Latinx Children’s Literature
A selection of books by Latinx authors and illustrators for children from birth to 12, to listen to and read.
Board Books
Board Books
Hello, friend = Hola, Amigo
Child board book. Spanish and English. It doesn't matter where you're from or what language you speak -- everyone is welcome to read and sing along with Latin Grammy award-winning musical duo 123 Andres! Age: 2-4.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Picture Books
I Love Saturdays y Domingos
Child picture book. English and Spanish text. Ill. by Elivia Savadier. Saturdays and Sundays are very special days for the child in this story. On Saturdays, she visits Grandma and Grandpa, who come from a European-American background, and on Sundays -- los domingos -- she visits Abuelito y Abuelita, who are Mexican-American. While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also have a great deal in common -- in particular, their love for their granddaughter. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Across the Bay
Child picture book, and e-book. Carlitos lives in a happy home with his mother, his abuela, and Coco the cat. Life in his hometown is cozy as can be, but the call of the capital city pulls Carlitos across the bay in search of his father. Jolly piragüeros, mischievous cats, and costumed musicians color this tale of love, family, and the true meaning of home. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Salsa Lullaby
Child picture book. Illustrated by Erika Meza. How to get baby to sleep? Mami and Papi will try anything in this bouncy, loving, bilingual lullaby that gently says good night in both Spanish and English. Age: 2-5.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Dream Carver
Child picture book. Illustrated by Amy Cordova. In this story, inspired by the real life of Oaxacan woodcarver Manuel Jimenez, a young boy dreams of colorful, exotic animals that he will one day carve in wood. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Mango Moon
Child picture book, and e-book in Spanish. Ten-year-old Maricela, her brother Manuel, and her mother face many challenges when her father is taken away to face deportation, but love binds them close. Age: 3-5.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Last Stop on Market Street
Child picture book in English and Spanish, e-book, audiobook on CD, e-audiobook, video on DVD, and e-video. A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Planting Stories : The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
Child picture book, and e-book. When she came to America in 1921, Pura carried the cuentos folklóricos of her Puerto Rican homeland. Finding a new home at the New York Public Library as a bilingual assistant, she turned her popular retellings into libros and spread story seeds across the land. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Islandborn
Child picture book, Wonderbook with print and audio, e-book in English and in Spanish, and e-audiobook. Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland...and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage. Age: 5-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Maria Had a Little Llama = María Tenía una Llamita
Child picture book. Text in Spanish and English. In this bilingual version of the classic rhyme, Maria takes her llama to school one day. Includes gorgeous, Peruvian-inspired illustrations. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Sing, Don't Cry
Child picture book. In this story inspired by the life of Apolinar Navarrete Diaz--the author's grandfather and a successful mariachi musician--Abuelo and his grandchildren sing through the bad times and the good. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Abuela
Child picture book in Spanish. While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City. Age: 2-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
All the Way to Havana
Child picture book, and e-book. A boy helps his father keep their very old car running as they make a trip to Havana for his newborn cousin's zero-year birthday. Includes author's note about cars in Cuba. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Drum Dream Girl : How One Girl's Courage Changed Music
Child picture book, Wonderbook with audio and print, and e-book. A girl in the 1920s strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Lucia the Luchadora
Child picture book. When Lucía is told that she can't be a superhero because she's a girl, her grandmother finds a way to help Lucía become a superhero luchadora who fights for what is right. Age: 4-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
¡Vamos! Let's go to the market
Child picture book. Written with Spanish and English. Little Lobo, a Mexican American, and Bernabe, his dog, deliver supplies to vendors at the Mercado, a busy border town market. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Alma and How She Got Her Name
Child picture book, e-book in Spanish and English, and e-video. When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents. Age: 3-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
One of a Kind Like Me = Único Como Yo
Child picture book. Text in Spanish and English. “Tomorrow is the school parade, and Danny knows exactly what he will be: a princess. Mommy supports him 100%, and they race to the thrift store to find his costume. It is almost closing time; will Danny find the costume of his dreams in time? One of A Kind, Like Me / Unico como yo is a sweet story about unconditional love and the beauty of individuality. It is a unique book that lifts up children who don't fit gender stereotypes, and reflects the power of a loving and supportive community."--Amazon. Age: 5-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Mango, Abuela, and Me
Child picture book in English, and e-audiobook in Spanish. Mia's abuela has left her sunny house with parrots and palm trees to live with Mia and her parents in the city. The night she arrives, Mia tries to share her favorite book with Abuela before they go to sleep and discovers that Abuela can't read the words inside. So while they cook, Mia helps Abuela learn English ("Dough. Masa"), and Mia learns some Spanish too, but it's still hard for Abuela to learn the words she needs to tell Mia all her stories. Then Mia sees a parrot in the pet-shop window and has the perfect idea for how to help them all communicate a little better. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Tomás and the Library Lady
Child picture book. Illustrated by Raúl Colón. While helping his family in their work as migrant laborers far from their home, Tomás finds an entire world to explore in the books at the local public library. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Dreamers
