20. Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin

I picked this one up because I was looking at the list of Pura Belpré winners and honorees from the past few years. (That's the award for a book written each year by a Latino author that best portrays the Latino experience.) This one was an honor book from 2011. What's so cool about the award is that this author is relatively young and this is his first children's book. Pretty cool honor.

I usually don't talk much about the background of the author, but in this case I think the information is important. Duncan Tonatiuh is truly bicultural-- his mother is Mexican, his father is American, he grew up as a child in Mexico, then spent his teenage and adult life in New York. He was constantly going back and forth between the two countries to visit. In his author's note in the end, he mentions how he was struck to see people who looked the same in both places, but who had such different cultures. He wanted to write a book that showed even for all of our differences, 'at the end of the day, we are more similar than different. People are people.'

Now, I get a little angry when I feel like people are being color-blind and that there are no differences between people and let's hold hands. But that's not what this book is saying at all-- Tonatiuh shows his love for the uniqueness of both cultures, embracing the differences without judging them. He is saying that we can do our own things but still respect one another because in the end, we all want and need basically the same things. That is a message I want to teach to my students as well as my own children some day, and this book is a great way to do just that.

Charlie and Carlos are cousins, one in Mexico and the other in the US. (This sounds so familiar to many of my students' situations.) They've never met but they write letters back and forth to each other, telling one another about the things they do, eat, see in their countries. (It kind of reminds me of the country mouse, city mouse story because in the end they want the other to come visit.)

 The structure is a split narrative where we go back and forth from one character's story to the other. Sometimes we get a full page spread of Carlos then another of Charlie, sometimes the verso is Carlos and the recto is Charlie, and occasionally they are split horizontally across the gutter. So that we are not confused, Tonatiuh makes each cousin write in a different font. Of course the feel of each cousin's scene is different too, one looking more traditionally rural Mexican and the other looking urban Mexican-American. Also, as an added element, Carlos' side is peppered with Spanish. What's cool is that the Spanish words are also included in the page next to the picture of the object it refers to (like a picture dictionary) as well as in a glossary in the end. This makes the books accessible to any child and can teach them some Spanish in the meantime. There is even some cool imagery sprinkled in the notes. ('Skyscrapers are so tall they tickle the clouds.')

Tonatiuh hand draws the characters and scenes, then digitally colors them in and adds collage. I particularly loved the realia he used in the collage that added some texture (like jeans material, a rug, corn kernels, marbles, etc.) There were some other cute details, like the wraparound cover featuring a piece of notebook paper in the background (representing the letters). The colors were vibrant and reminiscent of Mexican homes and markets, though each cousin had his own scenes, they were always bright and full of life. His illustrations of the characters were reminiscent of an ancient Mexican (Mixtec) folk style, where the characters were all the same rounded shape and always in profile. Thus, the book combines the ancient and modern, keeping the artistic traditions of Mexico alive, but at the same time making it accessible for today's kids. 

This culturally relevant text should be on every teacher's bookshelf, no matter what color your students are.

5. Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask (A Bilingual Cuento)

At first, I felt a little hypocritical putting this book on my blog. I hate violence and think wrestling is more than a bit silly. I have had to realize over time, though, that for many Mexican and Mexican-American children lucha libre is an integral part of their culture growing up. Though it may look ridiculous to me to watch grown men running around in masks and tights pants, it is not my place to judge. For many, the luchadores are folk heroes and symbols of justice for the common men. (Think "Nacho Libre".)

In Lucha Libre (2005), Xavier Garza's art and storytelling work together to illuminate some of his experiences growing up in a small border town in Texas. In this book, he pays tribute to the heroes of his youth, the luchadores who did battle against the bad guys...the men whose mystery and honor helped to create the 'poorman's theatre' in the ring.

What first struck me was the artistry of the book...it makes the characters come to life. From the endpages, cut-outs of luchadores in strong poses and battle stances prepare us for the epic battle that is about to take place in the book. The luchadores are dressed in dazzling costumes and move swiftly across the pages. Garza uses a bold palette with oranges, reds, greens, and blues that jump off of the page. His poster-style design includes eye-popping illustrations of mighty luchadores in double-page spreads that are larger-than life. His thick, bold lines and shapes create a sense of drama and action in the ring, as participants yell "Boo!" and fighters scream and charge toward each other. The folk art style and thick acrylic paintings give the reader a front-row seat to the show and with every turn of the page lead us along with the action. 

Though the illustrations could tell their own story, the text cannot be ignored. As one can tell from the title, the story is told in both English and Spanish...a reader could choose to read in one language, both, or (as I like to do) a mishmash of English some pages and Spanish other pages. Thus, this culturally relevant text is now available for a large population of students...perhaps some Americans like me who had never heard of lucha libre growing up can now gain an appreciation for its cultural roots and iconic status in the Mexican community. That is how we break down judgments and stereotypes...by understanding each other. (Garza includes a good endnote about lucha libre "A Brief but Tremendously Exciting History".)

Kids will also pick up on the drama-- you never quite know who the man in the silver mask is...but you have a pretty good idea. You feel the excitement as he smiles at Carlitos, inspiring his continued love of lucha libre. Use the book for cultural relevancy, use it because it is bilingual, use it for the vibrant illustrations, or for the exciting story. No matter how you use it, kids will love it!