Are you raising children who understand racial injustice? Are you showing them how to be empathetic and respectful of others?
Literature can play a big role in that part of their education. Last week, we talked to Honduran born entrepreneur Jenny Lizarraga, and founder of Cinco Books, a book distribution company that promotes Spanish culture in schools and libraries in the US. She’s also the founder of Green Seed Publishing, a new publishing house that releases bilingual children’s books.
Jenny and I discussed the racial tensions happening in our country and the importance of raising children who are educated about race, diversity, and inclusion.
“In so many ways, books are like mirrors that reflect our reality and like windows because they open our views to learn about others. Books can help us educate our children and change the narrative about institutional racism and culture.”
In addition to distributing Hispanic literature for children, Cinco Books also has a line-up of books for adults as part of their distribution services. They represent publishing houses from Spain and Latin America.
Green Seeds Publishing released their first bilingual children’s book, Mi Voz/My Voice by José Fragoso last year–a book that empowers children to use their voice to make a better world.
Their second book, Topo Pecoso is coming out this November. Below a list of books in Spanish that can serve as excellent resources you might consider adding to your home libraries.
I invite you to watch the chat on my IGTV.
Here are 6 books suggestions to educate children about solidarity and inclusion:
- Empatía de Patricia Fernandez
- Mi Voz/My Voice de Jose Fragoso
- En la unión está la fuerza de Laurent cardon
- Iguales o diferentes? De Francisco Xavier Soberón y Monica Bergna
- Chocolate y Merengue de Ricardo Cie
- Serafina de Verónica Alvarez
3-4 libros for adults that help break the cycle of injustice, colorism, and brutality:
- White fragility by Robin Diangelo
- Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and fall of the Comanches
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Las venas abiertas de América latina de Eduardo Galeano
- El color de la injusticia de Michelle Alexander, el título en inglés es “The New Jim Crow: Mass encarceration in the age of colorblindness.
- Los migrantes que no importan de Oscar Martinez
- Guatemala linaje y racismo de Marta Elena Casaús
4 children’s books that promote language and culture
- Malaika la princesa by Lizardo Carvajal
- Si yo tuviera una púa by Eva Clemente
- Pero, donde está Ornicar? By Gerald Stehr
- El canto errante by Rubén Dario
