Book Lists

These book lists and articles showcase Hispanic authors, illustrators, characters, and themes.

Check out the Hispanic Heritage Month Book List for a collection of fiction and non-fiction novels and picture books all about Hispanic culture and themes.

The Pura Belpré Award is presented every year to the Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work focuses on the Latino experience in a children's or young adult book. Browse Scholastic's 2000s Pura Belpré Award Winners book list or visit the Pura Belpré Award Homepage for more information.

How to Choose the Best Multicultural Books is a compliation of advice from teachers, writers, and illustrators about how to find sensitive books that accurately portray a variety of cultures, including those of Hispanic heritage.

Artist Carmen Lomas Garza brings Hispanic culture to life through her beautifully vivid paintings and reflections on her experiences growing up Hispanic. Check out Scholastic's Author Bio: Carmen Lomas Garza or go right to Garza's personal website.

The author of Esperanza Rising has written many other books about Hispanic culture. For a biography and list of her books, visit Scholastic's Author Bio: Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Web Resources

Check out these websites for endless lesson plan ideas you can use during Hispanic Heritage Month or anytime throughout the year.

The Smithsonian Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources from Smithsonian Education include informative articles, downloadable lesson plans and activities, and interactive web pages for students. Don't miss the virtual Latino Center's Kids Corner!

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a site put together from the resources of several government organizations including the Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art. The site presents audio and video as well as photographs and other digitized documents covering the rich history of the Latino community in the United States. The National Park Service, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and the Library of Congress teamed up to create a page on the history of Spanish Missions in Texas and California.

The Library of Congress' Hispanic Americans Classroom Materials page is a treasure trove of original documents, webcasts, lesson plans, digitized images, and other materials. The online resources are split between teachers and students material.

World Book's website features a fantastic section about Cinco de Mayo that delves deep into the many cultural backgrounds of Hispanic origins.

The Library of Congress' Hispanic Reading Room provides rich resources about Hispanic history and culture. You can find exhibits, photos, and biographies of Hispanic Americans elected to Congress, information about the creation of Hispanic Heritage Month, and other materials.

LANIC: Latin American Resources is the Latin American Network Information Center's large compilation of links focusing on deepening understanding of Hispanic heritage. The list includes many resources for your students as well as lesson plans and ideas for you.

Enchanted Learning: The Spanish Language includes an online Spanish-English dictionary, a color-matching quiz, and coloring book reproducibles to help your students learn Spanish vocabulary.

Try searching Biography.com's Hispanic Heritage Group for inspiration when forming lesson plans about today's famous Hispanic artists, pop stars, and political figures.