Celebrate Latino Cuentos Today!

Does your Latino children’s literature knowledge quotient need a boost? Are you hard-pressed to find tried and true strategies for incorporating Latino children’s books into your classroom or library program? Are you curious about the place of Latino children’s books in this digital world? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions or find yourself to be a Latino children’s literature aficionado, then the new book Celebrating Cuentos: Promoting Latino Children’s Literature and Literacy in Classrooms and Libraries (Libraries Unlimited, 2011) was written just for YOU!

Bringing together leading scholars in the fields of education and library studies along with teachers, librarians, Latino authors, and Latino illustrators from across the United States, this professional book covers a variety of topics that I hope librarians, teachers, and scholars will find beneficial in their work with Latino children and their families.

The book begins by examining the place of Latino children’s literature in today’s classrooms and libraries and then continues with a brief look at Latino children and U.S. public education followed by a discussion of the importance of high-quality Latino children’s books in the ethnic identity development of Latino children. I follow with a discussion of the history of Latino children’s literature, Latino children’s book awards, and how to develop collections of quality books representing a variety of genres.

The remainder of the book provides examples of how early childhood educators, teachers, school librarians, and public librarians have creatively used Latino children’s cuentos to connect the cultures of Latino and non-Latino children. Interviews with award-winning Latina authors and illustrators are sprinkled throughout the text and the book concludes with a grande bibliography of recommended Latino children’s and young adult books in English and Spanish as well as a comprehensive list of professional literature for teachers and librarians about serving the literacy needs of Latino children.

I hope that you find something within each chapter and throughout the book that will inspire you to choose the best in Latino literature to help children connect cultures and celebrate cuentos! I am very dedicated to helping educators and librarians find the right book for the right reader that can be given at the right time. Now is the right time to ensure that all children discover the beauty of the Latino cultures through high-quality, culturally-accurate books. To help guarantee that quality children’s books are published, a portion of my author proceeds will be donated to the non-profit, multicultural publisher Children's Book Press. The remainder of the proceeds will support the National Latino Children’s Literature Conference, which prepares librarians and educators to serve the informational and literacy needs of the fastest-growing minority in the United States. That’s right – all of my royalties are being donated to help spread the love of Latino children’s literature.

If you’d like to get a jumpstart on the book or take a peek inside, Colorín Colorado has reprinted the chapter on Día that I co-authored with Irania Patterson, Latina children’s author, storyteller, and Bilingual Specialist extraordinaire. You can read it here: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/41458.

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Dr. Jamie Naidoo, an Endowed Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies and co-founder of the National Latino Children’s Literature Conference, teaches and researches in the areas of early childhood literacy, multicultural and international children’s literature, and diversity in librarianship. A former children’s librarian and school library media specialist, he currently specializes in public library services and programs to diverse populations of children and intercultural perspectives in children’s and young adult literature. Jamie has served on various book award committees including the Américas, Pura Belpré, and Caldecott committees.