Reviewed by: Deborah Menkart Reviewed Source: Zinn Education Project Book Author: Using her trademark style—multiple voices in free verse to share untold historical events —Margarita Engle introduces young readers to the builders of the Panama Canal. The protagonist is Mateo, a young boy from the Caribbean, lured with promises of good pay and work. Instead, […]
Olita and Manyula
Reviewed by Wendy Bermudez Review Source: Independent Book Author: Olita (Holly) is a young Salvadoran-American girl who is visiting her family and friends in El Salvador. As soon as she arrives, her family members invite her to attend Manyula’s birthday party. The children make their way to Manyula’s house: jumping over puddles and walking under […]
Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora de Arcoiris
Teaching Ideas Reviewed by Rebecca Lehr Review Source: Independent Book Author: Reviewer Rebecca Lehr is an art teacher at a bilingual elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. In a rural village in the Guatemalan Highlands, young Ixchel is anxious to learn the ancient art of weaving from her mother. Ixchel adores the vibrant colors and patterns of […]
Dos Conejos Blancos / Two White Rabbits
Review by Beverly Slapin Reviewed Source: DeColores Reviews Book Author: On the cover is a little girl, comfortably lying down with her head resting on her papá’s leg. Her body is relaxed and her eyes are wide open; she’s happily playing with her toy bunny. Papá is sitting upright, leaning on his backpack. He’s looking […]
A Mystery Bigger Than Big: A Mickey Rangel Mystery
Review by Wendy Bermudez Reviewed Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Mickey Rangel, boy detective, has a case to solve when a new student joins his fifth grade class. Natalia is quiet, sits alone in the cafeteria, and wears old shoes and tattered clothes. Students quickly start fabricating stories, some more outlandish than others, to […]
A Movie in My Pillow / Una película en mi almohada
Teaching Ideas Reviewed by María Cárdenas Review Source: DeColores Book Author: During the bloody Salvadoran Civil War (1979-1992) between the military government representing the 12-family oligarchy of wealthy landowners, and leftist forces representing mostly impoverished peasants, US-supported government death squads terrorized, tortured, murdered and disappeared thousands of civilians, especially targeting students, intellectuals, and Indian people in […]