Books published by publisher Pinata Books

"My name is Ana. Every year, my family makes tamales for Christmas. This year, I am six, so I get to mix the dough, which is made of cornmeal. My sister Lidia is eight, so she gets to spread the dough on the corn husk leaves. I wish I was eight, so that my hands would be big enough to spread the dough just right--not too thick and not too thin." And so the years pass, and Ana turns eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen. But every year, big sister Lidia is always two years older. Ana envies her elder sibling and wishes she could do what Lidia does: put just the right amount of meat inside the tamales and roll them up; steam the tamales without scalding herself with the hot, hot steam; chop and cook the meat for the tamales without cutting or burning her hands. When she turns eighteen, though, Ana knows she will keep making tamales and she will be able to do all of the steps herself in her very own factory. When Christmas comes around, Ana will deliver tamales to all of her customers around the world, in delivery trucks that say "Ana's Tamales." And maybe Ana will even let Lidia work for her. Gwendolyn Zepeda's rhythmic prose is combined with April Ward's bright illustrations to create an affectionate and amusing story about sibling relationships that introduces an important Hispanic holiday tradition--making tamales!

"Damn you bastards, coming here making trouble. Bunch of animals." The two police offers responding to a call about an open fire hydrant lash out furiously at the Puerto Rican residents of New York City's El Barrio neighborhood. It's the summer of 1941, and all ten-year-old Nilda wants to do is enjoy the cool water with her friends. But the policemen's curses end their fun, and their animosity is played out over and over again in Nilda's life. She is repeatedly treated with contempt and even disgust by adults in positions of authority: teachers, nurses and social workers.At home, though, she is surrounded by a large and loving--if somewhat eccentric--family that supports and encourages her artistic abilities. She experiences the onset of World War II and watches anxiously as several brothers go off to war; her stepfather s poor health means he can t work, causing serious financial difficulties for the family; one brother slinks off to the underworld, leaving behind a pregnant girlfriend, adding two more mouths to feed to the family s already dire situation. Named an "Outstanding Book of the Year" by The New York Times and one of the "Best Books of the Year" by the American Library Association in 1973 when it was first published, Nicholasa Mohr's classic novel about life as an immigrant in New York City offers a poignant look at one young girl's experiences. Issues of race, religion and machismo are realistically and movingly depicted in this groundbreaking coming-of-age novel that was one of the first by a Latina author to be hailed by the mainstream media.

As Beto looks at the eight candles on his birthday cake, he knows that his wish is always the same. Beto wishes that he could be with his father every chance he gets. It has been three years since he and Mama left El Salvador. Lurking in his mind are the memories of the losses they suffered before leaving: the bombing of a factory, the burning of the family home, the loss of all their possessions, but most of all, he thinks of the father that he has left behind. In the United States, Mama has found a job in a sewing factory making jeans, and they are trying to bring Papa to the United States with the help of an immigration lawyer. But this is only the beginning, and for Beto, it seems that his father cannot come fast enough. One day in school, Beto is given the opportunity to write his father a letter. When he is invited to read his letter on RADIO Voz del Inmigrante, his heartfelt homage to home spurs a surprising chain of events that even the imaginative Beto could not have expected.

Pilar's mother has been extra vigilant about her fifteen-year-old daughter's diet after she came home from school in tears. The truth is, Pilar wouldn't mind losing some weight. She dreams of becoming an actor and wants to try out for the school production of "Our Town," but she's reminded constantly that she's too ugly, too fat, too Mexican. With the encouragement of some new friends and her feisty grandmother who thinks she's perfect just the way she is, Pilar works up the nerve to try out for the play in spite of continued harassment by Becca Barlowe and her posse. But when a handsome high school jock plays a mean trick on her that becomes a social media sensation, Pilar once again finds herself using food to anesthetize her pain. This appealing novel for mature teens juxtaposes Pilar's story with her grandmother's when she was married to a male chauvinist years earlier in Laredo, Texas. Both women must struggle to find their own voice in a world where others insist on defining them as "less than." Capturing the heartache of seeking and accepting one s true self, Anna Garcia Schaper movingly explores the strength of family bonds and their importance in overcoming difficult and sometimes tragic circumstances.

Ten-year-old Jose M. Hernandez watched the Apollo 17 moonwalks on his family s black and white television in 1972 and knew what he wanted to be when he grew up: an astronaut. Later that night he told his father and was surprised when his dad said, You can do this, m'ijo!Mr. Hernandez told his son that if he really wanted to become an astronaut, he would need to follow a simple, five-ingredient recipe to succeed: 1) decide what you want, 2) recognize how far you are from your goal, 3) draw a road map to get there, 4) prepare yourself with a good education, and 5) develop a good work ethic, always giving more than required. In the years to come, Jose would follow this recipe as he obtained undergraduate and master s degrees in electrical engineering. Adding his own ingredient, perseverance, he applied to NASA s astronaut program eleven times and was rejected each time! Finally, in 2004, he was selected to be part of the 19th class of US Astronauts. He achieved his dream in 2009 when he served as the flight engineer on the Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 fourteen-day mission to the International Space Station.In From Farmworker to Astronaut, Jose M. Hernandez recollects his parallel journeys, juxtaposing memories of his mission to the space station and childhood aspirations to reach the stars. His story is sure to motivate kids to set goals and reach for their own dreams.

