September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! Here is a list of fifteen books for all ages to celebrate and learn more about people and cultures from Hispanic countries.

Picture Books

With Lots of Love by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Rocio has moved from Central America to the United States, and she is missing home. She misses her grandmother’s cooking and the piñatas her grandmother makes, but most of all she misses her grandmother. One morning, she wakes up to a birthday package that brings her a little taste of home and her grandmother’s love. This heartwarming book allows readers to relate to the heartache of moving to a new country while learning small pieces of Central American culture through Rocio’s eyes.

¡Mistaco! by Eliza Kinkz

This book follows Izzy, the self-proclaimed president of mistakes, as she is upset after making a huge mistake at school. After sharing with her Lito about her mishap, he encourages her to put her mistakes into tortillas – allowing her and her family to forgive themselves and laugh about their mistakes. This book is a fun celebration of Hispanic heritage and includes Spanglish as a way to honor the author’s dual identity.

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

This beautiful book describes the journey the author took with her young son in 1994, traveling from Mexico to the United States. This memoir depicts the hardship and hope that accompany becoming immigrants and starting a life in a new country.

¡Fiesta!: A Festival of Colors by Duncan Tonatiuh

This book is a vibrant and fun introduction to colors in both Spanish and English as author Duncan Tonatiuh depicts a street festival and various Mexican traditions that you might see there.

Nonfiction

Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezby Anika Aldamuy Denise

This inspirational biography tells the story of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Puerto Rican woman who became the youngest congresswoman in United States history. Beautiful bright pictures capture readers’ attention while recounting a story of hard work, community, family, and determination.

Book of Questions: Selections by Pablo Neruda; translated by Sara Lissa Paulson

This is a striking poem of thought-provoking questions presented with both Neruda’s original Spanish and Paulson’s translation accompanied by beautiful illustration by Paloma Valdivia, whose family is from the same coastal region of Chile as Neruda.

Best Believe: The Tres Hermanas, a Sisterhood for the CommonGood by NoNieqa Ramos

This nonfiction picture book follows three sisters from Puerto Rico who moved to the Bronx and helped shape their community through activism and community service. This inspirational tale uses the refrain “you best believe” to create rhythm in the text and appeal to the reader directly.

Frida Kahlo: She Painted Her World in Self-Portraits by Amy Guglielmo

This illustrated biography includes both vibrant imagery and illustrations that grab your attention. The text is inspirational, describing how Frida Kahlo celebrated her heritage and honored and persevered through her disabilities. This book includes artistic prompts, direct quotes from Frida Kahlo, and a selection of her works at the end.

Graphic Novels

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega

Marlene, a young Dominican American girl, hates going to the salon, but according to her mother, having “good hair” is essential. This graphic novel follows Marlene as she learns to love her curly hair. The story tackles themes of internalized racism, anti-blackness, bullying, grief, and self-acceptance.

Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín

This graphic memoir follows Pedro, a first-generation Mexican American who is growing up in the 1970s. His family is undertaking the long road trip to Jalisco to bring Pedro’s grandfather to live with them in the United States. This is a family-centered exploration of culture and identity as Pedro revels in the opportunity to learn more about his grandfather and Mexican heritage.

Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight by Rex Ogle

Lucia has known all her life that she wants to be a knight like her Abuelo, and when she finds her Abuelo’s armor in the attic, she starts seeing paranormal creatures. This fun, adventure-filled graphic novel follows Lucia on her path to becoming a knight as she encounters figures from Mexican lore and struggles with balancing life as a knight with school, family, and friends.

Chapter Books

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

When Lucely Luna and her best friend Syd accidentally awaken malevolent forces, they must go on a ghost-filled, family-centric adventure to save their city. This book seamlessly incorporates Spanish and Lucely’s Dominican-American heritage.

Cuba in My Pocket by Adrianna Cuevas

Set in 1961 after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, this book follows twelve-year-old Cumba, whose family sends him to live in Florida to keep him safe. In Florida, Cumba struggles with a new language, a new city, and overwhelming homesickness. Evenly split between life in Cuba and Florida, this historical-fiction middle-grade story beautifully depicts life in Cuba along with strong emotional themes of love, friendship, and family.

Sing It Like Celia by Mónica Mancillas

When twelve-year-old Salva’s mom disappears, she is forced to leave her familiar school and choir to live with her absentee investigative journalist father whose assignment follows the detention and deportation of an undocumented woman. Salva blends popular music with salsa beats and makes new friends through her music. This heartfelt story explores friendship, mental health, and community.

