Christine A. Elmore
Ancona, George. Barrio: José’s Neighborhood. San Diego, Calif.: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998. This children’s story presents life in a barrio in San Francisco describing the school, recreation, holidays and family life on an eight-year-old Mexican-American body who lives there. Menchú is mentioned in this story.
: Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1993. In this children’s story a young Mexican boy and his family make elaborate preparations to honor the spirits of the dead during the three-day celebration of the Day of the Dead.
: The Pi–ata Maker. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994. This children’s story describes how Don Ricardo, a craftsman from Ejutla de Crespo in southern Mexico, makes pi–atas for all the village birthday parties and other fiestas.
Arnold, Caroline. City of the Gods: Mexico’s Ancient City of Teotihuacán. New York: Clarion Books, 1994. In this book the ruins of the Aztec capitol, Teotihuacán and what life was like back then is explored.
Bachelis, Faren Maree. The Central Americans. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1990. This book offers a discussion of the religion, history and culture of the people who live in the countries of Central America.
Brill, Marlene Targ. Journey for Peace: The Story of Rigoberta Menchú. New York: Lodestar Books, 1996. This children’s biography that follows a chapter-book format begins with Menchú’s celebrated return to Guatemala after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. The author then goes on to describe her difficult journey for peace. A glossary and a list of further readings follow the story.
Brill, Marlene Targ and Harry R. Targ. Guatemala. Chicago, Illinois: Children’s Press, 1993. This book describes and great detail the land, culture, people, history, resources and daily life in Guatemala.
Dorros, Arthur. Tonight is Carnaval. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 1991. In this children’s story a family in South America eagerly prepares for the excitement of Carnaval. It tells what life is like for many people in the high Andes Mountains. Illustrations use photographs of arpilleras (wall hangings put together from cut and sewn pieces of cloth) first made in Chile to tell stories of important events in day-to-day life.
Frazier, Nancy. Frida Kahlo: Mysterious Painter. Woodbridge, Conn.: Blackbirch Press, Inc., 1992. This beautifully-written children’s biography is a lively, authentic portrayal of the life and art of Frida Kahlo.
Garcia. Gud. Spirit of the Maya: A Boy Explores his People’s Mysterious Past. New York: Walker and Co., 1995. This book tells the story of a twelve-year-old Lacando Indian boy who wants to learn about his ancient ancestry.
Garza, Hedda. Frida Kahlo. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1994. A very candid and unbiased biography of Kahlo from the Hispanics of Achievement series. A chronology and list of further readings follows the text.
Hazell, Rebecca. Heroines: Great Women Through the Ages. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1996. An anthology of women from many different countries and periods of history who gave something remarkable to the society in which they lived. The illustrations are drawn in the artistic style of the period and place in which each heroine lived.
Krull, Kathleen. Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought). New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1995. Consists of a series of highly appealing biographies of artists written for young people. It includes a biography of Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera.
Lazo, Caroline. Rigoberta Menchú. New York: Dillon Press, 1994. One of a series of Peacemakers biographies, this is beautifully-written children’s biography of Menchú’s life and trials. Many photographs are included.
Silverstone, Michael. Rigoberta Menchú: Defending Human Rights in Guatemala. New York: The Feminist Press at The City University of New York, 1999. A very comprehensive treatment of Menchú’s life, her cultural background and her country, Guatemala. A glossary and a chronology can be found at the end of the biography.
Stein, R. Conrad. Mexico. New York: Children’s Press, 1998. In this book the history, people, culture and geography of Mexico are described.
Venezia, Mike. Frida Kahlo. Danbury, Conn.: Children’s Press, 1999. This appealing, simplified children’s biography describes in both pictures and words the life of Kahlo including her childhood, her art and her marriage to Diego Rivera.
Wood, Tim. The Aztecs. New York: Viking Press, 1992. This book describes the customs and daily lives of the Aztecs.
