In the words of series editor Steven L. Davis, We Are Nature Defending Itself: An Anthology of Women on Bodies, Borders, and Place is “a revelation, a multicultural blend of well-known and emerging writers who come together to give nature a voice in our literature and our lives.” Not least of the many benefits to readers are its contributions from prominent Latina writers, presented here as advocates for the environment. Though this theme has long existed in Chicana literature, it...

Combining poetic language and the traditions of magic realism to paint a vivid portrait of her family, Pat Mora’s House of Houses is an unconventional memoir that reads as if every member, death notwithstanding, is in one room talking, laughing, and crying. In a salute to the Day of the Dead, the story begins with a visit to the cemetery in which all of her deceased relatives come alive to share stories of the family, literally bringing the food to their own funerals. From there t...

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)Bilingual English/Spanish. In this Pura Belpré Honor-winning book, Carmen Lomas Garza tells the story of her childhood growing up in Kingsville, TX.Family Pictures is the story of Carmen Lomas Garza's girlhood in Kingsville, Texas: celebrating birthdays, making tamales, picking cactus, and confiding to her sister her dreams of becoming an artist. These day-to-day experiences ar...

From bestselling Latina author Pat Mora comes a collection of poems celebrating a young child's growth and everyday experiences throughout the seasons of a year.Would you like to...write with a magic wand?sled down a snowy slope in winter?plant flowers in a garden in spring?splash in a pool like a fish in summer?ride high up on a horse in autumn?blow out birthday candles?Come share the fun of these activities, and ...

A Common Core Exemplar Text by an award-winning author-illustrator teamTomás is a son of migrant workers. Every summer he and his family follow the crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long, arduous days in the fields. At night they gather around to hear Grandfather's wonderful stories. But before long, Tomás knows all the stories by heart. "There are more stories in the library,"Papa Grande tells him. The very next day, Tomás meets the library lady and a whol...

Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)In a series of poetic sentences, a young boy (biracial Mexican/Caucasian) tells about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful.There are so many things to be thankful for.For one young boy, it'sflying ladybugs,splashing ocean waves,a best friend,Dad's thick chocolate syrup,and much more.Straight from the heart of a child flo...

The renowned poet Pat Mora celebrates the culture and landscape of the Southwest through the eyes of a Mexican American girl.In this joyful and spirited collection, award-winning poet Pat Mora and fine artist Enrique 0. Sanchez celebrate the vivid landscape of the Southwest and the delightful rapport that children share with the natural world. Through language resounding with both English and Spanish, Confetti is also an anthem to the power of a child's im...

An award-winning biography about the inspiring life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.From a very young age, Juana Inés loved words. When she was three years old, she followed her sister to school and begged the teacher to let her stay so she could learn how to read. Juana enjoyed poring over books and was soon making up her own stories, songs, and poems.Juana wanted to become a scholar, but career options for women were limited at this time. She decided to beco...

Every December, Grandma Lupita tells Rose the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As they make paper flowers to put around her statue, Grandma begins: Long ago, on a cold December morning near what is now Mexico City, a man named Juan Diego put on his cloak and started down the road to church. On his way, Juan Diego sees a beautiful Lady at the top of a hill. She tells Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a special church for her. But the Bishop doesn't believe that Jua...

Doña Flor is a giant woman who lives in a puebla with lots of families. She loves her neighbors–she lets the children use her flowers for trumpets, and the families use her leftover tortillas for rafts. So when a huge puma is terrifying the village, of course Flor is the one to investigate.Featuring Spanish words and phrases throughout, as well as a glossary, Pat Mora’s story, along with Raúl Colón’s glorious artwork, makes this a treat for any reader, tall or small. Award-winning a...

Now in paperback: In a series of poetic verses in both English and Spanish, readers learn about the movement and moods of water around the world and the ways in which water affects different landscapes and cultures.Water rolls/El agua ruedaonto the shore/hacia la orillaunder the sun, under the moon./bajo el sol, bajo la luna.Here is an ode to the beauty of the natural world as expressed by the movement and moods of...

Inspired by Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Pat Mora brings us the poetic monologues of Encantado, an imagined southwestern town.Each poem forms a story that reveals the complex and emotional journeys we take through life. Mora meanders through the thoughts of Encantado’s residents—the mothers and sisters, brothers and fathers in whom we see slivers of ourselves and our loved ones—and paints a portrait of a community throu...