by Priscilla Delgado, doctoral student at St. John’s University, Tejas Star Reading List Committee Chair
What do Sonia Sotomayor, Chelsea Clinton, Frida Kahlo, Don Quixote and Jacqueline Woodson have in common?
They all have books either written by them or about them on this year’s Tejas Star Reading List!
The Texas Library Association has numerous reading lists for readers of all ages and interests, and the Tejas Star Reading List curates a yearly list of high-quality Spanish and bilingual books for ages 5 to 12. The Tejas Star books are intended to be read for recreational purposes (not to support a specific curriculum) and to discover the benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism. The stories selected on the list provide windows and mirrors into multiculturalism.
The 2019-20 Tejas Star Reading List features 18 titles that include fiction and non-fiction picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels with themes of immigration, identity, poetry, as well as stories of famous and important historical figures.
Several books on this year’s list are Spanish translations of bestselling English titles, including Amor (Love) and Los deseos de Carmela (Carmela Full of Wishes) by Newbery Award author Matt de la Peña, Ella persistió alrededor del mundo (She Persisted Around the World) by Chelsea Clinton, and El día en que descubres quién eres (The Day You Begin) by Jacqueline Woodson.
The theme of immigration and identity is evident in some of the books on this year’s list. Pura Belpre Illustrator and Tomás Rivera Book Award winner Soñadores (Dreamers) by Yuyi Morales shares her personal immigration story, as does author Alfredo Alva with Deborah Mills in La Frontera: el viaje con papá/My Journey with Papa. Caldecott Honor book Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre (Alma and How She Got Her Name) by Juana Martinez-Neal celebrates the history and significance of the name given to Alma by per parents. Lola (Islandborn), a story of culture and belonging by Junot Díaz, reminds readers that “Just because you don’t remember a place doesn’t mean it’s not in you.”
Frida Kahlo has become a cultural icon, and this is reflected in the two books about her that are on the reading list. Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor book Frida Kahlo y sus animalitos (Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos) by Monica Brown is a picture book about the animals that inspired Frida’s art and life. Frida, el misterio del anillo del pavo real y yo (Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring) by Angela Cervantes is a middle-grade novel about a search for a lost ring that once belonged to Kahlo.
Graphic novels featured on this year’s list include Los tipos malos (The Bad Guys) by Aaron Blabey, the first book in a hilarious, adventurous series, and La Matadragones (The Dragon Slayer) by Jaime Hernandez, a collection of Latin American folk tales.
Miguel y su valiente caballero (Miguel's Brave Knight) by Margarita Engle is a story of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who would go on to write Don Quixote, which is considered by many to be the first modern novel. Las orejas de los animales (Animal Ears) by Mary Holland is a non-fiction work with engaging photographs and information on how animals’ sense of hearing works. Querido Dragón de Komodo (Dear Komodo Dragon) by Nancy Kelly Allen is a humorous exchange of letters between pen-pals.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tells her life story to young readers in Pasando Páginas (Turning Pages). Rafael Lopez’s We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands/Tenemos el Mundo Entero en las Manos celebrates the lives of all young people in a modern take of the famous song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Tomás Rivera Book Award winner Quizás algo hermoso (Maybe Something Beautiful) by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell is the true story of a community’s effort to add beauty to their surroundings.
Did you know that Tejas Star used to be a book award? Originally created in 2007 by the Region One ESC Library Advisory Committee, the Tejas Star Book Award was a statewide reading program in which children who read the books could vote for their favorite. In hopes of maintaining continuity and reaching a wider audience, Tejas Star became part of the Texas Library Association as a reading list in 2012.
The Tejas Star Reading List committee will be presenting activities and resources to use with this year’s titles at the Texas Library Association conference on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 2:45 pm. Make plans to attend to learn more about the reading list and to take home an activity guide with ready-to-use resources. The activity guide, as well as downloadable bookmarks and posters, will be available on our website: txla.org/tejas-star.
There is an old Spanish saying that goes, “El que sabe dos lenguas vale por dos,” meaning that a person who knows two languages is worth twice as much. It is the hope of the Tejas Star Reading List committee that these books will play a part in making this a reality for readers.
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