Children’s Books for Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrate the rich cultures of Latin America and the diaspora with these children’s books for Hispanic Heritage Month! This list includes picture books as well as a middle grade novel. They celebrate the Spanish language, family ties, and cultural inheritance. I love that they also include the unique challenges and joys of being a child of immigrants.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I received complimentary copies of some of the books below for review purposes; however, all opinions are my own.
Children’s Books for Hispanic Heritage Month
Let us know which of these children’s books for Hispanic Heritage Month is your new favorite!
When the legend Isabel Allende sits down to tell you a story, you know it will be magic. This enchanting picture book is a follow up to Perla la súper perrita (available in English as Perla the Mighty Dog). Perla and her friend Nico are excited to make friends with the mysterious new neighbor and aren’t sure why Nico’s parents are worried about him. Maybe because of the skull on his jacket, his rock and roll band, or his Vespa? But when Nico becomes lost one rainy day, the Pirata steps in to help as Perla uses her super powers to find her friend. A great adventure story featuring lovable characters, teaching kids 1) that first appearances can be deceiving, and 2) that you should always wait where your parents are expecting you, even if they are running late!
Buy Perla y la pirata on Amazon or Bookshop
Buy Perla and the Pirate on Amazon or Bookshop
This inspiring picture book is a touching tribute by Sonia Sotomayor to her dear mother Celina, who taught her many lessons about how to live and treat others. Justice Sotomayor tells her mother’s story from childhood to old age, using incidents from her long life to illustrate important lessons. For example, when little Celina searched for her ailing mother in the sugarcane fields, she showed love by being brave. When grown up Celina tended to her sick neighbors in the Bronx, she showed love by caring for others. A beautiful book about the life of a remarkable woman, written from the perspective of the daughter she set up for such brilliant success, personally and professionally.
Buy Just Shine!: How to Be a Better You on Amazon or Bookshop
Written and illustrated by the illustrator of Just Shine!, this picture book captures the confusion and frustration children often feel when visiting the home country of their immigrant parents. A young girl travels back home with her father but is quickly thwarted by her lack of language skills. She uses the Spanish phrases she knows but quickly becomes frustrated at her inability to communicate everything she wants to tell the large family she is meeting for the first time. In the end, however, she sees the truth of what her father had told her, that family accepts and understands you beyond words. A relatable story that will be helpful to many children of immigrant families.
Buy Tíos and Primos on Amazon or Bookshop
This lively picture book captures the energy and love of an extended Chicane family gathering for a family meal of the traditional dish menudo. The book brims over with excitement and affection. Grandfathers tell jokes, which make the aunts laugh, and children play and attempt to help get ready. All that energy comes to a boil when the dogs get in the mix as well, causing a crash that threatens to ruin the family gathering. Luckily, cooler heads prevail, showing that family is more important than a home-cooked meal and sometimes quick solutions are just what’s needed. Of course, most of all, this counting book showcases the vibrancy of Spanglish, as the text is joyous mix of English and Spanish words.
Buy Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book on Amazon or Bookshop
The legendary Yuyi Morales is back with another tale that helps children shift perspective on how they see their world and their place in it. This book places children at the center of the action, showing them the difference they can make through being fully themselves and encouraging others to do the same. Caring for others, even when the action seems insignificant, has outsized effects. It is through caring for ourselves and others that we create revolution. This book shows a new way of being in the world, where we lead from the heart and know that no one is too small to make a difference. A beautiful book to inspire children to make an impact through sharing joy and kindness.
Buy Little Rebels on Amazon or Bookshop
This poignant story demonstrates the tenacity of life after disaster, as a young boy and his family survive a hurricane without their father, who is working in the US. As they begin to clean up the debris after the storm, Pedrito finds a puppy, to whom he quickly becomes attached. Yet when the dog’s owner is found, Pedrito must learn to let go, even as the family prepares to join his father on the mainland. A favorite family song helps him realize that somehow, everything will be alright, and he will always carry his beloved island – including Luna the puppy! – in his heart, wherever he may be.
Buy Precious on Amazon or Bookshop
This remarkable middle grade novel in verse tells the story in his own words of a neurodivergent seventh grader who feels stifled by the system he has become trapped in. Though ostensibly there to help him and others, Alex feels that it squashes any dreams that they have. He just wants to travel to the stars, but instead he is repeatedly told that he’s not ready yet. A wonderful book to help neurodivergent kids feel seen and to help others see the world through their eyes. Also a great way to start conversations about overcoming obstacles to follow your dreams, as well as to examine how sometimes the ways we try to help others can actually hurt them.
Buy The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez on Amazon or Bookshop
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