Child picture book, e-book, e-audiobook, Wonderbook, and e-video. Available in Spanish and English. In 1994, Yuyi Morales left her home in Xalapa, Mexico and came to the US with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she owned, but she didn't come empty-handed. Dreamers is a celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes. It's a story about family. And it's a story to remind us that we are all dreamers, bringing our own gifts wherever we roam. Age: 3-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Niño Wrestles the World
Child picture book, and DVD. English text with some Spanish. Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills. Age: 2-5.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
The Field
Child picture book. English with some Haitian Creole text. 'Vini! Come! The field calls!' cries a girl as she and her younger brother rouse their community-- family, friends, and the local fruit vendor-- for a pickup soccer (futbol) game. Boys and girls, young and old, players and spectators come running-- bearing balls, shoes, goals, and a love of the sport. "Friends versus friends" teams are formed, the field is cleared of cows, and the game begins! But will a tropical rainstorm threaten their plans? Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Between Us and Abuela
Child picture book. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. When Maria, Juan, and their mother go to the border between California and Mexico to visit their grandmother at Christmas, Maria must devise a way to get Juan's gift over the fence. Age: 3-6.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
My Papi Has a Motorcycle
Child picture book, e-book, e-audiobook, and e-video. Available in Spanish and English. A celebration of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood and the love between a father and daughter. Age: 3-8.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
When Penny Met Potus
Child picture book. Penny knows that her mother works for somebody called the POTUS, but she does not know what that means, and the odd name seems to her to imply some kind of friendly monster. Age: 4-7.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
One Is a Pinata
Picture book. Numbers in English and Spanish. Includes Spanish words throughout. In rhyming text, Hispanic children count the things, like pinatas and maracas, that can be seen in their neighborhood. Age: 3-6.
Where to Find:
Picture Books
Dear Primo : A Letter to My Cousin
Child picture book, and e-book. Text in English with some Spanish. Two cousins, one in Mexico and one in New York City, write to each other and learn that even though their daily lives differ, at heart the boys are very similar. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Early Chapter Books
Early Chapter Books
Chews Your Destiny
Child fiction book. When Mom issues a no-gum rule, Gabby Gomez sneaks a piece of special bubble gum that turns her into a superhero. Book 1 in the Gumazing Gum Girl! Series. Age: 5-8.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Spanish Language
I Love Saturdays y Domingos
Child picture book. English and Spanish text. Ill. by Elivia Savadier. Saturdays and Sundays are very special days for the child in this story. On Saturdays, she visits Grandma and Grandpa, who come from a European-American background, and on Sundays -- los domingos -- she visits Abuelito y Abuelita, who are Mexican-American. While the two sets of grandparents are different in many ways, they also have a great deal in common -- in particular, their love for their granddaughter. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Lety Out Loud
Child fiction book, and e-book in Spanish and English. Lety Muñoz's first language is Spanish, and she likes to take her time putting her words together. She loves volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter because the dogs and cats there don't care if she can't always find the right word. When the shelter needs a volunteer to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance! Age: 8-12.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Mango Moon
Child picture book, and e-book in Spanish. Ten-year-old Maricela, her brother Manuel, and her mother face many challenges when her father is taken away to face deportation, but love binds them close. Age: 3-5.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Last Stop on Market Street
Child picture book in English and Spanish, e-book, audiobook on CD, e-audiobook, video on DVD, and e-video. A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Olinguito, from A to Z! : Unveiling the Cloud Forest
Child nonfiction book. Alternate Title: ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! : descubriendo el bosque nublado. Text in Spanish and English. Uses the framework of the alphabet to present information about plants and animals of the cloud forest on the western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes and the 2013 discovery of the olinguito. Includes additional information about the cloud forest and the discovery of the olinguito, a map, a glossary, an author's note, and author's sources."-- Provided by publisher. Age 5-11.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Islandborn
Child picture book, Wonderbook with print and audio, e-book in English and in Spanish, and e-audiobook. Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland...and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage. Age: 5-8.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Maria Had a Little Llama = María Tenía una Llamita
Child picture book. Text in Spanish and English. In this bilingual version of the classic rhyme, Maria takes her llama to school one day. Includes gorgeous, Peruvian-inspired illustrations. Age: 3-7.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
Abuela
Child picture book in Spanish. While riding on a bus with her grandmother, a little girl imagines that they are carried up into the sky and fly over the sights of New York City. Age: 2-7.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
BRAVO!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics
Child nonfiction book available in English and Spanish. Bold, graphic portraits and beautiful poems present famous and lesser-known Latinos from varied backgrounds who have faced life's challenges in creative ways. Age: 8-12.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
¡Vamos! Let's go to the market
Child picture book. Written with Spanish and English. Little Lobo, a Mexican American, and Bernabe, his dog, deliver supplies to vendors at the Mercado, a busy border town market. Age: 4-8.
Where to Find:
Spanish Language
The Christmas Gift = El Regalo de Navidad
Child fiction book. Text in Spanish and English. When his family has to move again a few days before Christmas in order to find work, Panchito worries that he will not get the ball he has been wanting. Age: 8-12.
Where to Find: