Spanish Is the Language of My Family- El español es la lengua de mi familia

By Michael Genhart

Illustrated by John Parra 

 

Publisher: ‎Neal Porter Books

Hardcover: ‎40 pages

ISBN-10: ‎082345004X

ISBN-13: ‎978-0823450046

 

An intergenerational story of family ties, cultural pride, and spelling bee victory following a young boy who bonds with his beloved abuela over a love of Spanish.

 

As a boy prepares for his school’s Spanish spelling bee, he asks his grandmother for help with some of the words he doesn’t know how to spell yet. When she studies with him, she tells him how different things were back when she was a girl, when she was only allowed to speak English in school. This only inspires him to study even harder and make his family proud.

 

Based on stories author Michael Genhart heard from his mother as a child, Spanish is the Language of My Family is about the joy of sharing cultural heritage with our families, inspired by the generations of Latino people were punished for speaking Spanish and the many ways new generations are rejuvenating the language..

 

Michael Genhart’s text is as touching as it is poignant, and it’s paired with the striking artwork of multiple Pura Belpre Award-Winning Illustrator John Parra. Extensive material at the back of the book includes essays from the author about the history of Spanish suppression in U.S. schools and information about the Spanish alphabet.

Review

"With a vivid color palette, Parra’s acrylic and digital illustrations bring warmth and brightness to Genhart’s story, which smoothly incorporates Spanish words and phrases within the text."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

 

"Genhart's moving picture book tugs at heartstrings. . . . evokes deep feelings of joy and pride in cultural and linguistic heritage. Parra's visually striking artwork uses bold colors and lines to create a backdrop full of visual context clues and cultural representation."—Booklist, Starred Review

 

"A measured reckoning with an oft-overlooked period in U.S. history, Genhart and Parra’s poignant collaboration explores the echoes of generational trauma and the power of societal change and hope. . . .  The splendid, textured acrylic-based artwork is rich and vibrant. . . .Tenderly tremendous."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

 

 

Michael Genhart’s text for Spanish is the Language of My Family is inspired by stories his mother told to him as a child. He is a clinical psychologist and the author of eight picture books including Love Is Love (a Notable Social Studies Trade Book) and Rainbow: A First Book of Pride, which Publishers Weekly called “A joyous tribute to LGBTQ families.” He lives with his husband in Marin County. They are the proud parents of a newly minted 5th grade teacher. When he’s not working or writing, you’ll find Michael gardening, on a hike, sitting around a dinner table with friends and family, traveling to different countries, enjoying live theatre and music, or sitting in a quiet space with a wonderful book.

 

John Parra is an award-winning illustrator, fine artist, designer, and educator best known for his children’s books about the experiences of Latino people. Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos (by Monica Brown) was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book and won a Pura Belpre Honor for Illustration. He also won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Illustration for Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans (by Phil Binder), and a Pura Belpre Honor for Green is a Chile Pepper (by Roseanne G. Thong). He lives with his wife in Queens, New York.

 

 

Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son

 

By John Parra

Publisher: ‎ Simon & Schuster/ Paula Wiseman Books 
Language: ‎ English
Hardcover: ‎ 40 pages
ISBN-10: ‎ 1534469273
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1534469273
Reading age: ‎ 4 - 8 years
Lexile measure: ‎ AD620L
Grade level: ‎ Preschool – 3
 
 
From award-winning artist John Parra comes a touching and deceptively simple picture book based on his childhood experience about the bond between a father and son, hard work, and the links between nature, art, and creativity. 
 
Today is a big day—the first time Juanito gets to help his papi on the job as a landscape architect! Throughout the day, Juanito sketches anything that catches his eye: a nest full of baby birds, a nursery with row upon row of plants and flowers, and more. Father and son travel from house to house, pruning, weeding, mowing, and turning overgrown and chaotic yards into beautiful spaces. 
 
A few of the clients don’t appreciate Papi’s hard work, like Juanito’s classmate who pretends not to see him. But Papi always feels pride in owning his own business and in a job well done. And at the end of the day, Juanito may get the chance to turn his artistic eye toward landscape design—just like his papi.
 
