Educators say children need more familiar images Like many of his third-grade classmates, Mario Cortez-Pacheco likes reading the “Magic Tree House” series, about a brother and a sister who take adventurous trips back in time. He also loves the popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” graphic novels. At Bayard Taylor Elementary in Philadelphia, three-quarters of the students are Hispanic. But Mario, 8, has noticed something about these and many of the other books he encounters in his classroom at Bayard Taylor Elementary here: most of the main characters are white. “I see a lot of people that don’t have a lot of color,” he said. Hispanic students now make up nearly a quarter of the nation’s public school enrollment, according to an analysis of census data by the Pew Hispanic Center, and are the fastest-growing segment of the school population. Yet nonwhite Latino children seldom see themselves in books written …

Authors work to reflect Latino culture in children’s books All it takes is a smile on a student’s face while reading to make Pat Mora happy. “It’s always a pleasure when students hear something familiar to them, and it is transforming to see that quiet little smile,” she says. Mora is a Chicana children’s book author who actively works to bring her culture and heritage into her writing. “We are all too smart to believe that the only group in this country who has wonderful stories to tell and wonderful illustrators happens to be people of European descent,” Mora says. “In such a diverse country, I want all of those voices available to these next generations.” According to a recent report by the New York Times, while Hispanics make up around a quarter of the country’s public school population, they aren’t seeing themselves reflected in the literature in their classrooms. …

Comunidad hispano/latina preocupada porque en las escuelas no hay libros que reflejen nuestra herencia cultural Un reciente estudio del Centro Hispano Pew reveló que los libros en las escuelas primarias no incluyen a la creciente población estudiantil hispana. CEP asegura que uno de cada cuatro niños que recibe educación en los EE.UU. es de origen latinoamericano, pero que los textos no muestran esta realidad. El fundador y director de Arte Público Press, Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, habló a MundoFox sobre el esfuerzo de la editorial por promover la lectura bilingüe y rescatar nuestras raíces culturales. Si quiere ver el reportaje completo, presione aquí.

Alberto Hidalgo-Robert chosen as September 2012’s “Author of the Month” on KUHF Houston Public Radio KUHF radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Alberto Hidalgo-Robert for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on KUHF. About the Author: ALBERTO HIDALGO-ROBERT is the author of Fat No More: A Teenager’s Victory over Obesity (Piñata Books, 2012), a timely memoir about a young adult’s battle with weight. In an absorbing account of his personal struggle, Hidalgo-Robert writes about his life from the low point of his descent into obesity, to how he was able reinvent himself and become a model for other teenagers who are battling weight issues. Each chapter contains “battling” tools, examples of both good and bad behavior and …

Mora chosen as March 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Mora for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: PAT MORA is a renowned writer of poetry, nonfiction and children’s books. She has written over 30 books for children and young adults, including The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería (2001), My Own True Name (2000), The Gift of the Poinsettia/El regalo de la flor de nochebuena (1995), Tomás and the Library Lady (1997) and The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre (1994). An El Paso native and mother of three grown children, she lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Valdez chosen as February 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Valdez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: LUIS VALDEZ is acknowledged as the founder of modern Chicano theatre and film. He was born to migrant farmworkers and spent his early life traveling and working in the fields. He eventually found himself at San Jose State College, where his play “The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa” was staged in 1964. He later joined the United Farm Workers and staged improvisational theatre with the help of union actors to further their causes. This work led to the formation of his theater group, El …

Price chosen as January 2012’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Price for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: MARA PRICE is a native of Mexico and now lives in Southern California.  Mara is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and her work has been published in Iguana, a Spanish-language children’s magazine.  She is the author of Grandma’s Chocolate / El chocolate de Abuelita (Piñata Books, 2010), a bilingual picture book. About her latest book, Grandma’s Chocolate / El chocolate de Abuelita: Abuela’s visits from Mexico are always full of excitement for young Sabrina. She can’t wait to see …

Colato Laínez chosen as May 2011’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Colato Laínez for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: RENÉ COLATO LAÍNEZ came to the United States from El Salvador as a teen, and he writes about his experiences in bilingual children’s books such as Waiting for Papá / Esperando a Papá (Piñata Books, 2004), I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño (2005) and René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos (2009). He is also the author of Playing Lotería / El juego de la lotería (Luna Rising, 2005), My Shoes and I (Boyds Mills …

Saldaña, Jr. chosen as May 2009’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Saldaña, Jr. for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: RENÉ SALDAÑA, JR. is the author of several acclaimed books for children and young adults. He lives in Lubbock, Texas, where he teaches in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida (2009) is the first book in the bilingual Mickey Rangel Mystery series. About his latest book, The Case of the Pen Gone Missing / El caso de la pluma perdida: When Toots Rodríguez approaches Mickey on the …

Villareal chosen as August 2008’s “Author of the Month” on Houston Public Media Houston Public Media radio host Eric Ladau interviewed Ray Villareal for its website’s “Arte Público Press Author of the Month” feature, and along with the transcript, their conversation is available to listeners on the station’s interactive site through on-demand audio streaming here. Click here to see all Arte Público authors featured on Houston Public Media. About the Author: RAY VILLAREAL is the author of two novels for young adults that capture the angst of adolescent life: Alamo Wars (Piñata Books, 2008), and My Father, the Angel of Death (Piñata Books, 2006), which was nominated to the 2008-2009 Lone Star Reading List and named to The New York Public Library’s 2007 Books for the Teen Age. Villareal worked for 30 years as a teacher and an instructional reading coach with the Dallas Independent School District, and his knowledge of kids is obvious in his …