Review Source: Independent Book Author: I have taught several poems by Salvadoran American poet William Archila. At the end of my American Literature class, we have discussed several of Archila’s poems. His poems are accessible but crafted and beautiful. He surprises his reader with language that invites the reader to a deeper understanding and empathy. […]
Sing to the Moon
Reviewed by Kirkus Reviews Review Source: Kirkus Reviews Book Author: A young boy and his jjajja share memories and wishes in this tender tale set in Uganda. Have you ever wished to “ride a supernova straight to Mars” or travel to the spice markets of Zanzibar or ride a crane to a large feast? This young […]
Forest World
Reviewed by Padma Venkatraman Review Source: The Pirate Tree Book Author: In Forest World, Young People’s Poet Laureate, Margarita Engle, once again demonstrates her mastery over the verse novel form, wielding it to speak eloquently of the need to protect our environment. Told through the eyes of its young protagonists, Edver and Luza, however, this underlying […]
Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots
Reviewed by Rethinking Schools Review Source: Rethinking Schools Book Author: Every 20th-century U.S. history class covers World War II. However, the 1943 attack by white sailors on Mexican Americans, Filipinos, and African Americans in Los Angeles, known as the Zoot Suit Riots, gets little mention. Author Margarita Engle uses free verse to bring this history […]
Honey, I Love
Each of the sixteen poems in Honey, I Love is spoken straight from the perspective of a child. Riding on a train, listening to music, playing with a friend…each poem elicits a new appreciation of the rich content of everyday life. The poems are accompanied by both portrait and panorama drawings that deepen the insights […]
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems
Review by Beverly Slapin Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children Book Author: Memories from the author’s own childhood experiences—as well as those of his son, his friends, and the young men he worked with as a middle-school teacher—inform this too-slim book of poetry from the perspective of a 12-year-old Chicano border […]