Category: Review’nReceive
A lesson that turns into a gift for a young daughter from her migrant father
By Aracelli Astorga LatinaLista Papi’s Gift, by Karen Stanton and illustrated by René King Moreno, tells the story of Graciela, a young girl who lives in a small, Latin American village with her mother and two brothers. Because it has not rained in a very long time, Graciela’s father has reluctantly left the family to [...]
Latina adventurer goes from NFL cheerleader to wildlife explorer
By Pam Burrell LatinaLista “As I crouched only a few feet from him, Kingo crouched in front of the camera, feeding on vegetation, seemingly undisturbed. I looked at him and then turned to Andy’s lens and said, ‘Clearly, the silverback is the dominant member of the group.’ I was about to add, ‘But females [...]
The story of one small town’s change to embrace its new Latino residents
By Sarah Dahlen LatinaLista Picture a city in the United States with a thriving, vibrant Latino community. Is Allentown, Pennsylvania what comes to mind? If not, it may be time to read Edgar Sandoval’s book, The New Face of Small-Town America: Snapshots of Latino Life in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As is clear from the title, this [...]
A Memorial Day parade holds a special surprise for one young boy
By Elizabeth Lopez LatinaLista What can be more exciting than a surprise? How about a surprise that happens right in the middle of a celebration? In the delightful Memorial Day Surprise by Theresa Martin Golding and published by Boyds Mills Press, this is exactly what awaits a young boy named Marco during the town’s Memorial [...]
Globalization and the Paso del Norte Region
By Sarah Dahlen LatinaLista Ciudad Juarez has become an unfortunate symbol of all that is wrong at the U.S./Mexico border: violence, poverty, exploitation, lawlessness. With an average homicide rate of 200 people per month in recent years, this reputation is not entirely undeserved. But Juarez and the rest of the Paso del Norte Region, which [...]
The special connection between Monarch butterflies and El Dia de los Muertos
By Martha Rico LatinaLista In the Latino culture, El Dia de los Muertos holds a special significance for families who have loved ones who have died. In Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead, by Judy Goldman and illustrated by Rene King Moreno, the story takes a new twist featuring a special bond between [...]
Young Latino soccer players kick away stereotypes on way to their goal
By Pam Burrell LatinaLista Woodburn, Oregon’s population is 51 percent Hispanic and 49 percent Anglo. It has the highest concentration of taquerias in the state and on Saturday afternoons the parks are crowded with Hispanic men’s soccer league games which culminate every August with an intense men’s league tournament called Fiesta Mexicana. In The Boys [...]
A mother’s gift helps a boy endure a long journey
By Elizabeth Lopez LatinaLista My Shoes and I by René Colato Laínez, and published by Boyds Mills Press, is an inspiring story about a boy named Mario and the journey he makes with his father across three borders to the United States from El Salvador. Shortly before their trip, Mario receives a pair of shoes [...]
Mariposas: A poetry anthology from a queer Latino perspective
By Sarah Dahlen LatinaLista Writing poetry is an intimate endeavor. Reading it can feel equally intimate when a poem is well written and resonates with its reader. Many poetry fans may never pick up Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry for fear that its themes would not resonate with them. These readers would [...]
Creating a new life doesn’t mean changing your name
By Lisa Lopez LatinaLista The book “My Name is Jorge: On Both Sides of the River” by Jane Medina is a vivid portrait of a young boy’s personal experience in a new country. Through bilingual poetic prose, the author manages to capture the constant struggles a Mexican family endures while crossing over the Rio Grande [...]
