Yes! We Are Latinos: Poems and Prose About the Latino Experience

by Alma Flor Ada, Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy

Juanita lives in New York and is Mexican. Felipe lives in Chicago and is Panamanian, Venezuelan, and black. Michiko lives in Los Angeles and is Peruvian and Japanese. Each of them is Latino.

Thirteen young Latinos and Latinas living in America are introduced in this book celebrating the rich diversity of the Latino and Latina experience in the United States. Free-verse fictional narratives from the perspective of each youth provide specific stories and circumstances for the reader to better understand the Latino people’s quest for identity. Each profile is followed by nonfiction prose that further clarifies the character’s background and history, touching upon important events in the history of the Latino American people, such as the Spanish Civil War, immigration to the US, and the internment of Latinos with Japanese ancestry during World War II.

Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy’s informational yet heartwarming text provides a resource for young Latino readers to see themselves, while also encouraging non-Latino children to understand the breadth and depth of the contributions made by Latinos in the US.

Caldecott Medalist David Diaz’s hand-cut illustrations are bold and striking, perfectly complementing the vibrant stories in the book.

YES! WE ARE LATINOS stands alone in its presentation of the broad spectrum of Latino culture and will appeal to readers of fiction and nonfiction.

Genres: Poetry, Latinx, Nonfiction, Cultural, Middle Grade, History, Realistic Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

(http://facebook.com/almaflorada)

Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor in Chief of :
NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education

She has been active for many years in various professional associations including : IRA, International Reading Association
CRA, California Reading Association
CABE, California Association for Bilingual Education
USIBBY, US Branch of the International Board of Books for Young People

She is a member of :
Advisory Board of Loose Leaf Public Radio Programs
National Television Workshop
Between the Lines
Reading Up!, Natural Head Start Association

A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Ada also works in school districts with children, teachers and parents.

The award-winning author of numerous children’s books and a prolific translator, Alma Flor Ada is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States.

She has authored several reading programs, among them two Spanish reading programs :
Cielo abierto (K-6)
Vamos de fiesta! (K-3)

and of two English reading programs :
Signatures (K-6)
Collections (K- 6)

and is a series consultant for Relatos de la historia (1-5), a Spanish social studies program developed by Harcourt School Publishers.

Among her most substantive contributions to the transmission of Hispanic culture to children are :
Música amiga, a program for learning through songs, published by Del Sol Books
Puertas al Sol - Pathways to the Sun, published by Santillana
Latino poetry, Art, and Biographies for children, published by Santillana

Dr. Ada received her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute and a Fulbright Research Scholar.

Reviews

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing compilation of poems and non-fiction text that demonstrates that there are so many varieties of Latino/a people living in the United States. I loved hearing from so many perspectives and hearing the histories of so many groups of people. This book is consistently labeled as teen and I guess I understand that because I don't imagine many of my students would sit down and read it all in one sitting . I do think though that upper grade teachers could use portions of the text to great effect for example when discussing immigration or history. I am going to get a copy for our elementary library.

In one of the poems an older brother says, "it's okay if others ignore your history and your heritage. But it is a crime if you do...Never forget who you are." This book will help with both of those - keeping others from ignoring the history and also helping some to remember theirs.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of character vignettes and brief essays about the diverse cultural heritage and historical roots of Latino Americans.

[Evelyn Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am excited to share the book "Yes! We Are Latinos: Poems And Prose About the Latino Experience" by Alma Flor Ada! This International Latino Book Award winner is a collection of memoir poems. It is told by different fictional voices and includes non-fictional facts about the history of Latinos. Each part of this book starts with a poem that begins with “My name is….” and “I am from….” statements and continues to describe the realization of the Latino culture and the desire to be Americans without losing their identity. This book celebrates the essence of Latino history and culture. It is a very complex book, suitable for 4th -6th-grade students. The words on the poems are written in English and Spanish, so I suggest it is read out loud to students. However, students who are fluent in English and Spanish can read this book through guided reading. Also, I believe younger students 1st- 3rd grade can benefit from this book. For example, as a teacher, I can have class discussions about family customs and traditions. After I can encourage them to draw pictures, write stories or poems that will describe who they are.

This book shows that Latinos do not have just one single story; their stories come from Spain, Central America, South America and the Caribbean islands. Latinos have a richly colorful and diverse culture! Their descendants are Africans, Asians, European Spaniards, Sephardic Jews, and indigenous people dated as far back as the pre-Colombian era. There are many things I like about this book, and one of them is that Ada gives Latinos a voice. Each narrator tells a story about his/her identity and how it was formed, whether it was through parents, grandparents, an aunt or uncle. Another reason I like this book so much is that this compilation of narratives clearly defines the Latino culture as being a large part of United States history. It is a treasure filled with 96 pages of information that will educate both Latinos and non-Latinos about the importance of cultural identity.