A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation by Pablo Cartaya

Gonzalo lost his father, and now his mother is making him spend the summer on a book tour with his estranged grandfather, Alberto. While their great road trip brings them from California to Florida, Gonzalo learns about his grandfather’s life in Cuba, and they bond over their art and grief.

I hope this list helps you find a new book!

- Alyssa

As school is starting, some kids might have concerns about bullying. Whether it's something they have heard about from older siblings or something they have struggled with in the past, bullying is a serious concern for many children. Below is a list of books and resources for parents and children that discuss all different facets of this complex topic.

Fiction Picture Books

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness by Kerascoet

This wordless picture book tells the story of a girl who always sits alone and struggles with a bully when another young girl decides to walk with her and be her friend. The wordless nature of this book provides a great opportunity to open a discussion about what kids see happening on the page. 

Get Up, Stand Up by Cedella Marley

This beautiful book is based on the song by the same name by Bob Marley. While the words are more conceptual and rhythmic, the accompanying pictures depict a young girl standing up to bullies in several situations and influencing others to do the same.

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

This colorful tale from local author Jarret J. Krosoczka follows best friends, Peanut Butter (a seahorse) and Jellyfish, as they explore the ocean and struggle with Crabby's mean words. After Peanut Butter and Jellyfish save Crabby from a lobster trap, they discover that Crabby's harsh words were said out of jealousy and insecurity. This book tells a familiar story of bullying with fun sea animals and eye-catching illustrations.

Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney

When Gilroy Goat is being a bully, Llama Llama knows he has to reach out for help from a teacher. This is a great book about bullying for fans of Dewdney’s Llama Llama series. It depicts various types of bullying, consequences of bullying for both the perpetrator and the victims, and how to give someone a second chance.

Nonfiction Books

You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood by Aimee Reid

This book tells the story of Fred Rogers, the creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It mentions how when Fred was bullied as a child, he turned to his support systems and emotional outlets like music. It is a beautiful tale about how he took the lessons he learned from his grandparents and neighbors and shared them through his show.

A Kid's Book about Bullying by Elizabeth Tom

This book addresses bullying in a clear and straightforward way. It discusses various forms of bullying, its impacts, and what to do if you're being bullied. This entire series has great books that discuss difficult topics, and this book is no exception. 

The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen by Aija Mayrock

In this book, author and teen Aija Mayrock draws on her experience being bullied to offer advice which has been reviewed by psychologists. Mayrock's suggestions about both in-person and online bullying are actions she took in her own life, which she recognizes are not immediate solutions but instead provide solace and hope that there will be an end to the bullying. 

Chapter Books

Wonder by R.J. Palacio 

This beautiful novel follows Auggie Pullman, a fifth-grade boy who was born with severe facial deformities, as he starts his first year in public school. Auggie struggles to make friends, and at one point, his bully has turned the whole school against him. This is a heartwarming novel about courage, overcoming adversity, and acceptance.

Booked by Kwame Alexander

This novel-in-verse follows Nick, an eighth-grade soccer player, as he juggles friendship, crushes, family, and twin bullies. It is a fast-paced story that depicts middle school in an amazingly realistic way that is simultaneously laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps

Eleven-year-old Ellie Montgomery-Hofstein has created her unspoken “Fat Girl Rules” from her experience being bullied both at school and at home. Through support from her new neighbor, her father, and her therapist, Ellie finds the strength to stand up for herself. This is a powerful novel-in-verse about acceptance and self-advocacy. 

Parenting Books

Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher, and Kid Needs to Know about Ending the Cycle of Fear by Carrie Goldman

This is a well-researched guidebook to ending bullying discusses both in-person and online bullying, distilling dense academic research into more digestible statistics. While the book focuses on girls, both as victims and perpetrators, it is an insightful read for all parents as it provides support, resources, and clear directions.

UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Michele Borba, Ed. D.

While this parenting book does not focus on bullying, bullying is discussed at length. Borba breaks down the book into the nine skills of empathy and provides exercises and activities for each skill. 

Further resources

Here are warning signs that a child might be experiencing bullying. Make sure to explore the website for other resources. 

This page from the Center for Parent Information & Resources is a collection of resources about bullying for both parents and children.

Early Literacy can seem daunting, like it is reserved for English teachers. However, babies start learning from the day they are born, and there are many ways we can help them.

According to a 2007 study by Harvard University, children's brains develop quickly in their first few years of life, building up to one million neural connections every second! It is a very important time for children to build early literacy skills. 

Early Literacy skills are the skills children learn to help them understand and use words, long before they know how to read. Babies and toddlers build these skills by hearing language, listening to stories, looking at books, and talking. Early literacy skills include alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness (recognizing and manipulating sounds), oral language, and print knowledge. 

