Celebrating Cuentos

The demand for Latino children's literature is exploding as our population diversifies and Latino communities flourish. Publishers have produced a plethora of choices to meet this expanding need, but there are vast differences among the titles being marketed as Latino children's literature. How can educators and librarians determine what's best for their local Latino populations?

More effectively meet the diverse literacy needs of the growing Latino population by learning how to evaluate and select quality Latino children's literature.

More effectively meet the diverse literacy needs of the growing Latino population by learning how to evaluate and select quality Latino children's literature.

Latinos are the fastest growing and largest ethnic minority in the United States. The number of Latino children is at a historic high. As a result, librarians and teachers in the United States must know how to meet the informational, cultural, and traditional literacy needs of this student demographic group. An ideal way to overcome this challenge is by providing culturally accurate and authentic children's literature that represents the diversity of the Latino cultures.

Much more than simply a topical bibliography, this book details both historical and current practices in educating Latino children; explains why having quality Latino children's literature in classrooms and libraries is necessary for the ethnic identity development of Latino children; and offers a historical overview of Latino children's literature in America. Web resources of interest to educators working with Latino children are also included.

• Figures relating to Latino population growth, home language of Latinos, and stressors of recently arrived Latinos
• Extensive bibliography of print and web resources for developing collections of quality materials about Latino cultures, professional publications related relating to evaluating Latino children's literature and integrating the literature into classrooms and libraries, and recommended English, Spanish, and bilingual children's and young adult books about Latinos
• Contains useful resources such as reproducible bookmarks of recommended Latino children's books, evaluation sheets for analyzing Latino children's books for stereotypes, and a bingo sheet for professional development related to library services for Latinos and Latino children