Mexico : A Bibliography
Children's Books

[Units of Study] [Folklore] [General Nonfiction] [Poetry] [Picture Books]

Units of Study

Mexico. First Grade Social Studies Unit

[Back to Top]

Mexico - Folklore

*Golub, Matthew. Uncle Snake William Morrow & Co., 1996 Illus. by Leovigildo Martinez. New York: Tambourine, 1996, 32p. Americas Award, 1996.
A boy ventures into a forbidden cave. Only a magic worker can change him back into what he was. From the folk culture of Leovigildo Martinez's Oaxaca, Mexico.

[Back to Top]

General Nonfiction

Behrens, June. Cinco de Mayo, Dias de Fiesta (Fiesta!). Photos by Scott Taylor. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1986. Picture Book.
The Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo. Spanish language material.

Ancona, George. Mayeros; A Yucatan Maya Family William Morrow, 1997. Picture Book. Grades 1 up.

Readers visit a Mayan family in the Yucatan. Include photos and drawings of ancient Mayan architecture.

[Back to Top]

Poetry

*Johnson, Tony. My Mexico = Mexico Mio Illus. by F. John Sierra. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1996. 36p. Americas Award, 1996.
A love of Mexico is expressed through gentle poetry.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Tree Is Older Than You Are; A Bilingual Gathering of Poems & Stories from Mexico with Paintings by Mexican Artists. Selected by Naomi Shihab Nye. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, c1995. A Best Book for YAs 1996. Ages 8 and up on book cover.

[Back to Top]

Picture Books

*Delgado, Maria Isabel. Chave's Memories = Los Recuerdos de Chave Illus. by Yvonne Symank. Houston: Arte Publico, 1996. 32p. Americas Award, 1996
Bilingual picture book. A woman recalls her childhood visits to her grandparents' ranch in Mexico.

*Geeslin, Campbell. In Rosa's Mexico Illus. by Andrea Arroyo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. 32p. Americas Award, 1996.

Three simple short stories. Rosa encounters a burro, a rooster and a wolf. With her self-assurance and the blessings of the animals, the earth and the sky, all problems are solved.

*Johnston, Tony. The Magic maguey Illus. by Elisa Kleven. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 32p. Americas Award.

The maguey has many practical uses for the Mexican pueblo from providing a roof to producing thread. Miguel discovers a way to save the maguey plant from destruction by the rich landowner Don Cesar.

*Prescilla, Maricel E. and Gloria Soto. Life around the Lake; Embroideries by the Women of Lake Patzcuaro New York: Henry Holt, 1996. 32p. Americas Award, 1996.

Depicts how the Tarascan embroiderers around Lake Patzcuaro in central Mexico adapt to cultural, social and environmental change while holding fast to certain traditions.

*Van Laan, Nancy. La Boda Illus. by Andrea Arroyo. Boston: Little, Brown, 1996. 32p. Americas Award, 1996.

A little girl and her grandmother watch as the whole Mexican village prepares for a tradition Zapotec Indian wedding celebration.

*Winter, Jeanette. Josefina San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 36p. Americas Award.

Inspired by the work of Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar, the book also functions as a counting book. Josefina learns to mold clay figures as a child by watching her parents and continues the art form throughout her life.

Bibliography developed by Wendy Lanehart and Inez Ramsey


Return to:
Hispanic Bibliography
Children's Literature