Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15 through October 15, 2024. This month recognizes the contributions and influence of generations of Hispanic Americans to the nation’s achievements, culture, and history. As part of Gaynor’s celebration of this month, Gaynor Librarian Dionne De Lancy made a list of books that she recommends to our students and families, including one for each division!
Early Childhood & Lower Division
“Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match,” by Monica Brown
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
Marisol McDonald has flaming red hair and nut-brown skin. Polka dots and stripes are her favorite combination. She prefers peanut butter and jelly burritos in her lunch box. To Marisol, these seemingly mismatched things make perfect sense together. Other people might wrinkle their nose in confusion at Marisol—can’t she just choose one or the other? Try as she might, in a world where everyone tries to put this biracial Peruvian-Scottish-American girl into a box, Marisol McDonald doesn’t match. And that’s just fine with her.
Intermediate Division
“Cantora: Mercedes Sosa, the Voice of Latin America,” by Melisa Fernández Nitsche
Sing out! With a stunning, graphic style and a melodious text, this picture book tells the story of Latin American icon Mercedes Sosa and how she became the voice of a people from exile to triumph.
What if a voice became a symbol of justice?
I’m here to offer my heart, said that voice.
Upper Division
“They Call Me Guero: A Border Kid’s Poems,” by David Bowles
Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2019)
The dynamic complexity of the Rio Grande borderlands pulses in the poetry of twelve-year-old Güero. His forty-nine poems in diverse forms explore family, friendship, young love, and racism, with the dexterously rich linguistic tradition of Mexican cuentos and dichos always central. Bowles confidently intersperses the voices of Güero’s many family members, using Texas Spanglish colloquialisms with specificity.