According to the World Literacy Foundation, children with poor literacy foundations when beginning traditional schooling are more likely to struggle academically and later drop out of school. 

Recognizing how important these early skills are, what are some of the things we can do to help children develop strong early literacy skills? Below is a list of activities and resources which you can use to help children strengthen their early literacy skills.

At-Home Activities:

• Read books that expose children to varied vocabulary

• Sing songs and practice fun rhymes that expose children to repetitive sounds at the beginnings and ends of words
• Talk with children to practice language skills by showing children how to ask questions and make comparisons
• Repetition! Research has shown that reading the same books and singing the same songs over and over again helps children learn better than reading or singing something once or twice.

Help children understand print text and writing by having them tell you what they want you to write down

Explore Early Intervention, a program for children 0-3 who have developmental delays or are at risk of developmental delays. This program does not need a doctor's referral, and there are no out of pocket costs to families. Every child 0-3 is entitled to a free yearly evaluation to see if they qualify for the program. You can find a program here.

Library Activities:

• Check out new books - there are great suggestions listed below
• Go to storytimes- check out our website for our many great storytime programs

• Practice your sounds at Worcester Public Library's Early Readers Class
• Use Libby or Overdrive to find fun audiobooks and ebooks

Parenting Books about Early Literacy:

Reading Picture Books with Children by Megan Dowd Lambert

This book helps us see picture books in a new way, introducing new ways we can read and talk about books with kids. 

Playful Activities for Reading Readiness: Laying a Foundation for Literacy by Latisha Hayes PhD

Books for Kids' Early Literacy

Reading a variety of books is super important for early literacy because they expose children to new vocabulary and concepts! Come to the library and check out any book that catches your eye! Below is a list of books that focus on alphabet knowledge, decoding (letter sound relationships) and sound recognition like rhyming and alliteration.

Be A Maker by Katey Howes

This is an empowering and inspiring book that uses varied vocabulary and rhyming, which allows kids to understand syllables and word construction.

Bears at the Beach by Shirley Parenteau

Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party by Kimberly and James Dean

Learn about alliteration with this amazingly fun story!

Stairway Decodables

The goal of decodable books is to learn how to read as we learn phonetic rules. Here is a great decodables series that progresses through skills with each step that is clearly defined on the back of the book.

I hope you found some useful recommendations and great activities and programs!

-Alyssa

 June is Pride Month! Let's celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with amazing books and materials.

Board Books

Grandad’s Camper by Harry Woodgate

This board book is adorably shaped like the camper from the title. It tells the story of a granddaughter who has grown up with stories of her Grandad and his late partner’s trips in their pink camper. Their stories continue in Grandad’s Pride. 

Pride is Love by Dano Moreno

This board book full of beautiful and diverse illustrations shows that Pride is about love and celebration as well as just being you.

Pride Colors by Robin Stevenson

This rhyming board book shares messages of unconditional love while writing about the colors of the rainbow.

Picture Books

It’s Pride, Baby! By Allen R. Wells

The beautifully illustrated picture book features a Black family celebrating Pride. The book affirms that you should be proud of yourself for being who you are and celebrating a sense of community. 

You are Loved: A Book About Families by Margaret O’Hair

Multiple diverse families are featured in this book that shows that a family can look like anything: it’s the love and support that makes them special.

Marley’s Pride by Joëlle Retener

This book tells the story of Marley’s first pride with their grandparent. Both are black and use them/they pronouns, and there are many more positive depictions of representation. This book shows how welcoming and inclusive Pride can be.

Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

This beautiful picture book shows the story of Julian, a gender non-conforming child as he dresses up like a mermaid to mimic a woman he saw earlier that day.

Prince and Knight by Daniel Haack

A prince who must wed can’t seem to find his match even when his parents have a ball for all the single maidens in the land. He ends up finding his perfect fairy-tale ending with a knight after they fight a dragon together. Their story continues in a sequel. 

Nonfiction Books:

The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families by Rachel E. Simon

This book is an amazing guide to growing up, changing bodies, sexuality, and gender for older kids. It is inclusive and allows a safe space for kids to ask trusted adults questions. Make sure to also check out The Every Body Book of Consent! 

Rainbow Revolutionaries: 50 LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Sarah Prager

With small biographies of 50 individuals from all over the world and throughout history, this book shows that LGBTQIA+ individuals have helped shape the world and make big impacts!

A Kids Book About Pronouns by Dr. Courtney Wells and Lee Wells

This book explains pronouns, their importance, and how they might affect other people's lives to kids and adults alike. Be sure to also look for other amazing A Kids Book About… books!

