For information about Rhode Island Latino Arts, contact
Marta V. Martínez, RILA'S Executive Director, at marta@rilatinoarts.org.
For general queries, you can also use the "Contact Us" tab on the side of this page.
Maria Cotto, Chair & Bilingual Children’s Librarian, Pawtucket Public Library
Martha Boksenbaum, Youth Services Librarian, Cranston Public Library
Melanie DeSantis, Young Adult Librarian | Westerly Library
Brooke Strachan, Head Lower School Librarian, The Wheeler School
Carla Rennick, Youth Services Librarian, Fox Point Community Library
Dalila Torres, Spanish Teacher, Peace Dale Elementary
Joan Wollin, Library Media Specialist, Central Falls
Jane Yedlin, Assistant Profressor (TESOL Program), Rhode Island College
- ★ Here's how you can participate …
- Adults: Visit this webpage for a list of recommended titles written by Latino authors and take the 2020 Reading Challenge!
Young Readers: Below are some titles which we would like to recommend for Latino Books Month • RI. Most of the books can be found in Spanish and English at all the libraries in and around the State of Rhode Island. If your library does not have the book on its shelves, ask your librarian to order a copy from one of the other libraries in Rhode Island. By providing books in English and Spanish on this list, our goal is to encourage parents to read to their children in their native language, so be sure to ask your mamá or papá to read with you every day!
If you have any advice for other readers, you may post comments at the bottom of the list after you've read the book.Vote Online: We have added an option to submit your ballots and vote for your favorite book online. We also encourage students to visit their local libraries, talk to their children’s librarian and drop off paper ballots.
Before you vote online, we recommend that you download a hard copy of the ballot (see button above) to have on-hand while you read each book. Remember, deadline to vote online is Friday, May 29, 2020. We will announce the winner the next day. Teachers: Please submit any paper ballots to Maria Cotto no later than May 29th.
Happy Reading!
2020 Book List
Across the Bay
by Carlos Aponte
Where Are You From?
by Yamile S. Mendez
Illustrated by Jamie Kim
Luca’s Bridge/ El Puente de Luca
by Mariana Llanos
Illustrated by Anna Lopez Real
My Papi has a Motorcycle
by Isabel Quintero
Illustrated by Zeke Peña
Octopus Stew
by Eric Velasquez
Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market
by Raul the Third
Sarai Saves the Music
by Monica Brown and Sarai Gonzalez
Dragon Slayer: Folktales
by Jaime Hernandez
Lety Out Loud
by Angel Cervantes
When We Love Someone We Sing to Them
Cuando Amamos Cantamos
by Ernesto Javier Martínez
Red Panda & Moon Bear
by Jarod Roselló
Love, Sugar, Magic: A Dash of Trouble
by Anna Meriano
The Other Half of Happy
by Rebecca Balcárcel
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish
by Pablo Cartaya
Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows
by Ryan Calejo
Sal & Gabi Break the Universe
by Carlos Hernandez
The Moon Within
by Aida Salazar
Silver Meadows Summer
by Emma Otheguy
Five Midnights
by Ann Dávila Cardinal
We Set the Dark on Fire
by Thelor Kay Mejia
Blanca & Roja
by Anna-Marie McLemore
Barely Missing Everything
by Matt Menendez
The Grief Keeper
by Alexandra Villasante
Undocumented: A Worker’s Fight
by Duncan Tonitiuh
Don’t Date Rosa Santos
by Nina Morena
DEADLINE to submit your online vote is May 29, 2020
