Bøger udgivet af PINATA BOOKS

"Jasminne Mendez didn't speak English when she started kindergarten, and her young, white teacher thought the girl was deaf because in Louisiana, you were either Black or white. She had no idea that a Black girl could be a Spanish speaker. In this memoir for teens about growing up Afro Latina in the Deep South, Jasminne writes about feeling torn between her Dominican, Spanish-speaking culture at home and and American, English-speaking one around her. She desperately wanted to fit in, to be seen as American, and she realized early on that language mattered. Learning to read and write English well was the road to acceptance. Mendez shares typical childhood experiences such as having an imaginatry friend, boys and puberty, but she also exposes the anti-Black racism within her own family and the conflict created by her family's conservative traditions. She was not allowed to do things other girls could, like date boys, shave her legs or wear heels. 'I wanted us to find some common ground,' she writes about her parents, 'but it seemed like we were from two different worlds, and our islands kept drifting farther and farther apart.'"

"My name / is Water / but everyone / calls me Little Water." In this beautiful, poetic ode to the life-giving force of water, award-winning children's book author Jorge Argueta describes"€"in English, Spanish and Nahuat"€"the life cycle of water from the perspective of one drop. From its birth deep in Mother Earth, Little Water climbs to the surface, passing through roots and rocks, light and darkness. Finally, the tiny bead of water makes it to the top and rests, "a sigh of morning dew," hanging on "the tips of leaves / on spider webs / or on the petals / of flowers." The droplet becomes a river, a lake, an ocean, ultimately climbing to the sky and turning into a cloud. Then, "drop by drop / I return singing / to our Mother Earth. I am Little Water. / I am life." With stunningly beautiful illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcntara that depict the mountains, rocks, vegetation and animals of the natural world, this poem about the importance of water 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. This book is an excellent choice to encourage children to write their own poems about the natural world and to begin conversations about the interconnected web of life.

A young boy's grandmother lives far away, but they keep in touch using cell phones and other devices. She calls him every day, and they talk, play games and sometimes even sing songs. She sends him photos of her dogs, Ambar and Goliath, and he uses his dad's phone to show her their house and send videos. He always waits expectantly for her daily call, but one day he doesn't hear from her. The next time they talk, she is wearing a mask that covers her nose and mouth. She said she wasn't feeling well. A few days later on their video call, she wears a mask with a tube attached. His father explained the tube was connected to an oxygen tank to help her breathe. Then she stops calling altogether, and the boy is worried. Will he need to go rescue her?

Six-year-old Dulce loves sweets, which is fitting since her name means "sweet." She especially relishes the candy in birthday piänatas, and she and her sister can't wait for her own party "with candles and cake, / balloons, music and a piänata." Kids will eagerly follow Dulce and her sweet tooth in search of the perfect birthday treats. At the store, there are brightly colored piänatas shaped like stars, cacti, donkeys and even a guitar! How to decide?!? And what does she want to fill its belly with? There are "mountains of delicious candies" to choose from! There are mazapanes, tamarindo and sweet toffee! Crunchy wafers with teeth made of seeds and sugar-crusted sweet potato slices! Claudia Navarro's colorful illustrations joyfully depict two girls' excitement at a traditional Mexican birthday celebration where hitting the piänata leads to a cascade of sweet treasures. Children--and some adults too--will enjoy identifying their favorite candies, and this bilingual picture book for children ages 4-8 is sure to inspire kids' plans for their own birthday celebrations!

"In this poetic ode to kids' favorite fall holiday, a young boy eagerly anticipates the impending night. There are so many costumes to choose from that he can't decide. But finally, "A fierce pirate that's what I'll be, / and no one will recognize me." There are pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses and spooky front porches. And best of all, the treats! Nicole Montenegro's vibrant illustrations bring to life a neighborhood with children in elaborate costumes--a mummy, a princess, a cowboy, Dracula!--, going from door to door calling, "Trick or treat!" This bilingual picture book will encourage children ages 4-8 to write their own poems about Halloween--and of course begin imagining their costumes for a very special night!"--Amazon.com

Young Lupe loves helping her mother with their salsa garden full of tomatoes, chile peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro. But one summer day, she sees that the biggest, juiciest tomatoes have disappeared! Who could have taken them?!? Two weeks later, she catches the culprit in the act! It's Antonio, the new boy at school. His family doesn't have much money and the tomatoes look so good. He offers his gold necklace from his grandmother in Mexico in exchange for the tomatoes, but Lupe has a better idea. "Let's make a deal. You help me with the garden, and I'll give back your necklace and some tomatoes." They become friends over the summer as they weed, water and pick vegetables. When the growing season ends and they have composted the leaves and stems, Lupe happily returns Antonio's necklace. The following year, Lupe and Antonio invite their neighbors to help with the garden. Soon everyone is pitching in to grow fruit and vegetables for salsa and much more, from tomatoes to watermelon, and squash, beans and corn--America's first crops. Including easy-to-make recipes, this bilingual picture book for children ages 4-8 will have them clamoring for a garden of their own to plant and harvest. Along the way, young readers--and the adults in their lives too--will learn that coming together as a community will enable them to harvest more than just vegetables.