I recently had the pleasure of discovering poetry (or
rather, rediscovering poetry, since I used to enjoy reading it as a kid) thanks
to a class on children’s literature genres that I took for my Library Science
degree. While working on an assignment
to survey part of the children’s section at my local library and found a bunch
of great kid’s poetry books and thought I’d share a few of them. Hopefully y’all might find some that interest you too.
Yes! We Are Latinos is a collection of free-verse poems about the experiences of Latino children in the United States, showcasing a great diversity of characters who are Black, Indigenous, white, and of mixed Hispanic heritage. The book also includes groups who may not be as widely known, such as Latinos of Japanese and Chinese descent, and Sephardic Jews who fled Spain in the Middle Ages. Each poem is accompanied by background history on topics such as the Spanish Civil War, migrant farmworkers, and African heritage. These notes especially appealed to me because they gave each poem more context and really helped build an appreciation for the history and experiences of Latino culture.
The poem titles follow the same formula, beginning with “My Name is ___” followed by the
ethnicity and cultural relationship of the narrator. For example: “My Name is
Monica. I Am From El Salvador. I Live in Houston. I am Texan. I am Latina.” Each is a short vignette in the life of a Latino
child. There is a girl questioning what
she wants in life as she prepares for her quinceañera; a migrant worker boy
catching a ride in his father’s truck and thinking about the life he left
behind in Mexico; A boy dreaming about becoming a painter; and more. Though the
stories differ, there is a strong theme running through them about dreams for
the future and building a better life.
Each poem is accompanied by Diaz’ black-and-white illustrations
which resemble wall murals, Mexican papel picado banners, and even shadow
puppets.
Oddly, despite trying to encompass the breadth of Latinx people, the book glaringly does not feature any characters of Brazilian ancestry, even though this country is the largest and one of the most diverse in Latin America. The book also lacks characters from other countries where Spanish is not the dominant language, such as Suriname where Dutch is the official language, French Guiana where French is mainly spoken; or Guyana and Belize where a sizeable portion of the population speak English. Indeed, the book seems to be focused mainly on Hispanic identities with a few exceptions such as the Sephardic Jewish family in “My Name is Sultana, o Susana”, and the white Spanish family in “My Name is Rocio” who fled to Mexico, then the US during the Spanish Civil War. While these omissions do knock the book down a little in my rating, the collection does a good job of highlighting the diverse Latino identities of people living in the United States. And as Ada states in the Introduction: “Whatever your background, this book is an invitation to look inside yourself.”
You can get a copy of Yes! We Are Latinos at Bookshop.org or at Amazon