Holly Hernandez, voted "Miss Bright of '79" and valedictorian at her previous school, is excited to start fresh at Flatbush Technical High School, one of the most competitive public schools in New York City. She'll be one of thousands; anonymous. But her dreams of a normal school life disappear when her mother, a homicide detective, has to investigate the murder of Mr. Friedman, the social studies teacher. One of her classmates, Xander Herrera, quickly becomes the primary suspect. The tall, awkward boy is socially inept, but Holly doesn't think he's a murderer. She is intent on exonerating him but he wants nothing to do with her. To Xander, Holly is the overly enthusiastic student who always sits in the front row and answers all the teachers' questions correctly. He hates perky people! Eventually cleared of the crime, Xander is determined to find the killer before Holly. As they race to solve the case, their separate investigations lead to a slew of suspects, including another teacher seen arguing with Friedman and a mysterious person named Steve who met with him several times before his death. Could it have been a disgruntled student? Ultimately, a trophy for a disco-dancing contest leads the intrepid young detectives to the Mission Venus nightclub and a murderer intent on killing again!

It was Adelita's first day at a new school, and she didn't know anyone! As Miss Cantú started a lesson on vegetables, cries of "I hate vegetables" filled the classroom. She watched the kids as they gathered around the teacher's desk to select a vegetable of their own from the basket. Two boys tossed a brown vegetable like a football!But it's the friendly girl in the red T-shirt who introduces herself as Jasmine that interests Adelita most. She offers Adelita her choice of the green or yellow vegetable, observing "these two veggies must be cousins" because they look alike. When Jasmine wonders what they're called, Adelita says her grandmother calls them calabacitas. Ms. Cantú overhears the girls and confirms that the squash are related. And to Adelita's surprise, her teacher also calls squash calabacitas!Children--and some parents too--will look at vegetables in a whole new way after reading this charming story about making new friends. Award-winning author Diane Gonzales Bertrand once again pairs with illustrator Christina Rodriguez to create a book that will resonate with children ages 4-8 as they build skills and confidence in school and social situations.

Marco, the new boy in school, is small and mean as a skunk. He has no fear. Mickey knows, because he saw the incident with Simón Ortega, a football player who s a head and a half taller than Marco. The short boy is sly too even though he started the fight, it s Simón who ends up in the principal s office, in trouble for beating up a smaller kid!Mickey plans to do the right thing and tell the principal what he saw, but the next day Marco threatens him and everyone else if they tell. Because of him, Simón has in-school suspension for two weeks and is off the football team. Imagine what I can do to you if you stick your fat noses into my business. Unable to understand why Marco is so mean, Mickey is even more dumbfounded when Bucho, the school s resident bully, backs down from the new, short kid. What drives a bully? Mickey wonders. Thus his newest challenge: to turn a bully into a friend, or at the very least, a nicer person. Mickey Rangel, kid detective extraordinaire, is on the case!In the fifth novel of the Mickey Rangel Mystery series, author and educator René Saldaña, Jr. crafts another entertaining book for intermediate readers about a subject every school kid has experienced: mean classmates who knock others down to feel better about themselves.

My name is Fire / but everyone calls me / Little Fire. In this beautiful, poetic ode to the invigorating power of fire, award-winning children s book author Jorge Argueta describes in English, Spanish and Nahuat the characteristics of fire from the perspective of one little flame. From its birth as a spark, Little Fire flits like a firefly and plays hide and seek inside a volcano. He grows between two sticks rubbed together or on a stone that strikes another. Little Fire is red, yellow, orange and turquoise. I look like the sun / but I am no sun. / I am Fire, Little Fire / who laughs, / who dances. Little Fire sings, sizzle, / hiss, / whoosh, / crackle, crackle.With stunningly beautiful illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara that depict the natural world, this poem about the importance of fire reflects Argueta s indigenous roots and his appreciation for nature. Containing the English and Spanish text on each page, the entire poem appears at the end in Nahuat, the language of Argueta s Pipil-Nahua ancestors. The sequel to Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water, this book is an excellent choice to encourage children to write their own poems about the environment.

Flaca's chancleta, or flip flop, has gone missing! She prepares to investigate the theft: "Pencil and notepad: in hand. Straw hat for disguise: on. Magnifying glass: Check." She interviews each of her family members, all of whom are suspects. Oddly, their stories check out, so Flaca will have to dig deeper to find the culprit. Normally, Detective Flaca a pale, scrawny second grader doesn't allow civilians to read her confidential case files. But young readers willing to sign the confidentiality agreement that appears before the three top-secret cases included in this bilingual collection are in luck! In "The Case of the Missing China," Flaca discovers small pieces of china or oranges for those who grew up in Puerto Rico in a fruit cup included in her lunch. She's allergic to oranges, so she immediately suspects someone is trying to harm her. But who could it be? And in "The Case of the Lost Salsa," Flaca is dismayed to learn she will have to dance salsa at her older sister's quinceanera. Attending the birthday party is bad enough, but performing in front of everyone is unimaginable! When Flaca starts dance lessons, she realizes her "salsa" is missing. She uses her finely tuned detective skills to locate her lost dancing abilities, ultimately discovering that one's inner "salsa" can't be found with pencil and paper. Narrated by Detective Flaca in hard-boiled detective style, this bilingual collection of inter-related short stories for intermediate readers will appeal to seasoned and reluctant readers alike. And Flaca will surely inspire a host of amateur private investigators!