Author: Amada Irma Pérez
Illustrator: Maya Christina Gonzalez
This book tells the story of a Mexican family’s relocation from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, read directly out of a young girl’s diary. The book is based on the author’s own trip into the United States when she was a child. It captures details of northern Mexico and family life as the author, her mother, and five brothers travel along the US Mexico border on their way to LA to join her father. The illustrations by Maya Cristina Gonzales are whimsical and full of color. The story portrays how hard it is to leave behind one’s own culture and language while looking for a better life. The book ends with a positive thought of hope and resilience. A beautiful book; I recommend it.
El cuento se trata de la mudanza de una familia mexicana de Ciudad Juárez, México, a Los Angeles, California, leído directamente desde las páginas del diario de una niña. El libro está basado en el viaje de la autora a los Estados Unidos cuando era niña. El libro captura detalles del norte de México y de la vida en familia cuando la autora, su madre y sus cinco hermanos viajan a lo largo de la frontera de los EEUU y México camino a Los Angeles para reunirse con su padre. Las ilustraciones de Maya Cristina Gonzalez son mágicas y coloridas. Este libro muestra lo difícil que es dejar atrás la cultura y la lengua propia al buscar una vida mejor. El libro termina con un pensamiento positivo de esperanza y fortaleza. Un hermoso libro; se los recomiendo.
the orchard, through the woods and back home. They greet the orchard fruit, an owl, a cricket and a roaming dog, among many others. Finally, they are home and they greet the night, his bed and his pajamas. He is now ready to sleep. The greetings are both in English – Hello- and Spanish – Hola- and rhyme beautifully. This is a fun book to read and it reminded me of the bedtime routine all children have before they are ready to settle down to sleep. 
Written by Samantha R. Vamos and illustrated by Rafael López (2011). This embedded English/Spanish book tells the story of a farm maiden who, with the help of all the farm animals, makes a rice pudding dish, arroz con leche. The book is written following “The House that Jack Build” repetition pattern and it cleverly inserts new Spanish words in every page. The words are easy to understand as the reader has seen them in English in the previous page. The art work is beautiful. Rafael López uses warm colors and whimsical illustrations to complement the story. My favorite picture is the one with the hen (gallina) grating lemon (limón) while laying an egg (huevo)! Fun book to read.