@SH:Teacher Bibliography
Agosin, Marjorie. Women of Smoke. (Janice Molloy, tr.). Trenton, New Jersey: The Red Sea Press, Inc., 1989. This book offers a collection of very moving essays about the lives of women from different countries in Latin America.
Alegría, Ciro. Gabriela Mistral Intima. Santiago, Chile: Editorial Antártica, S.A., 1989. I cannot read Spanish so I am unable to comment on the text but I do plan to use the photographs found throughout this book that so beautifully tell about Mistral’s life and loved ones.
Banks, James A. et al. Latin America and Canada: Adventures in Time and Place. New York: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, 1998. A social studies textbook that is a rich resource for the geography, history and culture of many countries in Latin America.
“Biography.” The Encyclopedia Americana. Danbury, CT: Grolier Incorporated, 1982. pp. 766-768. A very comprehensive examination of biography that rtaces its history from ancient times to the present. Numerous examples of biograpies reflective of each time period are offered.
“Biography.” Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, Inc., 1986. pp. 81-82. A clearly written informative article that traces the history of biography from ancient times to the present and discusses the many changes in form and style it has undergone.
Burgos-Debray, Elisabeth, ed. (Ann Wright, tr.). I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala. In this autobiography the editor, Elisabeth Burgos-Debray wrote down the words that Menchú spoke in a series of interviews she conducted. It recounts her life in vivid detail, describing her cultural background and the many obstacles she overcame in journey to try to bring peace and justice to all Guatemalans.
Carlson, Lori M. and Cynthia L. Ventura, eds. Where Angels Glide at Dawn: New Stories from Latin America. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1990. This anthology of tales reflects the culture and traditions of a number of countries in Latin America.
Coe, Michael D. The Maya. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 1984. An excellent up-to-date survey of the ancient Mayan civilization.
Comins, Jeremy. Latin American Crafts and Their Cultural Backgrounds. New York:Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co., 1974. The reader learns how to make articles using materials in the style of both ancient and modern Latin American artists. Projects include wax carving, embroidery, painting and jewelry-making.
Dana, Doris, tr. and ed. Selected Poems of Gabriela Mistral. Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins Press, 1961. A bilingual volume, this beautiful collection of Mistral’s poems is divided into four sections: Desolación, Ternura, Tala and Lagar. Each section is preceded by the editor’s commentary.
de Vazquez, Margot Arce. Gabriela Mistral: The Poet and Her Work. Trans. Helene Masslo Anderson. New York: New York University Press, 1964. A large portion of this well-written biography is devoted to description and analysis of Mistral’s poetry which serves to help the reader appreciate her poetry even more.
Drucker, Malka. Frida Kahlo. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1991. An excellent biography of Kahlo that reads like a novel and offers a dual survey of her life and her works.
Farr, Roger. Think-Alongs: Comprehending As You Read. Austin, Texas: Steck-Vaughn Company, 2000. This text provides young readers with a variety of appealing selections to read and calls upon them to practice specific comprehension strategies.
Finney, Susan. Keep the Rest of the Class Reading & Writing...While You Teach Small Groups. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 2000. This resource book offers the teacher a wealth of engaging literacy-focused activities for use at centers in the classroom. It includes a small but valuable section on biography.
Grolier Library of International Biographies, The: Writers. Danbury, Conn: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1996. This reference work includes a brief but informative biography of Gabriela Mistral.
Hahner, June E. ed. Women in Latin American History: Their Lives and Views. Los Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications, 1976. This book offers very interesting accounts of Latin American women from different countries, walks of life and time periods. They tell about their lives, their views and their experiences.
Jacobsen, Jennifer and Dottie Raymer. The Big Book of Reproducible Graphic Organizers. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1999. This book offers different forms of webs, maps and diagrams that will help young readers and writers to organize, interpret and better understand the material they have read.
Jehenson, Myriam Yvonne. Latin-American Women Writers: Class, Race and Gender. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1995. The Latin American women introduced in this book come from varied cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions and they use various literary strategies to tell their
stories.