John Parra is an award-winning artist, illustrator, author, and educator, best known for his Latino themed, children’s picture books. For his work he has received many awards and accolades including: Three American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honors, Two Golden Kite Awards from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and a Christopher’s Award. Parra’s original artwork has also been showcased and displayed in numerous gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad, with many paintings now residing in private collections. He has taught art at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, CA and regularly speaks as a visiting artist at schools and literary conferences across the country, advocating art and reading education.

Gracias / Thanks

By Pat Mora

Illustrated by John Parra

In a series of poetic sentences, a young boy (biracial Mexican/Caucasian) tells about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful. Come share the joy, and think about all the things for which you can say, ¡Gracias! Thanks!

More Children's Books for Thanksgiving

Celebrate Thanksgiving Day with Beto and Gaby by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. Illustrated by Claudia Rueda.

Beto and Gaby anxiously wait for their relatives to arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. One by one, they each call to inform the family that they will not be able to attend because of a great snowstorm. Suddenly, their grandmother appears with a group of elder friends who have nowhere to have dinner, and the celebration becomes really special. Contains an informative section on Thanksgiving Day.

Gracias, the Thanksgiving turkey by Joy Cowley. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda.

Trouble ensues when Papa gets Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and Miguel develops an attachment to it.

¿Pavo para la Cena de Gracias? ¡No, gracias!

Por Alma Flor Ada. Ilustrado por Vivi Escriva.


When the turkey overhears a conversation about how fat and tasty he will be on Thanksgiving, he loses his own appetite. He meets a young spider who sets out to find a way to save the turkey.

Pura Belpré Award Ganadores 2018

From: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate. 

2018 Author Award Winner  

Lucky Broken Girl, by Ruth Behar. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

In Lucky Broken Girl, fifth-grader Ruthie Mizrahi, newly arrived to the United States from Cuba in the 1960’s, is confined to a full-body cast after a life-changing accident. Surrounded by her Cuban-Jewish family and a diverse group of neighbors, Ruthie finds strength and courage to heal and grow. The book was published byNancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

“Ruth Behar draws from her childhood experience to tell a story that celebrates Latinx experience while affirming the resilience of children facing both universal and specific challenges,”said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 llustrator Award Winner

La Princesa and the Pea, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, written by Susan Middleton Elya, and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

La Princesa and the Pea is a tale set amid guinea pigs, stone arches, and fuzzy indigenous Peruvian textiles. Juana Martinez-Neal’s mischievous characters play out the classic princess-and-the-pea tale—with a twist. Cultural elements inspired by the Peruvian village of Huilloc and the Colca Canyon add vibrancy and playfulness in Martinez-Neal’s acrylic and colored pencil illustrations.

“Martinez-Neal’s masterful character and setting design, along with her incorporation of Peruvian cultural elements, make this book exquisite and unmatched,” said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 Author Honor Books

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, by Pablo Cartaya. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 

In The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Arturo spends the summer working at his beloved Abuela’s Cuban restaurant in a Miami neighborhood. When Arturo learns of a greedy land developer’s plans to tear down the building, he enlists the help of his friends to save the restaurant. This humorous coming-of-age tale celebrates family, music and poetry, and embraces failure as a springboard to growth. 

The First Rule of Punk, by Celia C. Pérez. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 

12-year-old Malú O’Neill-Morales is biracial, Latinx, and punk. Tasked with being a “señorita,”she instead follows the first rule of punk: “Be Yourself.” Malú creates zines about her inner thoughts while navigating a new school where she’s not seen as Latinx enough, starting a punk band along the way. 

2018 Illustrator Honor Books

All Around Us, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena González, and published by Cinco Puntos Press 

The cycle of life is explored through the eyes of a grandfather and his granddaughter, in the Mestizo tradition. Vivid digital images use colorful contours and vibrant color to depict visible and invisible circles in everyday life.  

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, illustrated by John Parra, written by Monica Brown, and published by NorthSouth Books, Inc., an imprint of NordSüd Verlag AG 

The connections between Frida Kahlo and her xoloitzcuintles, monkeys, turkeys, and other pets are palpable in John Parra’s warm, expressive acrylic illustrations. Details of Mexican folk art ground the story as facial and body expressions from Frida and animalitos reinforce their relationship, showing how Frida was comforted and inspired by her pets and how her personality was shaped by and reflected in them.