Books with author Patricia Bell

Beautiful Baby is the story of Lali, a teenage Hispanic girl, whose life is locked in the grip of the great migration called the migrant stream. Her life seems dead-end at best but something drives her to reach the goals she has set for herself, to reach into the depth of what makes her the person she is. She has been the victim of prejudice and racism. And, as if these obstacles are not enough, she has a mother suffering from depression and an uncle who harasses and discourages her from trying to reach her goal of graduating high school. Where does her motivation come from? Lali meets all of these challenges and more while on the road with her family, moving from farm to farm, under the gentle influence of Nana, Lali's grandmother, the heart of the family who guides and teaches them all, who encourages and nurtures their spirits with her gift of unconditional love. Although illiterate and unschooled, she is innately wise and compassionate. Her words teach life lessons which are universal values.

When 13-year-old Lupita's father dies in a commercial fishing accident in the seas near their small Mexican village, Lupita's mother makes a difficult decision. Lupita and her brother Salvador must cross over the border to the U.S. to earn enough money to support their mother and younger siblings. But crossing over the border is a difficult and dangerous business, which can end in capture, imprisonment, or death. Young Adult.

Patricia Betters wrote Oink, A Love Story and Oink and the Willow House based on her childhood growing up on a farm in Ridgway, Colorado during the 1940’ and 1950’s. This second story, Oink and the Willow House, begins when the trio, Patty, Oink, and Tippy set off on a day of adventure. What started as a simple project turned into so much more than they could have imagined, as they learned valueable lessons about friendship and loyalty.