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325 West Gaines Street, Suite 514  ·  Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400  ·  Phone: (850) 245-0503  ·  Fax: (850) 245-9530

Hispanic Heritage Month 2012 Recommended Reading List

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide and begins Sept. 15, 2011, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico achieved independence on September 16th and Chile on September 18th. Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated in the United States since 1974, when President Gerald Ford issued a Presidential Proclamation extending Hispanic Heritage Week into a month-long observation.

This recommended reading list provides a variety of suggested books by grade level for children of all ages, as well as a selection of suggested books for adult reading. Just Read, Florida! makes reading a priority in Florida’s public schools and among the community groups and volunteer organizations that support them. This recommended reading list serves that goal while increasing students’ interest in the many aspects and contributions of Hispanic culture to the state of Florida.

Elementary (Pre K–2) · Elementary (3–5) · Middle School (6–8) · High School (9–12) · Adult Reading

Elementary (Pre K–2)
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban FolktaleCarmen Agra Deedy
Doña FlorPat Mora
Juan Bobo Goes to WorkMarisa Montes
From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer PoemsFrancisco X. Alarcón
Pablo's TreePat Mora
Chato and the Party AnimalsGary Soto
Mama & Papa Have a StoreAmelia Lau Carling
Snapshots from the WeddingGary Soto
In My FamilyLomas Garza, Carmen
Rainbow TulipPat Mora
Xochtil and the FlowersJorge Argueta
The Spirit of Tío FernandoJanice Levy
Hispanic Scientists: Ellen Ochoa, Carlos A. Ramirez,
Eloy Rodriguez, Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Maria Elena Zavala
Jetty St. John
Angels Ride Bikes: And Other Fall PoemsFrancisco X. Alarcon
Get Ready for Gabi: A Crazy Mixed Up Spanglish DayMarisa Montes Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Gracias ThanksPat Mora, Illustrated by, John Parra and written by Pat Mora
Nacho and LolitaPam Munoz Ryan
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and EnglishAlma Flor Ada


Elementary (3–5)
Under the Royal Palms: a Childhood in CubaAlma Flor Ada
My Diary from Here to ThereAmada Irma Pérez
Magic WindowsCarmen Lomas Garza
Hands-on Latin America: Art Activities For All AgesYvonne Y. Merrill
Where the Flame Trees BloomAlma Flor Ada
Amazing Hispanic American HistoryGeorge Ochoa
Charro: The Mexican CowboyGeorge Ancona
Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar ChavezKathleen Krull
Family PicturesCarmen Lomas Garza
The Bossy GallitoLucia Gonzalez
Calling the Doves/El Encanto De Las PalomasJuan Felipe Herrera
Under the Royal Palms: a Childhood in CubaAlma Flor Ada
Learning About Determination From the Life of Gloria EstefanMeanne Stazzabosco
Ivan RodriguezTony DeMarco
Alicia Alonso: First Lady of the BalletSandra Martin Arnold
The Biographical Dictionary of Hispanic AmericansNicholas E. Meyer
Famous Hispanic AmericansJanet Morey
Ellen Ochoa: The First Hispanic Woman AstronautRomero Maritza
Return to Senderby Julia Alvarez
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El
día de los niños/El día de los libros
illustrated by Rafael López, written by Pat Mora
The Day It Snowed Tortillas: A Classic from the American SouthwestJoe Hayes
How Tia Lola Came to StayJulia Alvarez


Middle School (6–8)
César Chávez : Crusader for Social ChangeBrenda Haugen
When I was a Boy Neruda Called Me PolicarpoPoli Délano
Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United StatesLori Carlson, Editor
Crossing the WireWill Hobbs
Breaking ThroughFrancisco Jiménez
Under the Same SkyCynthia DeFelico
Struggling to Become an AmericanRobin Santos Doak
The Color of My WordsLynn Joseph
Wachale! Poetry and Prose about Growing Up Latino in AmericaIlan Stavans, Editor
Extraordinary Hispanic AmericansSusan Sinnott
Baseball in April and Other StoriesGary Soto
Call Me Maria: a NovelJudith Ortiz Cofer
Hispanic, Female and Young: An AnthologyEdited by Phyllis Tashlik
My Daughter, My Son, the Eagle, the Dove: An Aztec ChantAna Castillo
Cuba 15Nancy Osa
Becoming Naomi LeónPam Muñoz Ryan
The Tree is Older than You AreEdited by Naomi Shihab Nye
Facts of LifeGary Soto
Flight to FreedomAna Veciana–Suarez
Among the VolcanoesOmar S. Castañeda
The Smell of Old Lady PerfumeClaudia Guadalupe Martínez
Delores Huerta: Labor Leader and Civil Rights ActivistRobin S. Doak
Esperanza RisingPam Munoz Ryan
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant ChildFrancisco Jimenez
Journey of DreamsMarge Pellegrino
Tropical secrets : Holocaust refugees in CubaMargarita Engle
The DreamerPam Munoz Ryan
The Firefly LettersMargarita Engle
César Chávez: A Photographic EssayIlan Stavans


