Celebrated annually from September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the culture and traditions of those Americans who trace their ancestry to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish speaking countries of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a brief list of suggested titles.

Books for Preschoolers
Diez Deditos = Ten Little Fingers and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America by Jose-Luis Orozco - SP J 784.624 D
In English and Spanish, Orozco provides songs, rhymes and finger-plays with the actions explained for caregivers.

Dona Flor by Pat Mora JP MOR
This is a tall tale about a giant woman with a big heart.

Frida by Jonah Winter JB KAHLO
A whimsical introduction to the life of painter Frida Kahlo.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy J 398 D 2007
As Martina interviews potential husbands, her grandmother gives her some shocking advice.

Books for Kids
Baseball in April, and Other Stories by Gary Soto JFIC SOT
Eleven contemporary short-stories tell of the lives of Mexican American families in California.

Ellen Ochoa: The First Hispanic Woman Astronaut by Maritza Romero JB OCHOA 1997
A profile of the life of the first Hispanic woman astronaut.

I, Juan De Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino JFIC TRE
Juan, who serves the great painter Velasquez, secretly teaches himself to paint, gaining respect and freedom.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez JFIC ALV
Sixth-grader Tyler Paquette befriends a migrant Mexican family working on his family’s Vermont farm.

Books for Teens
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa YFIC OSA
Chicago high school student Violet Paz reluctantly prepares for her quinceanera.

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez YFIC MAR
Winner of the Pura Belpre Author Award, this is the story of fourteen-year-old Manny Hernandez and his search for respect.

Someone Like Summer by M. E. Kerr YFIC KER
An upper-middle-class white girl from Long Island and an immigrant worker from Colombia fall in love despite objections from their families.

The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales YFIC CAN
Sofia discovers that her experiences as a scholarship student in Austin strengthen her ties to the family and friends she left behind in the barrio of McAllen.

Books for Adults
In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez FIC MEN
A collection of poignant and humorous interrelated short stories that tell the lives of Cuban immigrants in Miami.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez FIC ALV
Three young wives in the Dominican Republic, assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands, become mythical figures in their country.

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos FIC HIJ
Winner of the 1990 Pulitizer Prize for fiction, this is the story of brothers Cesar and Nestor Castillo who come to New York City from Cuba in 1949 with plans on becoming mambo stars.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez FIC GAR
The history of the Buendia family is also the story of the rise and fall of their mythical town, Macondo.