![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
In this article, we offer information about the specific challenges US Latino immigrant children face. We then determine which of these challenges are included in 72 award winning children’s picture books, specifically created for and/or about Latino children. Our analysis offers information to assist school-based mental health professionals, children’s librarians, educators, and parents in prescriptively selecting books that align with Latino children’s social emotional needs. Additionally, we analysed each book’s proportion of Spanish/English text and described the book’s targeted age level and Horn Book Guide rating. From our perspective, books containing colorful illustrations that include Latino children, realistic situations, familiar Spanish words and phrases, and true-to-life characters help Latino children engage and identify with these stories. Children’s book author Pat Mora also explains her perceptions of quality children’s literature. Although this article is specific to Latino children’s literature, implications are offered that generalize to other ethnic and cultural groups that are typically underrepresented in children’s literature.
References
Section:
| Baghban, M. (2007) Immigration in childhood: Using picture books to cope. The Social Studies 98(2): 71–76. doi: 10.3200/TSSS.98.2.71-76. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Berns, C. F. (2004) Bibliotherapy: Using books to help bereaved children. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying 48: 321–336. doi: 10.2190/361D-JHD8-RNJT-RYJV. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Brabeck, K. M., Lykes, M. B., Hunter, C. (2014) The psychosocial impact of detention and deportation on US migrant children and families. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 84: 496–505. doi: 10.1037/ort0000011. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Brown, C. S. (2015, September). The educational, psychological, and social impact of discrimination on the immigrant child. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute. Google Scholar | |
| Brown, M. (2009) Pelé, king of soccer / Pelé, el rey del fútbol, New York, NY: Rayo. Google Scholar | |
| Butler, A. C., Chapman, J. E., Forman, E. M., Beck, A. T. (2006) The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Clinical Psychology Review 26: 17–31. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2005.07.003. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Clark, E. R., Flores, B. B., Smith, H. L., González, D. D. (2016) Multicultural literature for Latino bilingual children: Their words, their worlds, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Google Scholar | |
| Connor, P., & Krogstad, J. M. (2016, October 5). Key facts about the world’s refugees. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Google Scholar | |
| Elya, S. M. (2014) Little roja riding hood, New York, NY: Putnam Group. Google Scholar | |
| Esquivel, G. B., Oades-Sese, G. V., Jarvis, M. L. (2010) Culturally sensitive narrative interventions for immigrant children and adolescents, Lanham, MD: University Press of America. Google Scholar | |
| Falicov, C. J. (2014) Latino families in therapy, 2nd ed. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Google Scholar | |
| Faltis, C., Arias, B. (2007) Coming out of the ESL ghetto: Promising practices for Latino immigrant students and English learners in hypersegregated secondary schools. Journal of Border Educational Research 6(2): 19–35. Google Scholar | |
| Freeman, G., Hooks, L., Hinton, A. (2008) Bibliotherapy and bullying in kindergarten. Reading Matters 9: 7–12. Google Scholar | |
| Gallo, S. (2014) The effects of gendered immigration enforcement on middle childhood and schooling. American Educational Research Journal 51(2): 473–504. doi: 10.3102/0002831214534881. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Georgiades, K., Boyle, M. H., Fife, K. A. J. (2013) Emotional and behavioral problems among adolescent students: The role of immigrant, racial/ethnic congruence and belongingness in schools. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 42: 1473–1492. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9868-2. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Goh, M., Wahl, K. H., McDonald, J. K., Brissett, A. A., Yoon, E. (2007) Working with immigrant students in schools: The role of school counselors in building cross-cultural bridges. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development 35: 66–79. doi: 10.1002/j.2161-1912.2007.tb00050.x. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Gomm, R. J. (2012). Content analysis of 50 picture books for Latino immigrant children: Implications for supportive bibliotherapy (Master’s thesis). Retrieved from http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3939&context=etd. Google Scholar | |
| Gonzalez, L., Borders, L. D., Hines, E., Villalba, J., Henderson, A. (2013) Parental involvement in children's education: Considerations for school counselors working with Latino immigrant families. Professional School Counseling 16(3): 185–193. doi: 10.5330/PSC.n.2013-16.183. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Goodnow, J. J. (2014) Refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons: Children in precarious positions. In: Melton, G. B., Ben-Arieh, A., Cashmore, J., Goodman, G. S., Worley, N. K. (eds) The SAGE handbook of child research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, pp. 339–360. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Gramlich, J. (2016, November 29). Trump voters want to build the wall, but are more divided on other immigration questions. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Google Scholar | |
| Gulbas, L. E., Zayas, L. H., Yoon, H., Szlyk, H., Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., Natera, G. (2016) Deportation experiences and depression among US citizen-children with undocumented Mexican parents. Child: Care, Health and Development 42(2): 220–230. doi: 10.1111/cch.12307. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
| Hargrove, P. (2006) Social work practice with Mexican clients: Service provision with illegal entrants to the United States. Journal of Emotional Abuse 6: 61–76. doi: 10.1300/J135v06n02_05. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| He, M. F., McKenna, M. C. (2005) Culturally responsive approaches to reading in the multicultural classroom. In: Hoosain, R., Salili, F. (eds) Language in multicultural education, Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, pp. 273–290. Google Scholar | |
| Heath, M. A., Dyches, T. T., & Prater, M. A. (2013). Classroom bullying prevention, Pre-K–4th grade: Children’s books, lesson plans, and activities. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Google Scholar | |
