Tejas Star Reading List: Shining a Light on Spanish and Bilingual Books

by Priscilla Delgado, PhD student at St. John’s University, Tejas Star Reading List Committee Chair

Reading in two languages is twice the fun! With Spanish being the second-most spoken language in Texas, plus the rise of dual-language programs across the state that provide instruction to native Spanish speakers and native English speakers in both languages, Spanish and bilingual books are needed now more than ever.

The Tejas Star Reading List (TSRL) is an annual recommended reading list of Spanish and bilingual children’s books sponsored by the Texas Library Association. The purpose of the list is to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books and to discover the cognitive and economic benefits of bilingualism and multilingualism.

The 2020-21 Tejas Star Reading List was recently released, featuring 24 exemplary Spanish and bilingual titles that include fiction and non-fiction picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels with themes of activism, environment, and identity, as well as stories of famous and important historical figures.
Several picture books on this year’s list are Spanish translations of bestselling English titles, including Chancho el campeón (Pig the Winner) by Aaron Blabey, El coleccionista de palabras (The Word Collector) by Peter H. Reynolds, Lola quiere un gato (Lola Gets a Cat) by Anna McQuinn, ¡Hola, Cangrejito! (Hello, Crabby!), and Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer.

A variety of titles focus on our planet and outer space. Luciana: Misión submarina (Luciana: Braving the Deep) by Erin Teagan follows Luciana, the 2018 American Girl of the Year who aspires to be the first astronaut on Mars. Fuego, fueguito / Fire, Little Fire, a poetry book by Jorge Tetl Argueta, describes--in Spanish, English, and Nahuatl--the characteristics of fire from the perspective of one little spark. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the Titanosaur - the biggest, heaviest creature to walk on this planet, you’ll need to read Titanosaurio: El descubrimiento del dinosaurio más grande del mundo (Titanosaur: Discovering the World's Largest Dinosaur) by Dr. José Luis Carballido and Dr. Diego Pol. Mario y el agujero en el cielo: Cómo un químico salvó nuestro planeta (Mario and the Hole in the Sky: How a Chemist Saved Our Planet) by Elizabeth Rusch is a biography of Mexican-American scientist Mario Molina, who helped solve the ozone crisis of the 1980s.

The list features two additional biographies. Papa Francisco: Creador de puentes (Pope Francis: Builder of Bridges) by Emma Otheguy shares what life was like for Jorge Bergoglio as a boy growing up in Argentina before becoming Pope. Sembrando historias: Pura Belpré: bibliotecaria y narradora de cuentos (Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré) by Anika Aldamuy Denise is a beautifully written book about the first Latina librarian employed at the New York Public Library and the namesake of the Pura Belpré Award that recognizes authors and illustrators whose works best portray the Latino cultural experience.

An innovative 5-book set, A lomo de cuento (A Storybook Ride) by Sergio Andricaín and Antonio Orlando Rodríguez, provides insight to numerous Latin-American countries and islands, including Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. Each book explores the geography and culture as well as oral tradition and storytelling.

Two notable titles describe being uprooted from home, with two different plots but similar themes of hope. In Un nuevo hogar (A New Home) by Tania de Regil, a boy moving from New York City to Mexico City and a girl moving from Mexico City to New York City express their fears about leaving home to live in a new and unfamiliar place. Luca’s Bridge / El puente de Luca by Mariana Llanos is the emotional story of a boy coming to terms with his family's deportation from the United States to Mexico.

A few books encourage activism - speaking up and getting involved. Peter H. Reynold’s ¡Di algo! (Say Something!) explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. No dejes que desaparezcan (Don’t Let Them Disappear) by Chelsea Clinton profiles twelve endangered species around the world and describes why it is important to save each animal from extinction.

Graphic novels featured on this year’s list include Hombre Perro: El Señor de las Pulgas (Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas) by Dav Pilkey and Pangato: Soy yo. (Catwad: It’s Me.) by Jim Benton, two hilarious adventures. 

The themes of identity and family are evident in some of the books on this year’s list. Mi papi tiene una moto (My Papi Has a Motorcycle) by Isabel Quintero is a touching story of a father and daughter with special memories of home. In ¿De dónde eres? (Where Are You From?) by Yamile Saied Méndez, after a young girl is asked where she's from--where she's really from--she turns to her grandfather for some help.

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, March 25, 2020, at 10:00 am. Make plans to attend to learn more about the reading list and to explore the TSRL 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.

Unpacking Libraries Ready to Code

by Dr. Daniella Smith, Associate Professor in the Department of Information Science at the University of North Texas

There are countless jobs available in STEM fields that are vacant because there are not enough qualified individuals to fill them. In response, the American Library Association (ALA) began investigating ways that libraries can assist with computer science programs to reduce obstacles to employment in computer science. The result is Libraries Ready to Code (RtC), an initiative implemented by the ALA with the support of Google.

So far, RtC has been administered in three phases. Phase one involved research to understand how libraries can carry out activities. Phase two focused on collaborating with library and information science faculty to determine how skills can be taught to pre-service librarians. In Phase three, thirty libraries in the United States were given grants to create RtC programs.

These programs serve as role models for librarians and descriptions of them has been placed on the RtC website (ALA, 2019a). Other resources on the site that may be of interest for school librarians are the lesson plans and activities, professional development, learning standards, examples, and program evaluation. There are also examples of RtC activities. The cases can be helpful if you are concerned about managing a new program.

There are pathways of engagement listed on the website that are designed to help librarians establish solutions based on the approach that they would like to take with programming. Pathways share skills relevant to skill building, implementation, and advocacy. For instance, you might decide to engage with families or learn how to connect with your students’ interests and empower them. In addition, you could opt to focus on being able to demonstrate the outcomes of a program. Evaluation is vital at a time when school librarians need to be able to communicate how we connect our services to academic achievement. You can browse all the resources if none of the pathways appeal to you or if you already have a firm grasp on developing coding programs.

Creating an active program goes beyond attendance. One of the ways to understand the relationship between RtC and academic achievement is to examine the AASL Standards Crosswalk with the CS First curriculum. The CS First curriculum was created by Google to help advocates to teach computer science skills. While RtC does not focus exclusively on the CS First curriculum, the curriculum is included in the resources shared on the website. School librarians can recognize the association between coding and the standards by looking at some of the examples for the CS First crosswalk. 

In addition, to using the crosswalk to locate examples of the standards, there is a “Computational Thinking in Libraries” white paper (Subramaniam et al., 2019). The white paper shares the meaning of computational thinking (i.e., breaking down complex problems into smaller parts, recognizing patterns, filtering out information that is relevant to solving problems, creating step-by-step instructions for solutions, and evaluating solutions). Furthermore, it provides snapshots of computational thinking (CT) in libraries in the United States. The examples include the expertise level of the librarians that facilitated the programs. The examples show that incorporating CT and CS in libraries is feasible and meaningful.

Another great item that is available is the Libraries Ready to Code Infographic (ALA, 2019b). It is incorporated in the white paper and the website and is a great way to share the link between libraries and coding. The infographic condenses facts about what RtC is, why it is important, and its potential impact on society. It can be discussed with the Computational Thinking in Libraries white paper to serve as an advocacy piece for supporting the development and funding of a new program.

In conclusion, please don’t shy away from trying coding and addressing CT in your library. The American Association of School Librarian’s blog has four posts that discuss RtC and CT in school libraries if you need more suggestions.

• Computational Thinking in Your School Library
• On a Mission: Students with Exceptional Abilities Coding Music
• The Mifflin’s Feather Friends Program: A Libraries Ready to Code Project
• The Ready to Code (RtC) Collection

Likewise, there are many unplugged activities (i.e., activities without computers) shared in the resources. They are beneficial if you don’t have a lot of money to get started. Step-by-step lesson plans featured on the website can help you to get started. Starting small while you collect, and report data will help you build a strong foundation for new activities and a case for funding the project that you envision.

References

American Library Association. (2019a). Libraries ready to code. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/tools/readytocode/home

American Library Association. (2019b). Libraries ready to code. [Infographic]. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/pdfs/draft%20v6%20-%20LRTC_infographic%20%282%29.pdf

Subramaniam, M., Kodama, C., Baylen, D. M., Burton, M., Fabicon, J. K., Hincks, K., Moniz, R., Smith, D., & Visser, M. (2019). Computational thinking in libraries: Case studies of youth programs in action. Washington, D.C.: The American Library Association’s Office for Information Technology Policy. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/tools/RtC%20Case%20Studies_FINALedited.pdf