Queer and Fearless: Poems Celebrating the Lives of LGBTQ+ Heroes by Rob Sanders

Using different forms of poetry, this book highlights a variety of individuals that have made a lasting impact on the world. The illustrations are beautiful and add to the stories being told. 

Being a Super Trans Ally! A Creative Workbook and Journal for Young People by Phoenix Schneider, MSW & Sherry Paris, MEd

Using fun activities and prompts, this book is a great resource for those wanting to learn how to be a better ally to the transgender community. This book is important because the transgender community deals with a lot of misunderstanding, and the book shows ways to help advocate for the community. 

Graphic Novels

Carousel Summer by Kathleen Gros

Lucy is a tomboy whose father doesn’t understand why she isn’t more feminine. She starts the book as a shy girl, but a blossoming relationship with the new girl in town, Anaïs, helps her break out of her shell. Beautiful illustrations and relationships make this a great summer read.

Dungeon Club by Molly Knox Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma

This fun-filled graphic novel series shows two friends, Jess and Olivia, as they set up a Dungeons and Dragons club. The series shows how the game can be used as a way to explore your identity and discover truths and parts of yourself you might not have realized before. 

Tegan and Sarah: Junior High by Tegan Quin and Sara Quin

This graphic novel is a fictionalized memoir of twin musicians Tegan and Sara as they start middle school for the first time. The story and art beautifully convey the emotions of such an important time in young adolescents' lives.

Chapter Book

Jamie by L.D. Lapinski

This chapter book tells the story of Jamie who is non-binary and must pick between enrolling in an all-boys or an all-girls middle school. Their story shows what it is like to live outside the gender binary in a world built around it. 

The Truth About Triangles by Michael Leali

Luca is having a rough time juggling life with a failing, family-run Chicago pizzeria, parents who are separating, and struggles between his long-time friend and his new friend and crush, Will. The story is endearing and is a treat for middle grade readers. 

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horne

Noah’s friends come back to school after summer vacation and are interested in talking about their crushes on boys at school. Noah doesn't relate but eventually pretends that she has a crush on a boy too. Through a journey of self-discovery, Noah realizes that maybe having a crush on a girl can be good too. 

Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith

In this imaginative fantasy story, Callie is non-binary and wants to train as a knight, something that only boys are allowed to do in their world. They take a chance to follow their father and train in the city of Helston. Throughout the story Callie and their new friends find ways to challenge the rigid gender norms of their society. 

Crushing It by Erin Becker

In this soccer-themed middle grade story, former-friends and current teammates Mel and Tory are trying to get along on the field while dealing with big life changes. They both write to anonymous pen pals on their school's message board, unknowingly messaging each other. When new feelings for their pen pals start to rise, they must learn to accept their identities. 

This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us Edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby

This anthology shows the joy and pride of being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. This book shows that everyone is a valuable part of the community and that everyone belongs.

Parenting Books

Rainbow Relatives: Real-World Stories and Advice on How to Talk to Kids about LGBTQ+ Families and Friends by Sudi “Rick” Karatas

Using humor and accessible language, this book provides advice for parents and caregivers about talking to their kids about LGBTQIA+ individuals, both those whom they know and those whom they might encounter in the world. 

Unconditional: A Guide to Loving and Supporting Your LGBTQ Child by Telaina Eriksen

This book is a great resource for parents of children in the LGBTQIA+ community. The author empathetically answers a variety of questions that parents might have about their LGBTQIA+ child. Included are a variety of other helpful resources.

Raising LGBTQ Allies: A Parents Guide to Changing the Messages From the Playground by Chris Tompkins

This book shows parents how to be better allies and and how to raise children as allies through a discussion of the history and persecution of the LGBTQIA+ community. This book is an in-depth and thoughtful resource. 

The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Children by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper

This updated version of the 2008 original is organized and thorough and features amazing resources to help parents and caregivers of transgender and gender non-conforming children of all ages. The authors compassionately share how best to support your child, no matter their gender identity and expression.

Raising the Transgender Child: A Complete Guide for Parents, Families, and Caregivers by Dr. Michele Angello and Alisa Bowman

Even though this book is almost a decade old, it still provides good information and practical advice on how to handle many aspects of raising a child who does not conform to their assigned gender, including health insurance, legal concerns, and schools. 

Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting a Transgender Child With No Strings Attached by Hillary Whittington

This memoir tells the story of one mom’s journey raising her transgender son. It shows her family's journey in listening to their son, who was also born deaf, and showing him unconditional love and support.

LGBTQAI+ Books for Children and Teens: Providing a Window for All by Christina Dorr and Liz Deskins

This book published by the American Library Association is a great collection of books for children and teens of all ages.