2020-2021 Tejas Star Reading List

The Tejas Star Reading List (TSRL) provides a recommended reading list to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. The Tejas Star Reading List is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum.

https://txla.org/news/2020-2021-tejas-star-reading-list-announced/

Chancho el campeón (Pig the Winner) by Aaron Blabey, translated by Juan Pablo Lombana (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2019)

El coleccionista de palabras (The Word Collector) by Peter H. Reynolds, translated by Juan Pablo Lombana (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic. Inc., 2019)

¿De dónde eres? (Where Are You From?) by Yamile Saied Méndez, illustrated by Jaime Kim (HarperCollins Español, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019)

¡Di algo! (Say Something!) by Peter H. Reynolds, translated by Juan Pablo Lombana (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2019)

Fuego, fueguito / Fire, Little Fire by Jorge Tetl Argueta, illustrated by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara, translated by Jorge Tetl Argueta and Madeleine Maillet (Piñata Books, an imprint of Arte Público Press, 2019)

¡Hola, Cangrejito! (Hello, Crabby!) by Jonathan Fenske, translated by Abel Berriz (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2019)

Hombre Perro: El Señor de las Pulgas (Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas) by Dav Pilkey, translated by Nuria Molinero (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2019)

Lola quiere un gato (Lola Gets a Cat) by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, translated by Carlos E. Calvo (Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., 2019)

A lomo de cuento por Argentina: El Coquena (A Storybook Ride Through Argentina: The Coquena) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Illustrated by Elizabeth Builes (Loqueleo, an imprint of Santillana USA, 2019)

A lomo de cuento por Cuba: El güije de la charca (A Storybook Ride Through Cuba: The Pond Elf) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Illustrated by Roger Ycaza (Loqueleo, an imprint of Santillana USA, 2019)

A lomo de cuento por México: El pájaro verde (A Storybook Ride Through Mexico: The Green Bird) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Illustrated by Israel Barrón (Loqueleo, an imprint of Santillana USA, 2019)

A lomo de cuento por Perú: El abuelo de la quena (A Storybook Ride Through Peru: The Grandfather Who Played the Quena) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Illustrated by Carolina Durán (Loqueleo, an imprint of Santillana USA, 2019)

A lomo de cuento por Puerto Rico: El huerto de los viejitos (A Storybook Ride Through Puerto Rico: The Old People’s Vegetable Garden) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, Illustrated by Núria Feijoó (Loqueleo, an imprint of Santillana USA, 2019)

Luca’s Bridge / El puente de Luca by Mariana Llanos, illustrated by Anna López Real (Penny Candy Books, 2019)

Luciana: Misión submarina (Luciana: Braving the Deep) by Erin Teagan, translated by Ana Galán (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2018)

Mario y el agujero en el cielo: Cómo un químico salvó nuestro planeta (Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet) by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Teresa Martínez, translated by Carlos E. Calvo (Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc., 2019)

Mi papi tiene una moto (My Papi Has a Motorcycle) by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña, translated by Andrea Montejo (Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019)

No dejes que desaparezcan (Don’t Let Them Disappear) by Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Gianna Marino, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019)

Un nuevo hogar (A New Home) by Tania de Regil (Candlewick Press, 2019)

Pangato: Soy yo. (Catwad: It’s Me.) by Jim Benton, translated by Abel Berriz (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2019)

Papa Francisco: Creador de puentes (Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges) by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez, translated by Belén Agustina Sánchez (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc, 2018)

Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré: bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos (Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré) by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Paola Escobar, translated by Omayra Ortiz (HarperCollins Español, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2019)

Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer, illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2019)

Titanosaurio: El descubrimiento del dinosaurio más grande del mundo (Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur) by Dr. José Luis Carballido and Dr. Diego Pol, illustrated by Florencia Gigena, translated by Abel Berriz (Scholastic en español, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2019)

Marta Arroyo's Books

By  Marta Arroyo 

Hello, Familia!

I am Marta Arroyo, author of the following bilingual children’s books for ages five and above.  All of these titles are available on Amazon.com. 

            LA FIESTA Y EL MARIACHI (2007) BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOK

LUPITA GOES TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FIESTA WITH HER PARENTS.  SHE ENJOYS THE EXCITING MARIACHI MUSIC AND THE BEAUTIFUL SHINY INSTRUMENTS.  AT THE FIESTA, LUPITA MEETS HER SCHOOL TEACHER AND GETS TO DANCE TO THE MARIACHI MUSIC.  FIND OUT MORE.

