Latino Heritage Month Children's Books: Reflections
Most people read children’s books when they are children. A lucky few encounter them again when they are raising their own children, and again, maybe, with their grandchildren. Then there are those fortunate enough to have stayed tuned into the world of children’s literature uninterrupted for decades. We see the patterns and trends that reveal themselves over time.
With luck, we get to witness the growth of new writers and even entire genres brought forth by one person’s idea. To see worlds born and then expand is a magnificent experience.
As publishing houses have opened their doors to include more voices, readers have benefited by seeing more accurate reflections of life experiences for marginalized groups. I cannot recall a single book read to me as a child that authentically reflected the family life I was lucky enough to have been born into. Weekends were filled with aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins galore. We lived in predominantly Latino neighborhoods, went to predominantly Latino schools and had no fear of each other as we moved through our daily lives. These simple truths were not often depicted in children’s books. The few that I recall reading would inevitably reveal a character caught in a gang war, or focus on the hardship of being othered and most likely poor. These were the first windows into the world beyond the one I lived in, the world where I could be expected to be treated as less than and where I would become suspect because of the places and people I come from. I learned this from books.
In 1994, when I was ten years old, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported that out of the 4,500 titles they reviewed only 90 were by or about Latine people. In 2002, the year I graduated high school CCBC reported that of the 3,150 books reviewed, 48 were by Latine creators with 94 titles focused on Latine stories. These numbers do not account for what books would have been accessible at my local bookstore or library.
Since 2014 we’ve seen the profound influence of We Need Diverse Books and their call to expand the worlds BIPOC children are allowed to inhabit in literature. In 2025, out of the 3,600 titles that CCBC reviewed, their Latine creators tally reached 401 and books about Latines reached 254. These hard earned victories are impactful.
I am beyond grateful to read stories like Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz, Rafa Counts on Papa by Joe Cepeda and My Papa Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero. Each time I come in contact with a Lois Lora illustrated book, my breath is taken away and Zak Pena’s bold illustrations allow us to take up the space in the world that we deserve to occupy - just like everyone else. The love and care reflected to us in books by so many of today’s Latine creators heals generations.
A Southern California Latine Heritage Month Booklist
Children’s Picture Books
May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart
Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
Mamá's Panza by Isabel Quintero
My Name is Cool by Antonio Sacre
Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock by Jesus Trejo
The ABCs of Baby’s Needs series by Lois Lora
Menudo Sunday by María Dolores Águila
Children’s Fiction
Chupacarter by George Lopez
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
Young Adult Fiction
When We Ride by Rex Ogle
A Sea of Lemon Trees by María Dolores Águila
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
Sources:
We Need Diverse Books | Discover Inclusive Books Today
"Casual Diversity" and the children's book - A Fuse #8 Production
- CLCSC Board Member Diane Garcia