| Heath, M. A., Sheen, D., Leavy, D., Young, E. L., Money, K. (2005) Bibliotherapy: A resource to facilitate emotional healing and growth. School Psychology International 26: 563–580. doi: 10.1177/0143034305060792. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Hollifield, J. F., Martin, P. L., & Orrenius, P. M. (Eds.). (2014). Controlling immigration: A global perspective (3rd ed.). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Google Scholar | |
| Horton, S. (2008) Consuming childhood: ‘Lost’ and ‘ideal’ childhoods as a motivation for migration. Anthropological Quarterly 81: 925–943. doi: 10.1353/anq.0.0034. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| International Organization for Migration (2013) International migration, health and human rights, Geneva: International Organization for Migration. Google Scholar | |
| Kim, J. W. (2012, October 1). School-based mental health services for immigrant and refugee children. Oakland, CA: National Center for Youth Law. Google Scholar | |
| Knickerbocker, B. (2006, May 16). Illegal immigrants in the US: How many are there? The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0516/p01s02-ussc.html. Google Scholar | |
| Krogstad, J. M., Passel, J. S., & D’Vera, C. (2016, November 3). 5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/27/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/. Google Scholar | |
| Lee, G. (2003, Summer). Understanding immigrated Korean children’s educational needs. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 39(4), 168–172. Google Scholar | |
| Leiner, K. (2001) Mama does the mambo, New York, NY: Hyperion. Google Scholar | |
| Mather, M. (2016, September). Trends and challenges facing America’s Latino children. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved from http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2016/trends-and-challenges-facing-americas-latino-children.aspx. Google Scholar | |
| Migration Policy Institute. (2006, June). The US-Mexico border. Retrieved from http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=407. Google Scholar | |
| Mora, P. (1997) Tomás and the library lady, New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Google Scholar | |
| Mora, P. (1999) The rainbow tulip, New York, NY: Viking. Google Scholar | |
| Morales, Y. (2003) Just a minute: A trickster tale and counting book, San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. Google Scholar | |
| Morales, Y. (2013) Nino wrestles the world, New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. Google Scholar | |
| Morales, Y. (2014) Viva Frida, New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press. Google Scholar | |
| Myers, W. D. (2014, March 15). Where are the people of color in children’s books? New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/where-are-the-people-of-color-in-childrens-books.html. Google Scholar | |
| Olivas, M. A. (2012) No undocumented child left behind: Plyler v. Doe and the education of undocumented schoolchildren, New York, NY: New York University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
| Online Computer Library Center. (2016). WorldCat. Retrieved from http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/. Google Scholar | |
| Pardeck, J. A., Pardeck, J. T. (1993) Bibliotherapy: A clinical approach for helping children, New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
| Passel, J. S., & Cohn, D. (2014, November 18). Unauthorized immigrant totals rise in 7 states, fall in 14: Decline in those from Mexico fuels most state decreases. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center’s Hispanic Trends Project. Google Scholar | |
| Pérez, A. I. (2000) My very own room / Mi propio cuartito, San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. Google Scholar | |
| Pérez, A. I. (2002) My diary from here to there / Mi diario de aquí hasta allá, San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press. Google Scholar | |
| Roth, S. L., Trumbore, C. (2013) Parrots over Puerto Rico, New York, NY: Lee & Low Books. Google Scholar | |
| Rubin, D. (2012, Fall). From a whisper to a shout: Emergent voice in Latino/Latina literature. The ALAN Review, 40(1), 70–77. doi: 10.21061/alan.v40i1.a.8. Google Scholar | |
| Sapp, L. (2011, July). Apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol: 2005–2010. Washington, DC: Department of Homeland Security. Google Scholar | |
| Schencker, L. (2009, October 23). Report: Immigrant parents who learn English better able to help kids. The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_13621262. Google Scholar | |
| Sosa, L. V., Cox, T., & Alvarez, M. (Eds.). (2017). School social work: National perspectives on practice in schools. New York, NY: Oxford. Google Scholar | |
| Stepler, R., & Brown, A. (2016, April 19). Statistical portrait of Hispanics in the United States. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Google Scholar | |
| Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M. M. (2001) Children of immigration, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar | |
| Tharoor, I. (2016, August 19). A picture of a Syrian boy goes viral, but the war goes on. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/19/a-picture-of-a-syrian-boy-goes-viral-but-the-war-goes-on/?utm_term=.db7d1e139753. Google Scholar | |
| Tonatiuh, D. (2013) Pancho rabbit and the coyote: A migrant’s tale, New York, NY: Abrams. Google Scholar | |
| Tonatiuh, D. (2014) Separate is never equal: Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation, New York, NY: Abrams. Google Scholar | |
| Tonatiuh, D. (2015) Funny bones and his day of the dead Calaveras, New York, NY: Abrams. Google Scholar | |
| Turney, K., Kao, G. (2009) Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? Journal of Educational Research 102: 257–271. doi: 10.3200/JOER.102.4.257-271. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| United States Census Bureau. (2011, May). The Hispanic population: 2010. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf. Google Scholar | |
| US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). The condition of education 2016 (NCES 2016-144), English language learners in public schools. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp. Google Scholar | |
| Vega, D., Lasser, J., Plotts, C. (2015) Global migration: The need for culturally competent school psychologists. School Psychology International 36: 358–374. doi: 10.1177/0143034315587011. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
| Waitoller, F. R., Kozleski, E. B. (2013) Working in boundary practices: Identity development and learning in partnerships for inclusive education. Teaching and Teacher Education 31: 35–45. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2012.11.006. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
| Zeigler, K., & Camarota, S. A. (2014, October). One in five residents speaks foreign language at home, record 61.8 million. Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies. Google Scholar | |
| Zuniga, M. (2004) Latino children and families. In: Fong, R. (ed.) Culturally competent practice with immigrant and refugee children and families, New York, NY: Guilford Press, pp. 183–201. Google Scholar |
