I Lived on Butterfly Hill

Agosín, M., O'Connor, E. M., & White, L. (2014). I lived on Butterfly Hill. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Celeste witnesses as her country and life go from what she considered perfect and beautiful to chaotic and confusing. Her many questions as to what is taking place are not answered and leave her feeling trapped in a world of confusion. Explaining war to children is never easy, especially that for unseen reasons, in order to stay safe, a family has to part ways. As an adult, one struggles to understand politics and war, imagine how much more difficult it is for a child. How will Celeste ever understand the sacrifice that her family makes to save her life. 

As a child I never saw violence in Piedras Negras. We didn't move to the United States because we were running away from political issues, but now as an adult it saddens me tremendously to see how the city that saw me grow up has been afflicted with so much. The Zetas and the military and drugs and people getting killed because they belonged to a cartel, or even people getting killed because they were at the wrong place and at the wrong time is simply terrifying. I can't even begin to imagine what Celeste felt...

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Return to Sender

Alvarez, J. (2010). Return to sender. New York: Yearling.

A perfect portrayal of the hardships that migrant workers experience day after day. It also touches the controversial topic of illegal immigrants. This novel, especially in today’s times, answers many doubts that people may have regarding the stereotypes that may exist about immigrants coming to the United States. A tale about searching the American Dream and the struggle that one may go through to reach it. Heartwarming and just beautifully written. This is definitely a novel that you will hold dear to your heart because it outlines the beauty of breaking barriers set by society and its ignorance. 

So my family came to the United States to work, not to take advantage of the system. One of my sisters is a reading specialist and is working on her Masters and my other sister has a double Masters. I have a Masters in Education with a specialization in English and am currently working on my second one. Not because we had an easy life, it's quite the contrary, we have struggled. There were times where the only thing we had to eat was beans and had to shower with cold water because we couldn't afford a water heater. We were migrants and we busted our backs working the fields in Minnesota under the hot, blistering sun, under the biting cold air, under the heavy, nonstop rain day in and day out. It's not easy work. And although it's honest work, people looked down on us for walking into stores with dirty faces and muddy shoes. We weren't stealing, we weren't hurting anybody...yet...ew! They're migrants...and they're Mexicans too! Unfortunately many didn't see beyond the stereotypes established by a narrowminded society but because we are good people, we didn't let that stop us and we accomlished our goals. We came in search of the American Dream. We didn't find it...it wasn't given to us...WE CREATED IT!

Animation About Return to Sender

Maria Had a Little Llama

Dominguez, A. N. (2013). Maria had a little llama. New York: Henry Holt.

If you enjoyed the tale of Mary and her Little Lamb, then you will absolutely love María Had a Little Llama. Is it a good idea to take your llama to school? This beautifully illustrated book tells the lovely adventure of what happens when María takes her llama to school. 

Why does the llama wait for Maria? Why does she love her so much? Because Maria LOVES her llama...as simple as that! I love that! Simple but to the point. If we show love and appreciation towards others, whether they're adults or animals, they're going to love us back and care for us. Love is love and it will conquer everything! Love will give you loyalty and friends. I love the simplicity of the tale and the strong message it delivers to children about love and loyalty. 

Read Out Loud

In My Family

Garza, C. L., Alarcón, F. X., & Rohmer, H. (1996). In my family. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

Sometimes we make connections between things, customs, traditions, or even just ordinary events of everyday life and the people that surround us. Although short, these mini connections tell a great deal about Mexican beliefs, customs, and traditions, about family and the beauty of the culture. Read and find out how to cure earache and about the miracles from La Virgen de Guadalupe, the beliefs of the culture, and family unity. Stories are beautifully written both in English and Spanish and this touch makes them even more special. 

All these stories hit close to home. "Eating Nopalitos" I still find my dad sitting down at the kitchen tabale with a bucket of nopales using a small blade to peel the "espinas" off them so that he can cook them. I remember not liking them and I also remember trying them every single time they made them because I wanted to like them as much as my daddy liked them. It didn't happen! But now, as an adult, I suppose I acquired a taste for them. Whoever is Mexican or Mexican-American KNOWS the legend of La Llorona. And I suppose I'm one of the crazy ones who has actually heard her weeping. When I was little we lived in Mexico. There was a small creek in the back of my house. One night, must have been past midnight, we heard a woman crying. We assumed it was our next door neighbor missing her sons that had just left. Well we found out the next day that our neighbor had left for the week and no one had been home. Scary, huh? Also, the ear treatment! I am 36 years old and my mom still does that to me when she believes I have "aire" in my ear. As crazy as these stories are, they are ALL part of who I am and I am damn proud of being Mexican and having an awesome background. This is who I am...didn't turn out too bad for being Mexican, huh?

