Canto Familiar

by Gary Soto, Annika Nelson (Illustrator)

Touching, vibrant, and humorous, this lively collection of poems accompanied by beautiful illustrations celebrates childhood and the Mexican American experience. “Invoking ordinary domestic and community incidents, it’s a fine introduction not only to poetry but to Chicano culture. Nelson debuts with scenes--homey, comfortable, bright--that make the book even more accessible.”--Kirkus Reviews This is a collection to read aloud and get kids writing about themselves.”--Booklist

This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Poetry)

Genres: Poetry, Cultural, Young Adult

79 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 1995

About the author

Gary Soto is the author of eleven poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly, Poetry International, and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in the interview series Poets in Person. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. For ITVS, he produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence. In 1997, because of his advocacy for reading, he was featured as NBC’s Person-of-the-Week. In 1999, he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He divides his time between Berkeley, California and his hometown of Fresno.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canto familiar is a collection of poems by Mexican-American writer Gary Soto, recounting his experiences of living in Southern California and the blend of its Chicano culture. From tortillas, winter cold, doing the dishes, and eating while reading, Soto effortlessly blends his Spanish-American heritage into the pages of this book with vivacity and earnestness. His voice rings true in each poem, and it serves to further the notion that one’s racial background should not be ignored but rather acknowledged and embraced. The woodcut-style artwork also does marvels at showing the daily life of Soto’s childhood and the struggles he encountered in a racially-diverse America. Recommended.

[Maudie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre:Poetry
Grade:3-6
This book is filled with a lot of beautiful culturally influenced poems. This book makes you take a quick peek into someone else's culture and think how things are similar and different from your own. It's great way to introduce poetry to kids of almost all ages and have lessons on making a poem that represents their own cultural heritage. I really enjoyed this book especially since I enjoy reading and writing poems as well.

[Sue Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful poems from the point of view of Latinx/Mexican children.

[Marlene Medina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's poetic recollection of childhood memories struck a chord with me. Soto and I are both from the California bay area, and from Mexican American households. The weather, the family, tortillas, sunflower seeds.... I loved it all! Some poems I favored over others but a really quick read with a very enjoyable voice that makes it flow. I'll definitely be reading more of Soto's writings.

[Rebekah Degener · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite poem in here is when the child runs into the teacher at the market. It's priceless! And such an accurate portrayal!