19 Children's Books To Read In Honor Of Hispanic Heritage Month

Time to make room on those bookshelves.

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We gathered children's books to read in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (and year-round, of course).
POW!/Holiday House
We gathered children's books to read in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (and year-round, of course).

Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and if your kid is a little bookworm, there are plenty of ways to celebrate.

This celebration started as a Hispanic Heritage Week until 1988, when it was expanded to a 30-day event that now lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. And even today, as some choose to look down upon our many differences instead of celebrate them, it’s important to remember that Latino history is American history. We rounded up 19 children’s books to teach kids the same thing, through cultural icons, traditions, art and more. Check them out below.

"I Love Saturdays y Domingos"
I Love Saturdays y Domingos follows a girl as she shares stories about her two sets of grandparents: her Grandma and Grandpa as well as her Abuelito and Abuelita. (Available here)
"What Can You Do with a Paleta?/¿Qué Puedes Hacer con una Paleta?
This bilingual book from poet Carmen Tafolla highlights a favorite dessert called a paleta, also known as a popsicle. (Available here)
"La Princesa and the Pea"
La Princesa and the Pea puts a bilingual twist on the classic fairytale from Hans Christian Andersen. (Available here)
"Lucía the Luchadora"
After Lucía hears girls can't be superheroes, she learns of and embraces her family's past as women wrestlers of the lucha libre tradition who are known as luchadoras. (Available here)
"Danza: Amalia Hernández and El Ballet Folklórico de México"
Danza! tells the story of Mexican dance legend Amalia Hernández, who founded El Ballet Folklórico de México in 1952. (Available here)
"Looking for Bongo"
Looking for Bongo follows an Afro-Latino boy looking for his stuffed toy named Bongo and turning to his family for help. (Available here)
"Maria Had a Little Llama/María Tenía Una Llamita"
This book is a fun take on the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." This time, Peruvian-inspired art shows Maria's adventures with a llama. (Available here)
"Sebi and the Land of Cha Cha Cha"
"Devious Maids" star Roselyn Sánchez wrote this bilingual book with her husband, actor Eric Winter, as a way to teach their daughter about Latin dance. (Available here)
"Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos"
Picture book author Monica Brown puts Mexican artist and feminist icon Frida Kahlo front and center in a fun book for kids. (Available here)
"Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa"
This book tells the story of Havana-born "Queen of Salsa" Celia Cruz, who won multiple Grammy Awards, including a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. (Available here)
"Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation"
Separate Is Never Equal is a history lesson about Sylvia Mendez, a girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who, along with her family, played a major role in a landmark desegregation case years before Brown vs. Board of Education. (Available here)
"The Life of/La Vida de Selena"
This book from bilingual series "Lil' Libros" teaches kids about Selena Quintanilla, also known as the Queen of Tejano music. (Available here)
"Día de los Muertos"
Día de los Muertos, known as the Day of the Dead and the subject of the hit Disney movie "Coco," is a holiday in which people pay respect to their dead loved ones. It takes center stage in this book that's part of a series called "Celebrate the World," which also highlights the Lunar New Year and Ramadan. (Available here)
"Bad Hair Does Not Exist/Pelo Malo No Existe"
Sulma Arzu-Brown, who was born in Honduras and is of Garifuna descent, became inspired to write this book after a caregiver suggested her daughter have a chemical treatment on her hair. Arzu-Brown wanted her daughter to embrace her hair and know that bad hair, or "pelo malo," doesn't exist. (Available here)
"Max Loves Muñecas"
Max loves dolls — "muñeca" in Spanish — but he's worried he'll get teased. Then, he meets Señor Pepe, who has been making dolls since his childhood in Honduras. (Available here)
"Lola's Fandango"
In this book, Lola learns the Spanish dance known as the Fandango to try and make her own spotlight away from her older sister. (Available here)
"Tito Puente, Mambo King/Rey del Mambo"
Like her book on Frida Kahlo, author Monica Brown teaches kids about Tito Puente, an icon in Latin music who was also known as the Mambo King. (Available here)
"Alma and How She Got Her Name"
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela is the main character in this story who learns about her family's history while figuring out the inspiration behind her six names. (Available here)
"Dreamers"
Children's book author and illustrator Yuyi Morales shares her immigration story as she details her journey from Mexico to the United States with her 2-month-old son and their life in a new place. (Available here)

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