My goal as a teacher is to create the cultural responsive classroom, and this book will fit perfectly in the class library to use as a read aloud, for discussions about cultural identity, the history of the Latino culture including immigration and their struggle for justice, and for learning about poetry. It is available in two languages, English and Spanish.

Ada created a website for teachers who would like to use this book in the classroom. She shares a lot of activities for groups and individual learning, suggestions for teaching reading and questions for discussions to integrate into the lesson plan! Please go to http://yeswearelatinos.com/ for activities you can use in the classroom. If you would like to learn more about Alma Flor Ada you can go http://almaflorada.com or her like on Facebook at http://facebook.com/almaflorada.

[Kate Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book while looking through the poetry options on MackinVia (where it is available as an e-book) and I fell in love right away. A large population of the students at my school are Hispanic/Latino and I think this book could be a good way to help them celebrate their culture- or to bring up discussion of common issues. It also may be that they don't relate to anything in this book, and that's okay. I think it is so important to offer many representations of different cultures to help our students figure out who they are and to develop well-rounded opinions about the world. This book begins with a practical and simple explanation, "What Makes Someone a Latino?" This is an important discussion to have with students. It also clarifies that the book offers only a sample of what it is like to be Latino, which is also important to talk about with your students. The rest of the book is full of profiles of different Latinos, told in verse. Each profile is prefaced by a short informational piece explaining the background related to the poem (indigenous roots, Latino immigration, Cuba and the United States, etc.). One way I would use this in the classroom is to have students draw inferences about the narrator based on the poem. For example, in one of the poems, a father says to the son, "You don't want to break your back every day, like I do." I would have students infer what that means about the father's work, what jobs he may have, and what he hopes for his son. Overall, this book has a very practical application to encourage discussion of diverse cultures told through beautiful verse.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a combination of fictional vignettes and non fiction descriptions of the many diverse Latino groups in the United States. The fictional sections are actually narrative poems about children/students living in different parts of the country with different heritages. The emphasis is on adapting to a new way of life and also retaining their native culture, language and customs. Depicted are the difficulties of coping with intolerant or ignorant people. The non fiction sections explore the history of each group and the contributions to art or music or literature or science that people of that culture have made.

Written by well respected and award winning authors; Alma Flora Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, the book is well researched . Block print illustrations are by David Diaz . They are an excellent addition to the narrative sections.

This book will be a welcome addition to school libraries on all levels as a resource and as an excellent way to educate students on the diverse backgrounds their fellow Latina/Latino classmates bring to a classroom. A great resource for teachers wanting to assign Latino/Hispanic figures for multicultural reports or a study of the various countries that make up Latin America.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voices of thirteen Latino/as can be heard proudly claiming their heritage and telling their unique stories in the 12 narrative poems in this book. The authors alternate the fictionalized accounts of individuals such as Jose Miguel whose name means everything to him and Lili and Michiko whose Latino heritages are mixed with Chinese and Japanese, respectively, with nonfiction sections highlighting the history, culture, triumphs and challenges of those they represent. By the time readers reach the conclusion of this ground-breaking and enlightening book, they will have a much broader understanding of what it means to be Latino/a as well as just how complicated it may be. The illustrator's trademark hand-cut illustrations have been colored through Adobe Photoshop and lend a handsome appearance to this important, engaging, and empowering book.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

TED 8650 Children's Literature

Text to World: This book is about children from countries all over the world and living all over the United States, yet they are all Latino/Latina. They share their stories, and there is also a nonfiction piece that follows each story.

Discussion Questions:
1. List four countries that the children in the book are from.
2. How would you characterize the children in the book?
3. What questions would you ask in an interview with a Latino/Latina person?
4. Pick two children from the story. How are they alike? How are they different?
5. What is your favorite poem in the book? Why?
6. Write a poem about yourself and a time in your life, like the children in the story.