High School (9–12)
Journey of the SparrowsFran Leeper Buss
JesseGary Soto
Yo!Julia Alvarez
El Bronx RememberedNicholasa Mohr
Famous Hispanic AmericansWendy Dunn, Janet Nomura Morey, and Carlos E. Cortes
Laughing Out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and SpanishJuan Felipe Herrera
How the Garcia Girls Lost their AccentsJulia Alvarez
Bless Me, UltimaRudolfo Anaya
When I Was Puerto RicanEsmeralda Santiago
Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Being Young
and Latino in the United States
Lori Marie Carlson
The Shadow of the Wind: A NovelCarlos Ruiz Zafón translated by Lucia Graves
One Hundred Years of SolitudeGabriel García Márquez
American ChicaMaria Arana
Taking SidesGary Soto
Before We Were FreeJulia Alvarez
Riding Low on the Streets of Gold: Latino Literature for Young Adultsedited, with an introduction Judith Ortiz Cofer
Growing Up Inside the Sanctuary of My ImaginationNicholasa Mohr
Curse of the Chupa CabraRudolfo Anaya
Accidental LoveGary Soto
The Importance of a Piece of Paper: StoriesJimmy Santiago Baca
Crazy LocoDavid Talbot Rice
Reaching OutFrancisco Jiménez
Voices in First Person: Reflections on Latino Identityedited by Lori Marie Carlson
I, Juan De ParejaElizabeth Borton de Trevino
The Emerald Lizard: Fifteen Latin American Tales to TellPleasant DeSpain
Kids Like MeJudith M. Blohm, Terri Lapinsky Powells
Hispanic Surnames and Family HistoryLyman DePlatt
The Hispanic America, Texas and the Mexican War, 1835 - 1850Christopher Collier
The Last Summer of the Death WarriorsFrancisco X. Stork


Adult Reading
Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard RodriguezRichard Rodriguez
The Line of the SunJudith Ortiz Cofer
Empress of the Splendid SeasonƠscar Hijuelos
In the Time of the Butterflies: A NovelJulia Alvarez
Never Through MiamiRobert Quesada
Down These Mean StreetsPiri Thomas
Our House in the Last WorldƠscar Hijuelos
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of LoveƠscar Hijuelos
Collected FictionsJorge Luis Borges, translated by Andrew Hurley
Shadow without a NameIgnacio Padilla, translated by Peter R. Bush & Anne McCleane
By the Lake of Sleeping Children: The Secret Life of the Mexican BorderLuis Alberto Urrea
The Latino Holiday Book: From Cinco de Mayo to Dia de los Muertos--the Celebrations and Traditions of Hispanic-AmericansValerie Menard
Latino Literacy: The Complete Guide to Our Hispanic History and CultureFrank De Varona
Chronology of Hispanic-American History: From Pre-Columbian Times to the PresentNicolas Kanellos
Everything you need to know about Latino HistoryHimilce Novas
Thirty Million Strong: Reclaiming the Hispanic Image in American CultureNicolas Kanellos
Strangers Among Us: How Latino Immigration is Transforming AmericaRoberto Suro

Students now have an additional reading resource to help them find these exciting books on the Hispanic Heritage Month reading list. The free online search tool dubbed “Find a Book, Florida” allows users to build custom reading lists based on each student’s individual interests from a growing database of fiction and nonfiction titles. The database also allows students to locate books that best complement their reading ability. Using Lexile® measures, the standard for matching readers with books, “Find a Book, Florida” aims to make it easier for students and families to select the right books and then locate these selections at their local public library.

To use this resource today, visit www.fldoe.org or http://florida.lexile.com.