"A gentle text and innovative artwork depict a pivotal summer in a boy's life when he and his family leave their Texas home for farm work in Iowa. One morning, while his parents pick corn, Tomás visits the imposing town library and meets a kindly librarian who gently coaxes him inside. Throughout the hot days thereafter, she offers Tomás cool drinks of water and adventurous escapes into books; on slow days he teaches her Spanish until it's time to return home to Texas: 'I have a sad word to teach you today. The word is adiós. It means good-bye.' . . . While young readers and future librarians will find this an inspiring tale, the end note gives it a real kick: the story is based on an actual migrant worker [Tomás Rivera] who became chancellor of a university--where the library now bears his name."--Publishers Weekly

Take a ride in a long submarine or fly away in a hot air balloon. Whatever you do, just be sure to bring your favorite book! Rafael Lopez's colorful illustrations perfectly complement Pat Mora's lilting text in this delightful celebration of El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros; Children's Day/Book Day. Toon! Toon!

Includes a letter from the author and suggestions for celebrating El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros; Children's Day/Book Day.

Pasea por el mar en un largo submarino o viaja lejos en un globo aerostatico. No importa lo que hagas, no olvides traer tu libro preferido! Las coloridas ilustraciones de Rafael Lopez complementan perfectamente el texto ritmico de Pat Mora en esta encantadora celebracion de El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros. Tun! Tun!

Incluye una carta de la autora y sugerencias para celebrar El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros.

The author will donate a portion of the proceeds from this book to literacy initiatives related to Children's Day/Book Day.

La autora donara una porcion de las ganancias de este libro a programas para fomentar la alfabetizacion relacionados con El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros.

An award-winning author and a rising star artist have put a festive Latino twist on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," populating it with pinatas in place of partridges, plus "burritos bailando" (dancing donkeys), "lunitas cantando" (singing moons), and much more, all displayed in the most vivid colors imaginable. In this version a little girl receives gifts from a secret "amiga, "whose identity is a sweet surprise at the book's conclusion. There are things to find and count in Spanish on every page, with pronunciations provided right in the pictures and a glossary and music following the story. This joyous fiesta will warm even the coldest of hearts.

"Exemplifies the best of recent multicultural publishing". -- The Horn Book

When her great-aunt, her tia, turns ninety, little Cecilia lovingly gathers together a basket full of memories. "Vibrant, detailed cut-paper illustrations portray family warmth and individuality with verve and panache". -- School Library Journal

A poetic depiction of the desert as the provider of comfort, food, spirit, and life.

Shh, shh, close your eyes.
Shh . . . shh . . . Cierra los ojitos.
Outside, the rabbits are sleeping,
Afuera, los conejitos estan durmiendo
and the birds, and the squirrels.
junto con los pajaritos, y las ardillas.
Inside, Grandma tucks
us snugly into bed.
Adentro, Abuelita nos da
las buenas noches.
The stars and moon
are shining bright.
Las estrellas y la
luna brillan.

Sweet dreams!
Dulces suenos!

As warm and comforting as a grandmother's voice, this endearing book in the My Family/Mi familia series makes bedtime a soothing family tradition.

Este encantador libro de la serie My Family/Mi familia, tan calido y reconfortante como la voz de una abuela, ayuda a convertir la hora de dormir en una armoniosa tradicion familiar.

The first bilingual picture book published under the Pinata Books imprint in 1994, Pat Mora's ode to the desert is finally available in paperback format. The Desert Is My Mother introduces the partnership of an award-winning poet and a prize-winning painter to create a beautiful poetic and artistic rendition of the relationship between people and nature. Rather than being an expanse empty of life and value, the desert is lovingly presented as the provider of comfort, food, spirit, and life.

Pat Mora, an award-winning poet and author and a frequent guest speaker in schools, colleges, and libraries, has lead popular workshops on literacy and teacher creativity. Her workshop, Nurturing Creativity: Seven Practices for Educators and Students provided the foundation for this book as a response to numerous requests from teachers who were driven by the need to express themselves creatively and to nurture the creativity of their students. Each practice for nurturing personal creativity has a corollary practice for nurturing student creativity. Throughout the book, Mora reaffirms her conviction that creative teachers are more effective teachers and emphasizes that every child's creative self must be valued-regardless of a child's cultural and linguistic background. Written in the form of letters to teachers, Zing! Seven Creativity Practices for Educators and Students is a moving and inspirational volume that serves as a reminder to teachers that their work is important and that they are, indeed, community leaders.

As a Chicana, educator, poet, mother, lecturer, and native of El Paso, Texas, Pat Mora is a denizen of "nepantla"--a Nahuatl word meaning "land in the middle." In her first collection of essays this award-winning writer negotiates the middle land's many terrains by exploring the personal issues and political responsibilities she faces as a woman of color in the United States. Characterized by a keen sense of community, "Nepantla" is an important contribution to the growing body of Chicano nonfiction.

Mora explores the issues of cultural preservation--preservation of her own Mexican American culture as a source for her creativity and for her sense of self. She then remembers her encounters with other cultures, which have taught her both to appreciate and to spotlight the stunning riches and injustices of her own country. Mora's insights on bilingualism, education, women, and family are sometimes barbed and always exact. Sprinkled like blossoms on a springtime cholla, excerpts from Mora's own poems crystallize her thoughts and insights into unforgettable images.

En este encantador libro-álbum, un ratoncito, Chico Canta, salva a su familia del pequeño pero astuto Gato-Gatito, gracias a su agilidad mental y su conocimiento de otro idioma. Chico Canta, el menor de doce hermanos, es un ratoncito travieso y temerario que vive con su familia en un viejo teatro. A todos les encanta subir al palco. Desde allí miran los espectáculos y luego gritan, “¡Bravo, bravo!� con el público, cuando cae el telón. La señora Canta vive arreando a todos sus hijos de un lado a otro, y a Chico en particular. Siempre les dice: “¡Pronto! ¡Pronto! Hurry! Hurry!� Ella habla muchísimos idiomas: español, inglés e italiano, pero también araña, grillo y polilla. También anima a sus hijos a desarrollar sus propias capacidades lingüísticas: “¡Bravo, bilingüe!� les dice siempre. Una noche, después de una maravillosa puesta en escena de Los tres cerditos, la familia de ratones está a punto de caer entre las garras del Gato-Gatito. Una vez superado el susto, los ratoncitos se animan a montar su propia versión de la obra. Sigue una actividad intensa: el señor Canta supervisa la costura de los disfraces y la construcción de la escenografía, mientras la señora Canta dirige a las grillos músicos, a las arañas escenógrafos y a las polillas acomodadoras del público. Pero cuando al fin llega la noche del estreno, la verdadera estrella resulta ser Chico Canta. Desde la escena, el ratoncito detecta al Gato-Gatito en la sombra y enseguida utiliza su maravilloso don para los idiomas para evitar el desastre. Las tiernas ilustraciones de Amelia Lau Carling, reflejan todas las emociones que viven Chico Canta y su familia: sus alegrías y hazañas, sus temores y triunfos. Todo esto, contra el telón de fondo del viejo y elegante teatro. Una nota de la autora Pat Mora describe cómo ella y su hija Libby escribieron esta historia, inspiradas en un chiste bilingüe que leyeron en un libro de cuentos méxico-americanos.