and on both sides of the river. He's
starting 7th grade with a woke English teacher who knows how to make poetry
cool.
In Spanish, "Güero" is a
nickname for guys with pale skin, Latino or Anglo. But make no mistake: our
red-headed, freckled hero is puro mexicano, like Canelo Álvarez, the Mexican
boxer. Güero is also a nerd--reader, gamer, musician--who runs with a squad of
misfits like him, Los Bobbys. Sure, they get in trouble like anybody else, and
like other middle-school boys, they discover girls. Watch out for Joanna! She's
tough as nails.
But trusting in his family's traditions,
his accordion and his bookworm squad, he faces seventh grade with book smarts
and a big heart. Life is tough for a border kid, but Güero has figured out how
to cope.
He writes poetry.
No comments:
Post a Comment