These seven engaging fiction and nonfiction picture books are recommended in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Latine/x Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15 — and should be shared all year long! See also our Five Questions interview with Nathalie Alonso and Rudy Gutierrez about Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos, and the Latino Americans tag in the Guide/Reviews Database; and join or follow REFORMA.

Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park
by María Dolores Águila; illus. by Magdalena Mora
Primary    Dial    40 pp.
6/24    9780593462072    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593462089    $10.99
Spanish ed.  9780593462225    $18.99

“¡Parque sí, policía no!” This fictionalized account — narrated by a young person — shares the dramatic culmination of efforts by Chicane residents of Barrio Logan to build Chicano Park in San Diego in 1970. When the city began building a police station in the space where the community had long called for a park, residents launched a protest to physically block the construction. Águila weaves together images of daily life in Barrio Logan with community members’ experiences of the city’s lengthy neglect and environmental racism against their community, to tell the story of the fight to build the park, which was ultimately successful. Spanish vocabulary and slogans used by Chicane and other Latine activists are interspersed throughout the text and illustrations. Mora employs a blend of vivid colors, sepia tones, and pastel hues to highlight the intensity of the struggle and the everyday beauty for which the protesters were fighting, ending with depictions of the inspiring murals that residents eventually painted in the park. Although the story seems condensed, an author’s note explains the rapid succession of this phase of the protest and provides more details about the ongoing discrimination suffered by the community. Concurrently published in Spanish as El barrio se levanta. MONICA DE LOS REYES

Doña Fela’s Dream
by Monica Brown; illus. by Rose Ibarra
Primary    Little, Brown    48 pp.
9/24    9780316178358    $18.99
Spanish ed.  9780316581660    $11.99

A richly illustrated picture-book biography of Puerto Rico’s first female mayor, Felisa Rincón de Gautier (1897–1994), with a lively text. As a tropical storm batters San Juan at the start of the book, the fearful residents seek refuge in the home of their trusted local hero, lovingly called Doña Fela. Born to a wealthy family, she recognized the social inequities in Puerto Rico from an early age, particularly those faced by Black Puerto Ricans and jibaros (farmworkers). Despite the gender restrictions of the time, which initially prevented her from voting or holding office, she maintained a strong commitment to helping the less privileged, from small acts such as providing coffee and bread to farmworkers to eventually cofounding a political party on the island. Her achievements as mayor included affordable housing, cleaner streets, and establishing the first preschools in the city. Boldly colored oil-paint illustrations admiringly portray Fela, her fellow Puerto Ricans, and the island itself. Fela is depicted in bright-colored clothing with a flower in her hair, helping readers follow her across spreads as the book moves from her youth into her later years. Back matter includes a glossary of Spanish terms, an author’s note providing further context and discussing Fela’s lasting influence on Puerto Rican women in politics, and an artist’s note describing her personal connection to the subject. A Spanish paperback edition will be published in October. JESSICA AGUDELO

Eloísa’s Musical Window
by Margarita Engle; illus. by John Parra
Primary    Atheneum    40 pp.
8/24    9781665935289    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781665935296    $10.99
Spanish ed.  9781665960779    $18.99

“Sometimes it felt like the whole world was a parade, performing right outside Eloísa’s musical window.” Eloísa is grateful for la música — usually consisting of a neighbor’s radio and other sounds from the street — and the cheer it brings in this picture book set in a historical Cuba. Her mother is sick, and the only treatment the doctor recommends is “soup, soup, and more soup.” When an impromptu live band forms outside the window one day, Eloísa’s mother suddenly feels strong enough to walk outside cautiously to listen to the growing fiesta. Engle’s lyrical text describes noises from the neighborhood animals and the traditional Cuban instruments the musicians play. Parra’s (illustrator of Spanish Is the Language of My Family, rev. 7/23) distinctive hand-painted and digitally collaged art features characters with different skin tones and uses a pleasantly washed-out palette for backgrounds. Music is represented by floating notes as well as blue and red ribbons and starbursts (perhaps a nod to the Cuban flag). An author’s note provides some much-needed context about the real-life experience with illness that inspired the story; a glossary of Cuban instruments is also appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as Eloísa y su ventanita musical. MONICA DE LOS REYES

No More Señora Mimí
by Meg Medina; illus. by Brittany Cicchese
Preschool, Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.
9/24    9781536219449    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781536240450    $17.99
Spanish ed.  9781536239294    $17.99

Ana spends mornings and afternoons with señora Mimí, her neighbor and babysitter who has “a two-tooth baby named Nelson and a no-tooth dog named Pancho.” She is excited that her abuela is going to start watching her when she moves in with Ana and her mami until Ana realizes, “No more señora Mimí? I hadn’t really thought about that.” On her last afternoon at señora Mimí’s, Ana starts to feel down about a new routine without her beloved babysitter. Señora Mimí consoles her: “Grandmothers love us in a very special way, so I know you are excited about your abuela. But I will miss you, Ana, and I feel a little sad.” They come up with some concrete ways they can all be friends when her abuela comes, and that cheers them both up. Cicchese’s soft digital illustrations are filled with inviting jewel tones and soothing textures including crayon strokes, knit patterns, and wood grain. Medina captures the young narrator’s voice perfectly so that young readers will be able to understand the tricky emotions that come up in the text. This is a warm tribute to all sorts of caregivers, and the final scene shows Ana’s abuela fitting in seamlessly with this loving relationship. Concurrently published in Spanish as No más señora Mimí. MONICA DE LOS REYES

Adela’s Mariachi Band
by Denise Vega; illus. by Erika Rodriguez Medina
Primary    Charlesbridge    32 pp.
8/24    9781623544447    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781632893994    $9.99
Spanish ed.  9781623544454    $17.99

Adela loves mariachi music and her family’s mariachi band. Her relatives all participate, either playing an instrument or dancing — but not Adela. Her attempts to dance and to play la trompeta and la vihuela are frustrating, and she’s too impatient to spend time learning. Vega takes readers through Adela’s struggle, as she eventually finds her place in the band. Medina’s illustrations teem with movement and color. The vibrant double-page spreads showcasing the various instruments are full of joy. Medina also leans into Adela’s frustration and disappointment, and we feel her full emotive range. This book celebrates family, music, and finding one’s place in a seemingly full space. An author’s note provides information about mariachi history as well as some details about mariachi players in Vega’s own family. Concurrently published in Spanish as Los mariachis de Adela. YESICA HURD

The Dream Catcher
by Marcelo Verdad; illus. by the author
Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
5/24    9780316330664    $18.99
Spanish ed.  9780316566513    $8.99

Miguel and his abuelito wake early to work; the grandfather sells cold coconuts from a small, wheeled cart, and the boy sells dream catchers he makes, a craft that reminds him of his absent (perhaps deceased?) parents. The boy is saving up to buy an airplane, his dream. As they make their way through town selling their wares, they talk about what people might dream of. Some dreams are big, such as living in a castle or changing the world; others are smaller, such as having enough food. Miguel’s grandfather reiterates that “selling my cold coconuts next to you and seeing you smile is all I dream of. I like it here and now because we’re together.” There is a powerful interplay between the words and Verdad’s acrylic paint and digital collage illustrations, dominated by blocky shapes and crayon-like textures. This is most poignantly displayed when the grandfather tells Miguel that some people dream of seeing someone they miss as the boy gazes at two parents walking with their young child. Verdad shows artistic restraint, allowing the reader to intuit meaning and emotional depth by interpreting what this interaction and others like it mean. A moving story of appreciating what you have while still dreaming of a different future. JULIE HAKIM AZZAM

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me
by Ismée Williams; illus. by Tatiana Gardel
Primary    Roaring Brook    40 pp.
5/24    9781250848772    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781250383051    $11.99

In this moving picture book, a child and grandfather spend time together near the ocean and through the four seasons. The child listens to stories of life near a different beach, in Havana, Cuba, where Abuelo grew up. Memories are all that Abuelo has from his beloved home country; when the grandchild asks to see swimming medals that he won there, he says, “I left them behind. I do not even have pictures.” But the pair still enjoys the temperate beach outside Abuelo’s new home, stopping for creamsicles instead of guayaba ice cream and experiencing snow and icy winter storms rather than hurricanes. Warm watercolor-esque digital illustrations guide readers through the oceanside seasons, blending in symbols of tropical island memories: marlins and dolphins in the clouds, palm trees in Abuelo’s eyes. The child worries that Abuelo is sad when he thinks about Cuba, and though he is, he assures the child, “But I still have the ocean…Most importantly, I have you.” A gentle text that offers a nuanced and relatable perspective on the bittersweetness of remembering a faraway home and that celebrates the relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Appended author and illustrator notes express heartfelt personal connections. MONICA DE LOS REYES

From the September 2024 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.