            THE STORY OF SEÑORA TAMALES (2010) BILINGUAL CHILDREN’S BOOK

LA SEÑORA TAMALES, AS SHE IS CALLED BY HER FRIENDS, LOVES TO COOK MEXICAN FOOD FOR HER FAMILY.  SHE HAS A SPECIAL FOOD SHE COOKS:  TAMALES.  HER ENTIRE FAMILY LOVES HER DELICIOUS TAMALES.  HOWEVER, WHY DOES SHE MAKE THEM ALL BY HERSELF?  THE FRIENDS DECIDE TO HELP OUT. 

            JORGE AND THE LOST COOKIE JAR (2017) 

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK FOR AGES FIVE THRU SEVEN, 

PUBLISHED BY DAYTON PUBLISHING

JORGE IS A CURIOUS, SMART BOY WHO LOST SOMETHING.  THE HISPANIC FAMILY JUST MOVED TO A BIGGER HOME TO ACCOMMODATE THE GRANDPARENTS.  JORGE HAS BEEN HELPING HIS BROTHER AND SISTERS WITH THE UNPACKING.  WHEN IT’S TIME FOR A COOKIE BREAK, HE CAN’T FIND THE COOKIE JAR.  JORGE ASKS ALL IN THE NEW HOME FOR THIS FAMILY TREASURE.  DURING THIS SEARCH HE BECOMES FAMILIAR WITH HIS FAMILY’S NEW HOME AND GETS ANSWERS ABOUT THE COOKIE JAR’S WHEREABOUTS.  AT LAST, HE FINDS IT, BUT TO HIS SURPRISE, IT HAS NO COOKIES! 

JORGE Y EL JARRO DE GALLETAS PERDIDO (2018) 

VERSION EN ESPAÑOL

ES UN DÍA DE MUDANZA.  JORGE Y SU FAMILIA (HERMANO, HERMANAS, MAMÁ Y PAPÁ Y ABUELOS) SE ESTÁN MUDANDO A SU NUEVO HOGAR.  HAN ESTADO TRABAJANDO DURO, DESEMPACANDO, Y JORGE ESTÁ LISTO PARA UNA GALLETA.  PERO, ¿DÓNDE ESTA EL JARRO DE GALLETAS?  SE DISPONE A ENCONTRAR ESTE TESORO FAMILIAR, BUSCANDO EN LO ALTO Y EN LO BAJO. ¡LA HISTORIA TERMINA FELIZMENTE, CON EL ÉXITO DE JORGE, Y GALLETAS!

                                                           

My First Inspiration

My inspiration for writing came primarily from the many positive, memorable pieces of family life. They labored hard times, my dad in the fields and mamá as a homemaker.  She and daddy were fiercely good at bringing us in a good place in the San Joaquin Valley.  It’s many, many years ago since they’ve both made the ultimate trip to Heaven.  But my brothers and sisters hold them in our hearts forever.  We hold on to treasured childhood memories. 

I appreciate so very much the wholesome Love that my parents gave to us.  We are a family of Hispanos, with strong Mexican values.  We lived poorly, but brightly, because all of the love our parents had for us came through in the drive for hard work and good cooking, as shown by our mamá and her passion for excellent meals.   So, when Concha cooked her tamales, I learned too, that she amazed me and everyone else.  You could say that watching her cook became my first inspiration for writing.  I knew I’d publish the story of Señora Tamales one day. It was important to tell about her.   And yes, I did.  After that, I continued to learn more and more about our lives in the United States, and how writing about our lives in one way or another must connect to our culture. 

Additionally, my teaching experience in the bilingual classroom allowed me to become sensitive to the needs of our students learning to read and write.  I enjoyed working with the kids on the writing process and promoting their own love of story-telling. This experience confirmed in me the need I had to publish my own stories.     

2019-2020 Tejas Star Reading List

The Tejas Star Reading List (TSRL) provides a recommended reading list to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. The Tejas Star Reading List is intended for recreational reading, not to support a specific curriculum.

