Our collection of picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) is available to the public. *Inclusion of a title in the collection DOES NOT EQUAL a recommendation.* Click here for more on book evaluation.
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14 matching books
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A Train Called Hope / Un tren llamado Esperanza
"In this poignant bilingual picture book, a boy remembers his first present, "a little train crossing / the mountain of my pillow / over a valley on my bed." There's even a girl who looks like his sister waving happily from the window! Years later, after his parents have gone far away in search of work and a better future, the boy rides in a real train to join his family. This one is loaded with hundreds of children traveling alone, just like him. There are frightening strangers, others along the way who want to jump on and, scariest of all, a boy who almost falls off the roof because he can't stay awake any longer. When the train finally arrives at its destination, everyone jumps off and the boy begs "the moon to shine, / to light up the border" so he can cross and find his mother. This moving, poetic story by award-winning Salvadoran author Mario Bencastro touches on the difficult journey north many Central American children make in hopes of finding their parents and a better life." -- publisher
Juanita
"A magical story of a Guatemalan girl named Juanita, who loved cooking crunchy maize tortillas and counting stars every night. Juanita lived in Santa Catarina Palopó, a pretty little village next to a beautiful lake, surrounded by three huge volcanoes. She loved her pueblo and their people. Women there helped their families by weaving huipiles from silk, wool, and cotton thread while men worked the land. Juanita wanted to be of help, so she always cooked for her family her favorite meal, tortillas. At night, when the sun cleared the way for the moon to shine bright, Juanita would run onto the roof of the house for her nighttime routine: counting stars. The sky was so clear she could almost touch it. But one day, Juanita’s mom became very ill, and she couldn’t work at her loom. Juanita wanted to help but didn’t know how to. It appears the sky had been listening to her all the time and had a big surprise stored for her…" -- publisher
Little Frida
"Young Frida Kahlo’s imaginary friend comes to life in a touching story by Anthony Browne enhanced by exquisite surreal illustrations. Following a bout with polio at the age of six, Frida Kahlo’s life was marked by pain and loneliness. In real life she walked with a limp, but in her dreams she flew. One day her imagination took her on a journey to a girl in white who could dance without pain and hold her secrets, an indelible figure who would find her way into Frida’s art in years to come. Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s diary, Anthony Browne captures the essence of the artist’s early flights of fancy and depicts both Frida and her imaginary friend in vivid illustrations evoking Kahlo’s iconic style. A note at the end offers a brief biography of the artist who has intrigued art lovers the world over." -- publisher
Pacho Nacho
"Mama and Papa could not agree on a name for their first baby, and everyone in the family had an opinion. That's how the name Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico came to be, and Pacho's parents insisted that everyone use his full name. But when Pacho finds himself in trouble, his younger brother, Juan, must quickly find help, which isn't easy when you have to keep saying Pacho-Nacho-Nico-Tico-Melo-Felo-Kiko-Rico. Author Silvia Lopez highlights family values, community connections, and brotherly love in this interactive, energetic, and silly picture book. Pacho Nacho is based on an old Japanese folktale and includes Spanish words and phrases and multicultural settings." -- publisher
Between Us and Abuela
It's nearly Christmas in California. María and her little brother, Juan, are headed south to the border with Mexico to visit their grandmother. They are excited to celebrate Las Posadas with her, honoring Mary and Joseph's journey to the inn at Bethlehem. María has knitted Abuela a scarf, and Juan has drawn her a picture. But when Juan's gift won't fit through the tiny spaces in the border fence - barely big enough for little fingers to touch - María launches a cunning plan, using creativity and hope. Mitali Perkins's debut picture book offers the best kind of Christmas story - one of love, family, travel, and miracles - with simple language and abundant feeling, Pura Belpré Honor illustrator Sara Palacios illuminates the heart of this story with her sun-soaked vistas and warm, smiling faces of excited families. Here is the perfect tribute to how little gifts of love can span great distances. --
Dear Abuelo
"There is much Juana is going to miss as she moves from Mexico to New York, but nothing more than her abuelo. Through letters to her grandfather, Juana details her flight, new apartment, and her first days of school where everyone speaks a language she barely understands. When Juana makes her first friend, though, things begin to change." --publisher
Adelita
After the death of her mother and father, Adelita is badly mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters until she finds her own true love at a grand fiesta.
A movie in my pillow / Una película en mi almohada
Jorgito lives in San Francisco's Mission District, but has not forgotten his native El Salvador. His memories of the volcanoes, his grandmother's stories, and the cornmeal "pupusas" form a patchwork of dreams that becomes a movie in his pillow.
A new home
Moving to a new city can be exciting. But what if your new home isn't anything at all like your old home? Will you make friends? What will you eat? Where will you play? In a shared voice, a boy moving from New York City to Mexico City and a girl moving from Mexico City to New York City express their fears about leaving home to live in a new and unfamiliar place. Tania de Regil offers a heart- warming story about finding home wherever you go.
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