Multicultural Literature for Latino Bilingual Children

Their Words, Their Worlds

By (author) Ellen Riojas Clark, Belinda Bustos Flores University of Texas at San Antonio, Howard L. Smith, Daniel Alejandro González

Publication date:

25 November 2015

Length of book:

368 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

239x159mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781475814910

While there are volumes that fall into the category of children’s literature, there appears to be relatively few that explore the needs of bilingual learners and the linguistic and sociocultural context of Latino children’s literature. This volume makes a needed contribution by addressing the social, cultural, academic, and linguistic needs of Latino bilingual learners who are still underserved through current school practices. We aim to conceptualize different forms of social knowledge so that they can serve as cultural resources for learning, acquiring knowledge, and transforming self and identity. This volume presents a balance of theory, research, and practice that speak to authentic multicultural Latino literature and helps ensure its availability for all students. The intended outcome of this volume then is to create a heightened awareness of the cultural and linguistic capital held by the Latino community, to increase Latino students’ social capital through the design of critical pedagogical practices, and for the formulation of a new perspective, that of Latino multicultural literature for children.
A comprehensive professional development resource that centers on Latino children’s literature and its inclusion and use in school settings. . . .This work positions this literature in a sociocultural, historical, and political context that successfully brings theories to praxis and always encourages educators to keep in mind the bicultural and bilingual young readers of these books. . . .Verdict: An important volume for a variety of audiences: educators—including those teaching non-English speakers—education and library school professors and students, book reviewers, and librarians.