Jerome-Cohen, Deborah, ed. Exploring Biographies: Teacher’s Sourcebook. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1994. Although designed for use with three particular biographies, this book is also an invaluable resource for teachers, offering a wealth of reading and writing activities that can be used with any children’s biography.
King, David C. First Facts About American Heroes. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1996. An excellent reference for use in introducing the genre of biography to young students. It spans the time period starting with colonial America and going up to the present. Time-lines, large color paintings or photos and interesting anecdotes accompany each biography.
Krauss, Clifford. Inside Central America: Its People, Politics, and History. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. This book provides a thorough survey of the important issues germane to Central America and a profile of its leaders.
Marrin, Albert. Aztecs and Spaniards: Cortés and the Conquest of Mexico. New York: Atheneum, 1986. This fascinating account traces the March of Cortés to Tenochtitlán to the fall of the Aztec Empire.
Marzolla, Jean. My First Book of Biographies. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1994. This book offers very simply-written biographies of men and women from different cultures and walks of life. A beautiful illustration of each subject accompanies each selection. A biography of Gabriela Mistral is included in this collection.
Meyer, Doris and Margarite Fernández Olmos, eds. Contemporary Women Authors of Latin America: Introductory Essays. Brooklyn, New York: Brooklyn College Press, 1983. This first volume provides a useful introduction to Latin American Women’s Literature and is divided into two sections: introductory and testimonial essays.
: Contemporary Women Authors of Latin America: New Translations. Brooklyn, New York: Brooklyn College Press, 1983. This second volume of previously unpublished translations contains essays, drama, short stories, and poetry by women from all areas of Latin America. Brief biographical sketches tell about each author.
Morris, Patricia S. and Margaret A. Berry. Biography and Autobiography: Activities and Booklists for Grades 6-12. West Nyack, New York: The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1993. This valuable resource book offers teachers extensive book lists as well as reproducible materials and reading, writing and critical thinking activities relevant to this particular genre.
Morrison, Marion. Mexico and Central America. New York: Franklin Watts, 1995. This reference work provides a good overview of the history, geography, people, religion and resources found in Central America.
Moyers, Suzanne. “Focus on Biography.” Instructor. March 2000: 61-64. This article offers the teacher some very useful resources and strategies for introducing the class to the genre of biography.
O’Halloran, Kate. Hands-On Culture of Mexico and Central America. Portland, Maine: J. Weston Walch Publisher, 1998. This book offers projects that introduce students to the economy, music, literature and visual arts of Mexico and Central America. These projects can be done individually or in small groups.
Preminger, Alex & T.V.F. Brogan eds. The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. New York: MJF Books, 1993. This comprehensive reference work prepared by recognized authorities includes a section on biographical criticism. In it are traced the changes this genre has undergone as well as the influences various movements and trains of thought have had on it.
Rolka, Gail Meyer. 100 Women Who Shaped World History. San Mateo, Calif.: Bluewood Books, 1994. One hundred concise biographies of women who have helped change the course of world history are arranged chronologically. Biographies of both Mistral and Menchú are included in this collection.
Tapscott, Stephen, ed. Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1996. For each Latin American poet in this anthology, the editor has included a number of his/her major or representative poems. Brief biographical notes precede each selection of poems. Mistral is included in the outstanding anthology.
Tardiff, Joseph C. and L. Mpho Mabunda, eds. Dictionary of Hispanic Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. An informative biography of Gabriela Mistral is included in this reference work.
Winter, Jane Kohen. Chile. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1991. Part of Cultures of the World series, this book vividly describes the country and people of Chile.
Withington, Janice J. Genres of Literature: Thematic Study Guides & Bibliographies. Torrance, Calif.: Good Apple, 1996. Each of the eleven genres (including biography) are introduced in this wonderful resource book for teachers. Bibliographies, reproducibles and hands-on activities accompany each genre.
