Titles that we recommend are featured below. The ones with reviews are noted with an asterisk (*). Some titles are recommended with a caveat. At the end of this page, we provide a list of titles on this theme, with reviews, that we do not recommend.
See more recommended titles: Cuba, Latinx and Latin America, Puerto Rico, Central America, Afro-Latinx
Also, see La Republica Dominicana, readings in Spanish from the English language version, Caribbean Connections: Dominican Republic. This book is part of the Caribbean Connections Series by Teaching for Change.
Early Childhood
The Adventure of Guz & Goz / La aventura de Guz & Goz
By Yenner Rengifo Chaverra, Mich Hernandez, and Yurieli Otero-Asmar (Illustrator)
Belinda Lifts Her Voice / Belinda eleva su voz
By Luisa Orellana-Castillo, Camila de la Luz Villegas, Brizel Martinez Cruz, and Romeo Montero (Illustrator)
Central America, ¡mira, mira, mira!
By Araceli Figueroa, Edith Lopez, and Shurjo Mukhi (Illustrator)
Clic, Clac, Muu: Vacas Escritoras = Click, Clack, Moo
By Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (Illustrator), Alberto Jimenez Rioja
Diez Deditos de Las Manos y Diez Deditos de Los Pies
By Mem Fox, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)
En realidad, es Yefferson / Yefferson, Actually
By Scott Martin-Rowe, Katherine Trejo, and Karla Monterrosa (Illustrator)
I'll Build You a Bookcase / Te Haré Tu Propio Librero
By Jean Ciborowski Fahey and Simone Shin (Illustrator)
La gran idea de Fernando / Fernando's Big Idea
By Sol Mundo, Jonathan Lopez, and Hee So (Illustrator)
La Guardiana de la Libreta: Una Historia de Bondad Desde La Frontera
By Stephen Briseño, Magdalena Mora (Illustrator), and Polo Orozco (Translator)
La Niña que Soñaba con Tambores: De cómo el valor de una niña cambió la música *
By Margarita Engle and Rafael López (Illustrator)
Nuestra piel: Una primera conversación sobre la raza
By Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli, Isabel Roxas (Illustrator), and Isabel Mendoza (Translator)
Rest & Relax / Descansa y relájate
By Whitney Stewart and Rocio Alejandro (Illustrator)
Alejandria Fights Back! / ¡La Lucha de Alejandria!
By Leticia Hernández-Linares, The Rise-Home Stories Project, and Robert Liu-Trujillo (Illustrator)
Alicia and the Hurricane / Alicia y el huracán: A Story of Puerto Rico / Un cuento de Puerto Rico *
By Leslea Newman, Elizabeth Erazo Baez (Illustrator), and Georgina Lazaro (Translator)
Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre *
By Juana Martinez-Neal
La bendición de Zahra: un relato de Ramadán
By Shirin Shamsi and Manal Mirza (Illustrator)
English edition available: Zahra's Blessing: A Ramadan Story
Cómo Aidan llegó a ser un hermano
By Kyle Lukoff, Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator), and Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz (Translator)
Cosechando Esperanza: La Historia de Cesar Chavez
By Kathleen Krull, Yuyi Morales (Illustrator), Alma Flor Ada (Translator)
El Cuarto Turquesa / The Turquoise Room
By Monica Brown and Adriana M. Garcia (Illustrator)
Deena extraña a su mamá
By Jesse Holmes and Kahliya Ruffin
Evelyn del Rey Se Muda
By Meg Medina and Sonia Sanchez (Illustrator)
English version is available: Evelyn del Rey Is Moving Away
For All / Para Todos *
By Alejandra Domenzain , Katherine Loh (Illustrator), and Irene Prieto de Coogan (Translator)
A Gift from Papa Diego: Un Regalo de Papa Diego
By Benjamin Alire Saenz, Geronimo Garcia (Illustrator)
Guillermo Jorge Manuel Jose / Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
By Mem Fox, Julie Vivas (Illustrator)
Jasmín Pictures Home / Jasmín ilustra su hogar *