2019-2020 List

Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre (Alma and How She Got Her Name) by Juana Martinez-Neal (Candlewick Press, 2018)

Amor (Love) by Matt De La Peña, illustrated by Loren Long, translated by Teresa Mlawer (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC, 2018)

Los deseos de Carmela (Carmela Full of Wishes) by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson, translated by Teresa Mlawer (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)

El día en que descubres quién eres (The Day You Begin) by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Nancy Paulson Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)

Ella persistió alrededor del mundo: 13 mujeres que cambiaron la historia (She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History) by Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)

Frida, el misterio del anillo del pavo real y yo (Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring) by Angela Cervantes, translated by Jorge Ignacio Domínguez (Scholastic Inc., 2018)

Frida Kahlo y sus animalitos (Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos) by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra, translated by F. Isabel Campoy (NorthSouth Books, Inc., an imprint of NordSüd Verlag AG, 2017)

La Frontera: el viaje con papá/ My Journey With Papa by Deborah Mills and Alfredo Alva, illustrated by Claudia Navarro, translated by María E. Pérez (Barefoot Books, 2018)

Lola (Islandborn) by Junot Díaz, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)

La Matadragones: cuentos de Latinoamérica (The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America) by Jaime Hernandez, translated by María E. Santana (TOON Graphics, an imprint of RAW Junior LLC, 2018)

Miguel y su valiente caballero: el joven Cervantes sueña a don Quijote (Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quijote) by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Raúl Colón, translated by Teresa Mlawer y Georgina Lázaro (Peachtree Publishers, 2018)

Las orejas de los animales (Animal Ears) by Mary Holland, translated by Rosalyna Toth, Federico Kaiser, and Eida Del Risco (Arbordale Publishing, 2018)

Pasando páginas: la historia de mi vida (Turning Pages: My Life Story) by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Lulu Delacre, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018)

Querido Dragón de Komodo (Dear Komodo Dragon) by Nancy Kelly Allen, illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, translated by Rosalyna Toth, Federico Kaiser, and Eida Del Risco (Arbordale Publishing, 2018)

Quizás algo hermoso: cómo el arte transformó un barrio (Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood) by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael López (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)

Soñadores (Dreamers) by Yuyi Morales, translated by Teresa Mlawer (Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House, 2018)

Los tipos malos (The Bad Guys) by Aaron Blabey, translated by Juan Pablo Lombana (Scholastic, Inc., 2017)

We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands/ Tenemos el Mundo Entero en las Manos by Rafael López, translated by Juan Pablo Lombana (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc., 2018)

The Curse of the Bully’s Wrath: A Mickey Rangel Mystery/ La maldición de la ira del abusón: Colección Mickey Rangel, detective privado

By René Saldaña Jr.

• ISBN: 978-1-55885-866-4
• Publication Date: May 31, 2018
• Bind: Trade Paperback
• Pages: 64 pages

Fifth-grade detective Mickey Rangel is back on the case in this short, bilingual novel about what drives bullies.

Marco, the new boy in school, is small and “mean as a skunk.” He has no fear. Mickey knows, because he saw the incident with Simón Ortega, a football player who’s a head and a half taller than Marco. The short boy is sly too—even though he started the fight, it’s Simón who ends up in the principal’s office, in trouble for beating up a smaller kid!

Mickey plans to do the right thing and tell the principal what he saw, but the next day Marco threatens him and everyone else if they tell. Because of him, Simón has in-school suspension for two weeks and is off the football team. “Imagine what I can do to you if you stick your fat noses into my business.”

Unable to understand why Marco is so mean, Mickey is even more dumbfounded when Bucho, the school’s resident bully, backs down from the new, short kid. What drives a bully? Mickey wonders. Thus his newest challenge: to turn a bully into a friend, or at the very least, a nicer person. Mickey Rangel, kid detective extraordinaire, is on the case!

In the fifth novel of the Mickey Rangel Mystery series, author and educator René Saldaña, Jr. crafts another entertaining book for intermediate readers about something every school kid can relate to: mean classmates who knock others down to feel better about themselves.

“In Mickey Rangel’s fifth mystery, like many kids his age, the title character is faced with a new kid in class who is less than welcoming. But how do you help someone who doesn’t want to change? It’s a solid resource for younger kids to learn about how best to tackle a bully and how to find your voice and speak up for not only yourself, but those around you. A welcome return to Mickey’s primarily Latinx world.”—Kirkus Reviews

RENÉ SALDAÑA, JR. is the author of four books in the Mickey Rangel Mystery series: A Mystery Bigger than Big / Un misterio más grande que grandísimo (Piñata Books, 2016), The Mystery of the Mischievous Marker / El misterio del malvado marcador (Piñata Books, 2013), The Lemon Tree Caper / La intriga del limonero (Piñata Books, 2011) and The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida (Piñata Books, 2009). His books for teens include A Good Long Way (Piñata Books, 2010), The Whole Sky Full of Stars (Random House, 2007) and The Jumping Tree (Delacorte, 2001). He lives in Lubbock, Texas, where he teaches in the College of Education at Texas Tech University.