Read Aloud in English

Carmen Lomas Garza Interview

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel

Garza, X., Oliva, F. D., Gómez, S., Crosthwaite, L. H., & Campos, C. G. (2011). Maximilian & the mystery of the Guardian Angel: A bilingual lucha libre thriller. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

What eleven-year old isn’t into wrestling? Well, maybe quite a few eleven year olds aren’t, but many could definitely relate to Maximilian’s passion for the exciting, perhaps a little too violent sport of wrestling. Attending his favorite wrestler’s match (The Guardian Angel), was Maximilian’s dream come true. Imagine the excitement he felt upon been given the opportunity to see his favorite wrestler live! It was most definitely his dream come true. What could possibly be even more amazing than learning that there was much more connecting him to his favorite wrestler than their mutual passion for the sport. This tale teaches us about the importance of being with family, regardless of the situation or possible hardships and of never abandoning those who love you while chasing dreams. Family is a big thing, and as so, leaving them is not the optimal thing to do. Find out how Max learns about the importance of family and unity. 

Who hasn't fantasized about the idea that our super hero, or our favorite singer, or actor, or athlete either becomes our friend, our husband, or is our uncle? Well...Maximilian gets to experince this. How different can it be though knowing that this new found relative left willingly? 

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The Storyteller's Candle

González, L. M., & Delacre, L. (2008). The storyteller's candle. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press.

Many times one may wonder just how much a family leaves behind when they come to the United States. The very Pura Belpré is a character in this story that helps us understand that the worlds immigrants leave behind are hard to fabricate in a new country. However, upon finding people that share the same culture and the even the same language, this tale makes us realize that something as simple as knowing another person who speaks their same language is enough to bring them back a little taste of what they left behind in their previous world. Hildamar absolutely loves the idea that “se habla español” in the public library and makes it a point to bring other people so that they may savor the beauty of their language. Together, they are able to make their first Christmas Holidays in the United States a truly enjoyable experience. 

I was eight when I moved to the United States. Granted the world I left behind was merely a few miles away from my new home, yet it made a world of a differnce. Piedras Negras, Coahuila and Eagle Pass, Texas are border towns. You only have to cross the Rio Grande River to reach the new destination, yet everything was so different here. I hated it. WITH A PASSION! I cherished every moment I got to spend when we would go back to México. Even though the majority of the community in Eagle Pass spoke spanish, I felt like an outcast becuase I was still the girl from Piedras that didn't speak English. I can relate to the feeling that Hildamar experiences wanting to become part of the reading group in the public library becuase they spoke Spanish and because she felt that she finally belonged. It brought fond memories of my childhood and some others that I would pretty much wish I could forget. 

Excerpt

Under the Mesquite

McCall, G. G. (2011). Under the mesquite. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Sometimes the situations in life make us grow up sooner than we would like. In the case of Lupita, as this heartfelt story tells, her mother’s illness forces her to take responsibilities that no teenager should have to take on. At seventeen, one should be thinking about prom and graduating high school, not raising a family of seven. However unfair and heartbreaking these circumstances were, Lupita took on the challenge for she knew how much her parents needed her to. Adult life is, well even difficult for adults, let alone teenagers. However challenging this new role that Lupita had to take on, she is mature to take it and be good at it. Filled with questions, fears, but most importantly, love for her family, Lupita is able to do as best as she can. However, this role does take a toll on her. 


I am simply in love with the idea that Guadalupe García McCall was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila and moved to Eagle Pass, Texas when she was six years old. I was born in Piedras Negras and moved to Eagle Pass when I was eight years old. Her life somehow reminded me of my mom's life. When my mom was twelve, my grandmother unexpectedly passed away.. Being the oldest, my mom had to take on the role of a mother for her siblings. Her youngest sister was a year and a half. My mom mature and composed raised her brother and sisters, with no resentment, with no holdbacks, she did what she did because she loved her family. Out of this experience both Lupita and my mom became exceptional human beings that at a young age learned the importance of family. 

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