Monica Brown

Bilingual English/Spanish. Based on a Yiddish folk song, a young girl's cherished baby blanket becomes old and worn over time and she finds new ways to use it as she grows up. Little Maya has a special blanket that Grandma stitched with her own two hands. As Maya grows, her blanket becomes worn and frayed, so with Grandma's help, Maya makes it into a dress. Over time the dress is made into a skirt, a shawl, a scarf, a hair ribbon, and finally, a bookmark. Each item has special, magical, meaning for Maya; it animates her adventures, protects her, or helps her in some way. But when Maya loses her bookmark, she preserves her memories by creating a book about her adventures and love of these items. When Maya grows up, she shares her book--Maya's Blanket/La manta de Maya--with her own little daughter while snuggled under her own special blanket. Inspired by the traditional Yiddish folk song "Hob Ikh Mir a Mantl" ("I Had a Little Coat"), this delightful bilingual picture book puts a child-focused, Latino spin on the tale of an item that is made into smaller and smaller items. Maya's Blanket/La manta de Maya charmingly brings to life this celebration creativity, recycling, and enduring family love.

In the follow-up to the Pura Belpr Award Honor-winning Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina, everyone's favorite mismatched heroine turns eight and throws a fabulously mismatched party. En esta continuaci n del ganador del Honor del Premio Pura Belpr Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina, la hero na favorita de todos cumple ocho a os y celebra con una fiesta en su estilo nico e fabuloso de cosas que no combinan. Marisol is turning eight, and it's time to plan a birthday party that will be fabulous, marvelous, and divine. She also hopes that Abuelita, who lives far away in Peru, will be able to come to the celebration. At the party store, Marisol can't decide what kind of party to have. There are so many choices, but everything in the store matches Nothing seems right for soccer, pirate, princess, unicorn-loving Marisol. Finally she comes up with just the right idea, and when her friends arrive for her Clash Bash birthday, a big surprise awaits. But in a heartwarming turn of events, Marisol gets the biggest surprise of all--a visit from Abuelita via computer. In this delightful story told in English and Spanish, author Monica Brown and illustrator Sara Palacios once again bring the irrepressible Marisol McDonald to life. With her bright red hair, golden brown skin, mismatched outfits, and endearing individuality, this free-spirited Peruvian-Scottish-American girl is headed straight into the hearts of young readers everywhere. Marisol va a cumplir ocho a os y es tiempo de organizar una fiesta que va ser fabulosa, maravillosa y divina. Tambi n espera que Abuelita, que vive lejos en Peru, vaya poder venir a la celebraci n. En la tienda de fiestas, Marisol no puede decidir que tipo de fiesta tener. Hay tantas opciones, pero todo en la tienda combina Nada parece correcto para Marisol, la aficionada de futb l, piratas, princesas e unicornios. Al fin, se le ocurre justo la idea correcta y cuando sus amigos llegan a su fiesta sin igual, una gran sorpresa les espera. Pero en un desarrollo conmovedor, Marisol recibe la sorpresa m s grande de todos--una visita de su abuelita a trav s de la computadora. En esta historia encantadora contada en ingl s y espa ol, autora Monica Brown e ilustradora Sara Palacios le dan vida a la incontenible Marisol McDonald una vez m s. Con su brillante pelo rojo, piel cafe dorado, ropa que no combina y su individualismo simp tico, esta ni a Pueruanoescoc samericana de esp ritu libre va dirigida derecho a los corazones de los lectores jovenes de todas partes. Check out the other titles in this series: MARISOL MCDONALD AND THE CLASH BASH / MARISOL MCDONALD Y LA FIESTA SIN IGUAL - MARISOL MCDONALD AND THE MONSTER / MARISOL MCDONALD Y EL MONSTRUO - MARISOL MCDONALD DOESN'T MATCH / MARISOL MCDONALD NO COMBINA

In this vibrant bilingual picture book biography of musician Tito Puente, readers will dance along to the beat of the mambo king's life. Tito Puente loved banging pots and pans as a child, but what he really dreamed of was having his own band one day. From Spanish Harlem to the Grammy Awards--and all the beats in between--this is the true life story of a boy whose passion for music turned him into the "King of Mambo." Award-winning author-illustrator duo Monica Brown and Rafael L pez bring the remarkable story of this talented legend to life in this Pura Belpr Honor Book.

