An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories

An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories

The World's Best-Loved Stories for Parent and Child to Share

edited by Maite Suarez-Rivas

Translated into Spanish by Alma Mora

We are definitely starting this year off right! Today, I want to share another book with you that I discovered last year, and which immediately found a place of honor in our family library. Do not be fooled by the textbook-like cover. Nor is this your typical children's book, but rather a collection of fine literature carefully edited to be read-aloud and enjoyed by family members of any age.

An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories is a beautiful collection of 28 stories that truly reflect our Latino history, culture, and traditions. Suarez-Rivas has divided the book into five sections:

• Myths and Legends of Pre-Columbian Cultures
• Fables and Riddles
• Fairy Tales and Stories
• History

• Spanish-American Literature of More Recent Times

Each section contains a diversity of material from Latin America that is rich in imagination and steeped in cultural folklore. For instance, in the story of The Lost City of El Dorado, we read about the Chibcha Indians who once lived in the area now known as Colombia and Panama, and best known for their expertise in goldsmithing. In The Dwarf Who Became King, we learn the Mayan folktale about the importance of doing good, and how laziness and selfishness only leads to loneliness. Other stories in this large book include, The Fall of Quetzalcoatl and the City of Tula, The Elephant and His Secret, The Haunted House of Ponce de Leon, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, and even an excerpt from Rudolpho Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima, to name a few.

An impressive group of illustrators have contributed to the book: Ana López Escrivá, Luis Fernando Guerrero, Margaret Ringia Hart, Alex Levitas, Ruth Araceli Rodriguez, and Shannon Workman. And though this is not published in a picture book format, their incredible art accentuates and brings to life the vivid stories within. A section is included in the back of the book giving a brief description of the artists.

I especially love how each story is presented twice; once in English and a second time in Spanish. Parents will love this book for it's sophisticated stories and classic feel. Teachers will absolutely love this collection for the multitude of topics that they can cover. A few possible themes might be: creation stories, mythology, folklore, fairy tales, fables, ancient cultures, Aztecs, Maya, Taínos, the Southwest, and many others. This book is best suited for children ages 4 and up. 

To purchase your own copy of An Illustrated Treasury of Latino Read-Aloud Stories, click here. Or you can follow the link in our sidebar to the LBBC’s on-line store. We have both new and gently used copies available.