“Nation’s Population One-Third Minority” reads the headline of a news release from the U.S. Census Bureau dated May 10, 2006.  The release states that Hispanics are the fastest-growing and largest group at 42.7 million. 

Aware that the U.S. Latino population is estimated to have a disposable income of 1 trillion, many major corporations have initiated a Latino outreach division.  For complex reasons, many large publishing companies have yet to make a full commitment to this population.  Children’s book publishers don’t yet find it compelling that, for example, Hispanics were 17% of the public school population K-12 in 2000, 19% in 2004 and growing since this population is younger than the national average, 1/3 under 18 years of age.

I’d like to believe that although publishing is a business, many publishers are committed to sharing bookjoy and fostering a nation of readers.  The following are suggestions to publishers for outreach to U.S. Latino children and families and the libraries and schools that serve them. 

1. Hire competent, creative Latino staff committed to building your Latino line in upper-level editorial and marketing positions and invest in their visibility in the school and library market.
2. Charge your editorial and marketing staff with developing in- depth knowledge of the Latino consumer population: demographics, needs, values, buying patterns.
3. Assess your catalog.  Since you value authenticity, what percentage of your books are by Latinos?
4. Publish, promote and package your books in ways that assist teachers and librarians, most of whom are non-Spanish speakers, to meet the literacy needs of their Latin students/families/patrons.
5. Be as creative about your Latino initiative as you are about other major literacy projects/target markets remembering that this highly diverse population is described as “loyal” by marketers. 
6. Form strong, positive relationships with national Latino advocacy organizations with a strong literacy focus such as the American Library Association (ALA) affiliate REFORMA (The National Association To Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking).  Include members in your special events and listen to their suggestions.
7. Assess your guest list for conference events to insure the presence of Latina/o conference attendees.
8. Budget promotions for Latina/o authors and illustrators to build name recognition. 
9. Budget attendance and high visibility at events such as the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE).
10. Connect your books and promotions (posters, book marks, etc.) with Latino celebrations such as Hispanic Heritage Month (mid-September to Mid-October) and El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Day/Book Day, a daily commitment to link all children to books, languages and cultures that culminates in a national celebration annually on April 30th.  This family literacy initiative is now housed at Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC), www.ala.org/dia.

- Pat Mora, June, 2006

Questions for reflection:

1. Am I an active part of creating an inclusive school community, a community in which each person is valued?
2. Have I assessed my own heritage? Have I assessed the assumptions and values that emerge from my personal history?
3. Have I assessed the cultural backgrounds of the staff and students?
4. Have I acknowledged my need to continue learning about our human diversity and the need to dignify the cultures, languages, and homes of my students?
5. Do I encourage participation by all parents/families--including non- English-speaking parents and parents with limited economic means--in the educational experiences of their children?
6. Do I avoid defining culture only as the 4 fs: food, folklore, fashion, and festival?
7. Do I create a classroom climate in which no culture dominates, in which all languages are valued, in which varying learning styles are encouraged?
8. Do I provide varied reading and writing experiences that reflect local, regional, national and international diversity?
9. Do I select diverse curriculum materials for authenticity, materials that reflect cultural complexities rather than re-enforcing stereotypes?
10. Do our classrooms, our library and school equally reflect the contributions of this country's many heritages?
11. Does our school prepare students to participate actively in a pluralistic democracy?

--Pat Mora

More and more teachers and librarians are becoming excited about children’s books by Latino authors, about serving Latino families more effectively, and about sharing books by Latino authors with all children.  Since books help us cross borders and build community, we all profit from reading about the different cultures that comprise our diverse country.

Often I’m asked to recommend authors, and I do have a small sampler on this web site, but I decided also to share some valuable resources.  Enjoy!

• Ada, Alma Flor. A Magical Encounter: Latino Children’s Literature in the Classroom (Second Edition)
• Alire, Camila and Orlando Archibeque.  Serving Latino Communities: A How-To- Do-It Manual for Librarians
• Byrd, Susannah Mississippi, ¡Bienvenidos! Welcome! A Handy Resource Guide to Marketing Your Library to Latinos
• Day, Frances Ann. Latina and Latino Voices in Literature: Lives and Works. Updated and Expanded
• Eggers-Piérola, Costanza. Connections & Commitments: Reflecting Latino Values in Early Childhood Programs
• Endrizzi, Charlene Klassen. Becoming Teammates: Teachers and Families as Literacy Partners
• Immroth, Barbara and Kathleen de la Peña McCook (eds.) Library Services to Youth of Hispanic Heritage
• Menard, Valerie. The Latino Holiday Book Spanish edition, Celebremos
• Moller, Sharon Chickering.  Library Service to Spanish Speaking Patrons:  A Practical Guide
• Pavon, Ana-Elba, Diana Borrego. 25 Latino Craft Projects (Celebrating Culture in Your Library Series)
• Treviño, Rose Zertuche (ed.), (1) The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators and (2) Read Me a Rhyme in Spanish and English .
• Wadham, Tim. Programming With Latino Children's Materials: A How-To Do-It Manual For Librarians
• York, Sherry.  (1) Picture Books by Latino Writers: A Guide for Librarians, Teachers, Parents and Students and (2) Children’s and Young Adult Literature by Latino Writers: A Guide for Librarians, Teachers, Parents, and Students

• International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)
• Latino Artistic Expression: An Educational Guide for Teachers [PDF]—this resource guide is based on the PBS documentary Visiones: Latinos Arts and Culture, produced by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. All activities and content may be adapted for appropriate use with students in grades K-12.
• Latino Voices for America -AAP has recommended reading lists to support the celebrations of Dia, Latino Books Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Latinoteca - the world of Latino culture and arts.
• Newbery Discussion - here are some interesting articles (surrounding the 2009 Newbery announcement) about diversity in Newbery winners:
  • Blacks, Hispanics Are Rare Heroes With Newbery Kids Books Medal - article from Bloomberg.com.
  • Study: Newbery-Winning Books Lack Diversity - article from SLJ's Extra Helping
• NPR's Latino USA
• Poetas y Pintores: Artists Conversing with Verse - Pat's poetry for adults was featured in this traveling exhibition featuring contemporary Latino art and poetry.
• Reading Rockets - is a national multimedia project offering information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
• Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies/Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources -- a wealth of artistic, cultural, historical, and biographical multimedia resources about Latinos.
• TeachingBooks.net has graciously given special access to their resources about Pat Mora. Click here for interviews, book readings, teacher discussion guides and videos about Pat and her books.
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission - Bilingual programming resources, including Día
• United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)\
• Weaving Our Stories: A Select Multicultural Booklist for Preschool Children [PDF]

• La Bloga – Chicana/o, Latina/o liiterature, writers, children's literature, news, views and reviews.
• Latin Baby Book Club – a group blog formed to provide parents with suggested reading for their families. Our goal is to help our children develop pride for their Latin culture through education and literature.
• Libraries Spanish and Kids – a new blog by and for children's librarians serving Spanish-speaking children; connected to CHILES, a website dedicated to providing resources, ideas, and support to non-Spanish-speaking children's librarians who serve Spanish-speaking children.
• Los Bloguitos – a blog for children who speak or are learning Spanish. Los Bloguitos is full of songs, poems, cuentos, dichos and riddles. Our goal is to post beautiful stories from Latin American and create new ones.
• My World Mi Mundo – the blogger is an ESL teacher.