By Andy Pina, Antonia Marisol Garcia, Pedro Reyes, Yunior Jose Garcia, and Ian L Springer (Illustrator)
Jimmy's Carwash: La Aventura de Jaime En El Autolavado
By Victor Narro, Yana Murashko (Illustrator), Madelin Arroyo (Translator)
Joelito's Big Decision / La Gran Decision de Joelito*
By Ann Berlak, Daniel Camacho (Illustrator), Jose Antonio Galloso
La Frontera: El viaje con papa / My Journey with Papa*
By Deborah Mills, Alfredo Alva, Claudia Navarro (Illustrator)
Los Cinco de Vivienda Justa y la casa embrujada
By the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center
Los Cazadores Invisibles / The Invisible Hunters
By Octavio Chow (Editor), Morris Vidaure (Editor), Joe Sam (Illustrator)
Little Night / Nochecita*
By Yuyi Morales
Los Coquíes Aún Cantan: Un Cuento Sobre Hogar, Esperanza Y Reconstrucción *
By Karina Nicole González and Krystal Quiles (Illustrator)
Mi hermano está lejos (My Brother Is Away Spanish Edition) *
By Sara Greenwood, Luisa Uribe (Illustrator), and Maria Correa (Translator)
El mundo era nuestro
By Jacqueline Woodson, Leo Espinosa (Illustrator), and Yanitzia Canetti (Translator)
Playing Loteria /El Juego de La Loteria
By Rene Colato Lainez, Rene Colato Lainez, Jill Arena (Illustrator)
Rainbow Weaver*
By Linda Elovitz Marshall, Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator)
Saraí Y La Feria Alrededor del Mundo
BySarai Gonzalez and Monica Brown
Schomburg: El hombre que creó una biblioteca
By Carole Boston Weatherford, Eric Velasquez (Illustrator)
Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos
By Anika Aldamuy Denise and Paola Escobar (Illustrator)
Review in English: Planting Stories
Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello
By Monica Brown and Elisa Chavarri (Illustrator)
Si Quisqueya Fuera Un Color / If Dominican Were a Color
By Sili Recio and Brianna McCarthy (Illustrator)
Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.
By Diana Cohn, Paul Mirocha, Francisco Delgado (Illustrator)
OUT OF PRINT
Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural / Sofi y El Mgico Mural Musical
By Raquel M. Ortiz, Maria Dominguez (Illustrator), Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Translator)
Sopa de Frijoles / Bean Soup: Un Poema Para Cocinar / A Cooking Poem
By Jorge Argueta and Rafael Yockteng (Illustrator)
The Spirit of Chicano Park / El espíritu del parque Chicano *
By Beatrice Zamora and Maira Meza (Illustrator)
Still Dreaming / Seguimos Soñando
By Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, Magdalena Mora (Illustrator), Luis Humberto Crosthwaite (Translator)
Author Interview
That's Not Fair!/No Es Justo!: Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice/La Lucha de Emma Tenayuca Por La Justicia
By Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Teneyuca, Terry Ybanez (Illustrator)
Un Tren Llamado Esperanza / A Train Called Hope*
By Mario Bencastro and Robert Casilla (Illustrator)
Burnt Sugar: Contemporary Cuban Poetry in English and Spanish
By Lori Marie Carlson (Editor), Oscar Hijuelos (Editor)
Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller
By Xavier Garza (Illustrator)
High School
La historia del pueblo de Estados Unidos para jóvenes
By Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, and translated by Hugo García Manríquez
Learn about our criteria for selecting and reviewing titles at Social Justice Books. Feedback on these lists and suggestions for additional titles are welcome.
Most of the books on these lists are linked for more information or purchase to Bookshop (an indie bookstore platform) and / or Powells.com (an independent, unionized bookstore). A small percentage from book sales through these links goes to Teaching for Change.