(2013, June 17). Publishers Weekly. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. I reviewed it on Amazon and will find my review. Suffice it to say that it is wonderful for students and people who live all over the United States to understand what it means to be Latino -- it means many different things. It can mean you are from Puerto Rico, or you are Japanese and Peruvian and your parents only speak Spanish, or you are from Miami and your parents were born in Cuba, or so much more. The illustrations by David Diaz are beautiful. Please buy it for your school library.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a non-fiction, informational text for 5th-7th graders. This collection of poems by Latinos about their experience was very eye-opening for me. There are many different countries that Latinx people can be from and the language they speak can differ, like Juanita in the book spoke Mixtec. After each of the people's stories in the book, there is background knowledge about their country of origin and the history of their people, which helped me understand what those people's ancestors had been through. It was insightful to hear someone's story about how they have grown up and immigrated, as well as the hardship that comes with that. I was able to see how their culture impacted their identity regardless of where they moved to. I was able to empathize with the people in the story who were teased for their names and heritages, made to feel bad about how they looked or how they talked, encouraged to change their names to blend in. It made me reflect on the society in America that is not inclusive or celebratory of other cultures that aren't "white" and how harmful that is. I was impressed by how the author was able to tell each story in a way that draws you in and helps you connect to the stories. This was a wow book for me because I learned so much about the diversity within the Latino community through real stories and facts that allowed me connect with their culture and empathize with them.

I would use this book in the classroom by using this book as a read-aloud for 5th grade students, reading one story at a time and helping them connect that Lantino's experience to the history behind their people. This would help take away stereotypes about Latino people by being able to see that all Latinos are not the same, they look very differently, come from many different places, and speak different languages. Another way I could use this book in my classroom is to have groups of students do a project or report on one of the 13 stories told in the book, They could dive deeper into their country of origin, cultures and traditions, language, immigrating patterns, and a synopsis of the person in the story. This would help them gain perspective and also teach their peers more about that Latin country.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to compress the experiences of 12 different Latinos or Latinas in the United States in order to show both the variety and the richness of the cultures in brief poetry and prose sounds like a challenge to accomplish, yet these two authors have managed that very well indeed. This book chronicles the stories of twelve different immigrants who live in the U.S., all with important heritages to consider, including varied and interesting backgrounds along with the stereotypes that are often faced in their daily lives. The poems are written in first person, with a second part showing background history of the person’s culture. Included are those from Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba and Nicaragua, Guatamalan Chinese, Japanese from Peru, and seven others. There is an introduction explaining what makes someone Latino, and additional information at the end. Poems, poignant in the frustration of having to explain misconceptions often, but remaining proud of the personal cultural heritage, show much feeling in the few pages of each one. Here are a few memorable lines: “”If you would let us call you/Joe or Mike,/It would let you blend in.” “Abu Amaya gets animated,/and there is the same sadness/in both,/the same outrage/in both,/and in both the same pain/for a dream that was destroyed.” Illustrations by David Diaz (Smoky Nights) are silhouettes, showing one scene from each story poem, including beautiful detail. This is a poetry anthology every middle and high school should own, hopefully more than one copy!

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

filled with poetic stories and facts, this book is entertaining and informative. The factual text is filled with gems of info, but for the most part is not overwhelming.

Santiago - Dominican
I really wanted to read more! I felt like he was a real kid, and I was caught myself about to Google him to see if he ever made that hospital he wanted...

Jose Miguel - Cuban & Nicaraguan
I LOVED this one. The boy in this story does not want to be called Joe or Mike to blend in, he wants people to just accept his name. This is a pet peeve of mine. If people can say Tchaikovsky without wrinkling their nose in confusion, they can say Babatunde or Jose Miguel the same way. And the love of the grandfather to grandson (and vice versa) bleeds off the page! love it The factual text made me angry. There was more hardcore, easy to understand information explaining the U.S. / Cuban relationship in those 2 pages than I got in my entire schooling career.

Felipe - Panamanian, Venezuelan, Black
his love for Angelita was beautiful and i wanted to see his art work!

Lili - Guatemalan, Chinese & Michiko - Peruvian, Japanese
Although I really like the characters, I thought the prose here was the weakest of what I read. It felt more like the intro to a young elementary school book about two best friends. There is nothing wrong with that, either, but it didnt pull me with the rhythm of the words the way the rest did.

Minimal black and white artwork, book recommended for middle school and up.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Yes! We are Lationos" mixes poetry and history. It has a poem and then a section on Latino history that helps to explain the poem. I feel it would have been better to have the history first. I am an adult and I was confused by some of the poems until after I read the history. The first poem starts with a girls' mother talking to her in Spanish. Later her NY teacher greets her in Spanish, but the girl thinks to herself "I understand she believes she is speaking my home language--trying to make me feel good, showing me that she has made the effort to learn a little Spanish." What is her "home language" if not the one her mother uses at home? We learn she also speaks Mixtec (a South American Native language). I felt like her attitude toward the teacher was condescending. This was not the only poem that gave "attitude" from a child. In a later poem, a grown up is recommending to a boy that he Americanize his name to fit in better. The boy tells the grown up he was named for Don Miguel de Cervantes and Miguel Hernandez and to Google them to see who they are and why he won't Americanize his name--big attitude. He was actually named for his grandfather. I am not sure why the child cannot be proud of being named for his grandfather and refuse to alter his name for that reason. I feel that the point of some of these poems is that white people can't understand the Latino culture. Those types of white people are not picking up this book to read.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes! We are Latinos written by, Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy

Reflection: For this reflection, I picked the chapter about Latin’s indigenous roots. This reminded me that it relates to social studies, so a lot of this information you could relate it in your social studies lessons.

Rationale: I chose this book because it is set up as a short chapter book with pictures. This would be a good book to read aloud when learning about different cultures. The teacher could pick what chapters to read. This book is culturally specific because it talks about the Latin community.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions:
a. Name two things that reflect the Latino community that you learned.
b. Summarize the story, page, or paragraph that you just read.
c. How would you classify the Latino community?
d. What was the most exciting part of the story and why?
e. What chapter did you like best and why?
f. Role play the story or chapter with a group of 4.

[Rachel Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it. This is an important book and the stories it shares are the kind of diversity our students need to see to either relate to or learn something new. My one drawback - giving it 4 stars instead of 5 - is it REALLY needed a different format/layout. Some color would have really helped out. For being published in 2013, I am shocked. If I were to purchase (and jury's still out on that), I would really push it to my teachers, especially Spanish & English classes, to use as a mentor text, or select one or two for class study. I really don't see it flying off a display - even I was bored with the lack of ambience/atmosphere in this book. Underwhelmed and sad - because this book needs to be read - it's just a missed opportunity for the content it shares. Jury's out on purchasing for my MS library.

[Penny Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brief short story essays in this book are so well done, one might wish they are a little longer and meatier. In this celebration of Latino-American culture, the essays are first person, coming from various characters representing different areas: Puerto Rican-American, Cuba-American, etc. Some are done in free verse, some in prose, but all briefly describe how that person 'sees' being American and being Latino/Hispanic. Each fictional piece is followed by a factual essay on how that group originally came to the U.S. Backmatter is also helpful, with suggested reading, index, and other information. Diaz's black woodcut prints add interest and lend a tone of "gravitas" to this book, which is sure to be useful to teachers.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book explores what it means to be "Latino/a" through verse identity poems followed by 1-2 pages of history about that aspect of Latin-American culture. Some of the information I hadn't even known very well, so I loved the somewhat easy access to a more complex topic. Each poem starts with "I am NAME (Jose Miguel, Susana, etc.), I am from COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (or my grandparents are from...), and ends with I am Latino/a. Really well done and great for elementary through middle school, and would even be great for high school as a jump-off.

[Marcie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This helped me to see all the diffferent cultures that make up theLatino population of this country. I love the David Diaz woodcuts and the combination of short fiction and informational text. If nothing else it will help students find out about other cultures. Sometimes dry, butbetter tgan a text book!

[Skye Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alma Flor Ada had done it. Reading through the thirteen powerful poems and their accompanying material was a pure joy. All my bilingual friends please check this out. There are poems about Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican, Venezuela, Peru, Columbia, Ecuador that Celeberation the subsystem and richness of being Latinos and Latinas.

[Josette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read the 1st section with my ten-year-old, and we loved it. I ended up reading the rest of it after he went to bed. Each section is two parts: Poetry from the perspective of a Latino kid and prose exploring the history and culture of that child's origin. Beautifully written and organized. Highly recommend.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so meaningful and informative. Very truthful, eye-opening, and powerful. There is a poem representative of personal experience for people from many different Latino countries. Then there is a historical summary about each country represented. An easy read, but lots of food for thought. Loved it.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fictional narrative vignettes tell powerful stories of a variety of Latino/a individuals and the challenges and triumphs they face throughout the world. Included throughout are informative nonfiction pieces that highlight history and culture of various Latino peoples.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the poetry best. The sections between poems were full of details but sometimes took a political slant that you want to be aware of if you're using this book to teach children about the Latin American culture.

I come away from this book wanting to write my own poetry. :)

[Angelita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great book for children, because it explains diversity so well. It also includes tales about family and school and how they may shape a child's view on diversity. Also, the obstacles they face when being different can seem so hard.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

(A 2015 Big Read companion title.) The mix of poetry and essays from a wide variety of Latino/a perspectives focuses on the wide variety of ethnicities and cultural experiences that fall under the umbrella of "Latino." It was a fun read.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book of poetry!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Sentence Review: A great premise marred solely by some minor inaccuracies spotted throughout the text.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixture of information and poetry that describes the diversity within the "Latino" community. An important book for every middle grade and up classroom.

[Karen Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and an easy read.

Titlewave.com has predicted 2014 award winners and this is one of them. I'm trying to read as many as possible before the winners are announced.

[Michael Okoniewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very interesting

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF