Bibliography
Children's Bibliography
Bravo-Villasante. "Hernan Cortes y sus hazanas" y "Moctezuma." Antololgia de la
Literature infantile en lengua Espanola. Madrid: Doncel, 1973. These two selections
recount the adventures, trials and tribulations of Cortes and Moctezuma from a
Spanish point of view. The Spanish text is challenging but well researched for
historical accuracy and written to appeal to children.
Bunting, Eve. Going Home. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. Simple text and colorful
illustrations. The story concerns a Mexican family living in the United State who
return home to Mexico and roots for Christmas.
Burr, Claudia, Krystyna Libura and Maria Cristina Urrutia. Broken Shields. Trans. Julia
Mercedes Castillas. Toronto: Groundwood Books, 1997. A narrative for young
children drawn from Bernardino de Sagagun's 16th century text, A General History
of the Things of New Spain. The illustrations are authentic from the time period as
well. A lament about the downfall of Tenochtitlan.
Chavarria-Chairez, Becky. Magda's Tortillas/Las tortillas de Magda. Houston: Pinata
Books, 2000. Side-by-side translation text. Magda's one-of-a-kind artistic tortillas are not like her abuelita's tortillas, but they please her family. Second/third grade reading level.
Cruz, Maria Colleen. Border Crossing. Houston: Arte Publico, 2003. Twelve year old
Cesi Alvarez runs away from her California home and journeys to Mexico to uncover
her family roots. A chapter book written in first-person narrative. Fourth-sixth grade
reading level.
Garza, Carmen Lomas. In My Family/En mi familia. Trans. Francisco X. Alarcon. San
Francisco: Children's Book, 1996. Side-by-side translation text by a prominent
Mexican American painter with her colorful illustrations of Mexican American
family life illuminating simple stories of family customs and rituals. Second/third
grade reading level. Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award.
Hayes, Joe. "La Llorona/The Weeping Woman." The Day It Snowed Tortillas/El dia
que nevaron tortillas. El Paso: Cinco Puntos, 2003. Side-by-side translation of a
version of the "weeping woman" story by a well-known New Mexican story teller
from a collection of some of his best-loved tales.
Krull, Kathleen. Cosechando esperanza: La Historia de Cesar Chavez. Trans. F. Isabel
Campoy y Alma Flor Ada. New York: Harcourt, 2003. Also available in English. This
Is a biography of Cesar Chavez with illustrations by Yuyi Morales in the Mexican
muralist style. Second/third grade reading level. The English version received prizes
as: a Junior Library Guild Selection; an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award
Winner; a Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book.
Mathews, Sally Schofer. The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish
Loss. New York: Clarion 1994. Tells the story of the night the Aztecs achieved victory over the Spanish army. The illustrations are in the style of Aztec codex art, with appendices giving the history of the people and events in the era of the Spanish
conquest of Tenochtitlan and an explanation and illustrations of the Aztec calendar
system. Provides excellent examples for lesson on making Aztec calendars.
Portilla, Miguel Leon. Colibri: Historia La Conquista. 1979. Mexico, D.F.: Consejo
Nacional de Fomenta Educativo, 1990. Narrative Spanish text of the conquest of
Tenochtitlan told by one of the leading scholars in the field of Aztec studies.
Rugeles, Ernesto Franco. El juego de la pelota. Bogota: Voluntad, 1978. Mexican
folktale about a famous ball game played by the Nahuas. Good selection for early
Spanish readers.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising/Esperanza renace. New York: Scholastic, 2000.
Available in both English and Spanish. Winner of the Pura Belpre Award. Destined to become a classic. A novel for fourth to sixth grade readers. Esperanza is a twelve-year-old daughter of wealthy hacienda owners in Mexico. When her father dies she and her mother emigrate to the United States to work as migrant laborers. Children of all backgrounds love this story.
Teacher's Bibliography
Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy
Tales. New York: Random, 1989. This book examines the psychology of fairy tales
and myths as they pertain to child development. A convincing treatise as to the merits
of including enchantment as literary staple for children.
Davis, Marilyn P. Mexican Voices/American Dreams. New York: Holt, 1990. A
collection of first person narratives from Mexican immigrants living in the U.S.,
interviewed by Marilyn Davis. Although the book is written for adults, some of the
stories are familiar, models of courage, and inspiring for children as well.
Forbes, Jack D. Aztecas del Norte: The Chicanos of Aztlan.U.S.A. Fawcett, 1973. An
account of the Chicano people as told through their history, poetry and culture.
Furth, Hans G. Piaget for Teachers. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1970. Written as
personal letters to teachers. Furth interprets Piaget's concepts in clear, concise
prose. Each chapter begins with a hypothetical question or questions and the
explanation follows. An excellent source for teachers seeking to refresh their
understanding of Piaget's epistemological basis for learning. I met Hans Furth
at the "Piaget Institute" in Geneva when he was finishing this manuscript and
consulting with Piaget and Barbel Inhelder as to its merits.
Igoa, Cristina. The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaum, 1995. A text written by a teacher of immigrant children from many
cultures, this book gives many practical suggestions for teachers working with
multi-lingual populations. Much insight into the stages of second language
acquisition and the psychological hurdles to be overcome by immigrant children.
Leal, Luis. "In Search of Aztlan." Atzlan: Essays on the Chicano Homeland. Ed.
Rudolfo A. Anaya and Francisco A Lomeli. Albuquerque: UNM, 1998. Aztlan
as symbol and myth placed in a socio-political and historical context.
Pina, Michael. "The Archaic, Historical and Mythicized Dimensions of Aztlan."
Essays on the Chicano Homeland. Ed. Rudolfo A. Anaya and Francisco A. Lomeli.
Albuquerque: UNM, 1998. Reconstructs the myth of Aztlan through temporal,
ideological and metaphysical contexts.
Portilla, Miguel Leon. Aztec Thought and Culture. Trans. Jack Emory Davis. Norman:
Univ. of Oklahoma, 1990. This book explains in depth the philosophical and
metaphysical infrastructure influencing Aztec thought and culture. Portilla is one of
the foremost scholars of Aztec civilization, and his passion and dedication shine
through the work.
—. ed. The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Trans.
Lysander Kemp. Boston: Beacon, 1972. Another definitive work by Portilla. This
book is an edited compilation of indigenous accounts of the conquest of Tenochtitlan
taken from various Aztec codices that were compiled by Spanish priests immediately
post conquest. The painted books, or codices, of ancient Mexico are documented,
traced and explained in this excellent text. The numerical and calendrical pictographs
are illustrated.
Sten, Maria. Los codices de Mexico: historias extraordinarias. Mexico D.F.: Joaquin
Mortiz, 2000. Many illustrations of Mexican pictographs illuminate the narrative text
describing the history encoded within them. Excellent examples for classroom use.
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