A powerful and accesible bilingual picture book that highlights "the power and impact of ordinary but dedicated citizens."*Every day, thousands of farmworkers harvested the food that ended up on kitchen tables all over the country. But at the end of the day, when the workers sat down to eat, there were only beans on their own tables. Then Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez teamed up. Together they motivated the workers to fight for their rights and, in the process, changed history. Award-winning author Monica Brown and acclaimed illustrator Joe Cepeda join together to create this stunning tribute to two of the most influential people of the twentieth century." I love that this book introduces Dolores and Cesar as children and connects their early life experiences to the decisions they made as they grew up," commented reviewer Maria Ramos-Chertok in the blog "Latinxs in Kid Lit." "Given that I longed for bilingual children's books when my two sons were growing up, I only wish I had known about this book earlier." She added that Side by Side offers opportunities to open discussions about work and career, feminism, and friendship, as well as a fresh perspective on history. Todos los d as, miles de campesinos cosechaban los alimentos que se serv an en los hogares de todo el pa s. Pero al terminar la jornada, cuando los campesinos se sentaban a comer, lo nico que hab a en sus propias mesas era frijoles. Entonces, Dolores Huerta y C sar Ch vez se unieron para motivar a los trabajadores a luchar por sus derechos y en el proceso, cambiaron el curso de la historia. La premiada autora Monica Brown y el aclamado ilustrador Joe Cepeda se unen para crear ste impresionante tributo a dos de las personas m s influentes del siglo veinte.*Publishers Weekly

This acclaimed bilingual children's book, Spanish/English, is a fun way to introduce simple words and phrases in both languages and is sure to be a welcome resource at home and in schools and libraries. Monica Brown and Rudy Gutierrez team up to deliver what Kirkus called, in a starred review, an "inspiring blend of art and story," about the most famous soccer star in the world, Pel . This bilingual picture book will inspire, teach, and amaze readers as they learn about the man who revolutionized the sport of soccer. Do you know how a poor boy from Brazil who loved f tbol more than anything else became the biggest soccer star the world has ever known? This is the true story of Pel , King of Soccer, the first man in the history of the sport to score a thousand goals and become a living legend. Rudy Gutierrez's dynamic illustrations make award-winning author Monica Brown's story of this remarkable sports hero come alive

An introduction to the life and work of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author describes his childhood in Aracataca, Colombia, and how the things that surrounded him inspired his imagination and his desire to become a storyteller.

This picture-book biography of Gabriel Garcia Mrquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude) traces the Nobel Prize-winning novelists life from his childhood in Colombia to today, using the imagery from his eclectic novels. Full color.

Gabriela Mistral understood the power of words. She worked hard in school and became a teacher and a poet.

This bilingual book allows young readers to enter Celia Cruz's life as she becomes a well-known singer in her homeland of Cuba, then moves to New York City and Miami where she and others create a new type of music called salsa. School Library Journal has named My Name is Celia "[a]n exuberant picture-book biography ...a brilliant introduction to a significant woman and her music."

Explores how Latino gang culture mirrors the most destructive aspects of the American Dream through a look at novels and memoirs"There’s a place for us / Somewhere a place for us." With the emergence of a rich body of literature chronicling the experiences of Latino and Latina gang members, popular understanding of this outlaw culture has advanced far beyond West Side Story. However, the diverse works discussed in this important book-ranging from the breakthrough 1967 memoir Down These Mean Streets and the crime novel Carlito’s Way to the play Zoot Suit and the World War II-era historical novel Don’t Spit on My Corner, to more recent works such as Always Running/La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L. A. and Chicana gang narratives like Locas and Two Badges-all share with the award-winning musical a crucial discourse on nationality, citizenship, and belonging. In Gang Nation, Monica Brown offers a sophisticated analysis of these narratives produced by former gang members and by "outside" observers writing within the Latino community. She examines the ubiquity of language and behavior within this literature that reveal the frustrated longings within gangs for greater participation in America’s national culture and the desire of members to craft an alternative environment in which they are welcome. Through literature and memoirs written from within the culture, Brown illustrates how these youth mimic the rhetoric and rituals of American nationalism’s most destructive aspects-intense territoriality, justification of violence, and cultural chauvinism-to assert their citizenship in an alternative nation. Before now, studies of gang culture have centered on either the choices of individual members or the social forces that inspire their unfocused rage. But through Latino and Chicano gang literature, Brown provides a more nuanced portrait of that culture, one that raises broader concerns about dominant nationalism, civil rights, the criminalization of urban youth of color, and the often unfulfilled sense of communal identity and acceptance among American youth.