Pura Belpre or Honor Books

My Colors, My World: Mis colores, mi mundo

Written and Illustrated By: Maya Christina Gonzalez
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Ages: 5-8 years old
Awards Received: Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Book (2008), Americas Award Commended Title (2008), Texas 2x2 (2008)
Summary: A girl describes her “colorful world” to the reader even though she lives in a desert.
Personal Reflection: This book is an outstanding book to present to young readers because it shows children how to describe their world around them. This book is also in both English and Spanish which helps bridge the gap between students of both cultures. When I read this to my class, I had a student that at the time I did not know that he could both speak Spanish but also read Spanish. He was able to read the other part of the book to the class and make connections to his life. This allowed for the student to share his strength with the class making for a great teaching moment.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book for purchase in a school library because both English and Spanish students will be able to check it out. It also teaches children to find “their colors,” the best that is around them.

Chato's Kitchen

Written By: Gary Soto
Illustrated By: Susan Guevara
Soto, G. (1995). Chato's Kitchen. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Ages: 5-10 years old
Awards Received: Pura Belpre Illustrator Award(1996), Americas Honor Book (1996)
Summary: In this lively story, a cool cat invites his new neighbors over for a welcoming dinner.
Personal Reflection: When I read this book to my students, I notice that they are instantly drawn into the story through the highly detailed illustrations and the cool attitude of Chato. This book integrates English and Spanish seamlessly allowing students to use context clues to decode the Spanish words. This book is a good way to introduce and teach students about context clues. I usually teach it whole group when reading Chato’s Kitchen. To apply their learning, I have students write a Spanish word from the story and draw a picture to match. Context clues are difficult for children to comprehend, but by teaching with a illustration-rich text allows children to be successful while learning.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for library purchase because of its highly detailed illustrations and its seamless transfer from English to Spanish.