Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15, to honor the independence anniversaries of several Latin/South American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile.

Latin American culture is interwoven into our everyday lives, mostly seen in our language, including words like canyon, tornado, mosquito, patio, plaza, and barbecue; geographical names, including Florida, California, San Antonio, Santa Fe, Los Angeles; and in our cuisine, like tacos, salsa, burritos, and guacamole that are now are staples of American food. Additionally, Hispanic inventors have enhanced our quality of life with inventions like the X-Ray microscope (Albert Vinicio Báez), earthquake-sensing technology (Arturo Arias Suárez), and even color TV (Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena).

The following books are wonderful additions to your home, to help your children understand and feel proud of their heritage, or to learn about their neighbors and their cultural background and traditions.

Teens

Clap When You Land

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Woven in Moonlight

by Isabel Ibañez

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Never Look Back

by Lilliam Rivera

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter | Yo no soy tu perfecta hija mexicana

by Erika L. Sánchez

Tweens

Maximilian & The Curse of the Fallen Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

by Xavier Garza (Mexico)

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

by Pablo Cartaya

Lupe Wong Won't Dance | Lupe Wong no baila

by Donna Barba Higuera

Pilar Ramirez and the Escape From Zafa

by Julian Randall

Elementary

Digging for Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built 

by Angela Burke Kinkel

Side by Side/Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La Historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez 

by Monica Brown

Turning Pages: My Life Story 

by Sonia Sotomayor

My Colors, My World / Mis Colores, Mi Mundo 

by Maya Christina Gonzalez

The Day of the Dead / El Día de los Muertos: A Bilingual Celebration 

by Bob Barner

¿De dónde eres? / Where Are You From? 

by Yamile Saied Méndez

Be Bold! Be Brave! 11 Latinas Who Made U.S. History 

by Naibe Reynoso

Fearless Trailblazers: 11 Latinos Who Made U.S. History 

by Naibe Reynoso

Preschool

Carmela Full of Wishes

by Matt de la Pena

The Life of / La Vida De Selena

by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein

Lucha Libre: Anatomy / Anatomía: A Bilingual Anatomy Book

by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein

We Are All Connected/ Todos Estamos Conectados (Bilingual English/ Spanish): Caring for each other & the earth

by Gabi Garcia

Dreamers

by Yuyi Morales

I hope you love these books as much as we do! If you are looking for more ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, please check out the National Museum of the American Latino by clicking HERE.

You can also read another blog post of ours: Books To Amplify Immigrant Voices in America, to support our Hispanic and Latinx family, friends, and neighbors. Remember, we are more beautiful together.

With love,

Dr. Sarah