Pat Mora

An inspiring collection of Pat Mora's own glorious poems celebrating a love of words and all the ways we use and interact with them: reading, speaking, writing, and singing. Whether we are collecting words, reading favorite books in the library, celebrating holidays, writing poems, sharing secrets, or singing a jazzy duet, words and books can take us on wonderful adventures and bring us joy. Award-winning poet Pat Mora has brought together a collection of her poems that celebrates engaging with words and books in all these ways and more. Vivid illustrations by Ra l Col n bring the poems to life and interpret the magic of the language with captivating images in a style influenced by Mexican muralists. Together the poems and illustrations are sure to inspire creative wordplay in readers of all ages. We can read, you and I, see letters become words, and words become books ... You and I read, round and round, bookjoy around the world.

Inspired by Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology and Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Pat Mora brings us the poetic monologues of Encantado, an imagined southwestern town. Each poem forms a story that reveals the complex and emotional journeys we take through life. Mora meanders through the thoughts of Encantado's residents - the mothers and sisters, brothers and fathers in whom we see slivers of ourselves and our loved ones - and paints a portrait of a community through its inhabitants' own diverse voices. Even the river has a voice we understand. Inspired by both the real and imagined stories around her, Mora transports us to the heart of what it means to join in a chorus of voices. A community. A town. Encantado.

Now in paperback: In a series of poetic verses in both English and Spanish, readers learn about the movement and moods of water around the world and the ways in which water affects different landscapes and cultures.Water rolls/El agua rueda onto the shore/hacia la orilla under the sun, under the moon./bajo el sol, bajo la luna. Here is an ode to the beauty of the natural world as expressed by the movement and moods of water. With every evocative verse, we visit one of fourteen different water landscapes and cultural areas around the world. Each is stunningly illustrated with a breathtaking view of the drama, joy, power, serenity, grandeur, or peacefulness of water. From the Grand Canal of Venice to Qutang Gorge in China, from the Sahara in Morocco to the Andes of Chile, we learn about the world through the lens of water, our most precious, life-giving resource.

My Singing Nana is a compassionate tribute to families dealing with Alzheimer's Disease. This story celebrates the ideals of family, heritage, and happy memories, showing kids that no matter how their loved one might change they always have ways to maintain their special connection. “In a context perfect for the understanding of elementary-aged children, award-winning author and acclaimed literary critic Pat Mora sheds light on the everyday experiences of a family member living with dementia. In My Singing Nana Mora eloquently demonstrates that, despite the hefty toll this devastating disease can take, grandchildren and children alike can still enjoy meaningful and heartfelt relationships with those affected.” —San Francisco Book Review

In this sweetly funny picture book, a tiny mouse, Chico Canta, saves his entire family from the clever kitten, Little Gato-Gato, when he uses his quick wits and ability to speak another language.Mrs. Canta lives with her family in an old theatre, and she has her hands full trying to keep track of her twelve children—especially Chico Canta, the youngest, tiniest, and most mischievous of the mice. She is always telling them, “Hurry! Hurry! ¡Pronto! ¡Pronto!” She speaks many languages, and she encourages her children to learn more, too. “Bilingual, bravo!” One evening, after a wonderful performance of The Three Little Pigs, the mouse family narrowly escapes Little Gato-Gato. Undaunted and inspired by the production, they decide to mount their own version of the play. A frenzy of sewing costumes and building sets ensues under the direction of Mr. Canta, while Mrs. Canta oversees the cricket musicians, the spider stage crew, and the moths who will be the ushers. But on the night of the play itself, it is tiny Chico who is the star of the show when he spots Little Gato-Gato in the shadows, and uses his own special gift for languages to avert disaster.Amelia Lau Carling’s charming illustrations show the pleasures, fears, antics and glories of Chico Canta and his family, all against the backdrop of the elegant old theater. A note from author Pat Mora describes how she and her daughter Libby were inspired to write this story together after she read the kernel of this bilingual joke in a book of Mexican American folktales.Key Text Featuresauthor’s noteCorrelates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.

An award-winning biography about the inspiring life of Sor Juana In s de la Cruz.From a very young age, Juana In s loved words. When she was three years old, she followed her sister to school and begged the teacher to let her stay so she could learn how to read. Juana enjoyed poring over books and was soon making up her own stories, songs, and poems. Juana wanted to become a scholar, but career options for women were limited at this time. She decided to become a nun--Sor Juana In s de la Cruz--in order to spend her life in solitude reading and writing. Though she died in 1695, Sor Juana In s is still considered one of the most brilliant writers in Mexico's history: her poetry is recited by schoolchildren throughout Mexico and is studied at schools and universities around the world. The recipient of the Tom s Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, A Library for Juana celebrates Juana In s's incredible thirst for knowledge, and is lovingly written by renowned children's book author Pat Mora and gorgeously illustrated by Beatriz Vidal.

An inspiring collection of Pat Mora's own glorious poems celebrating a love of words and all the ways we use and interact with them: reading, speaking, writing, and singing. Whether we are collecting words, reading favorite books in the library, celebrating holidays, writing poems, sharing secrets, or singing a jazzy duet, words and books can take us on wonderful adventures and bring us joy. Poet Pat Mora has brought together a collection of her poems that celebrates engaging with words and books in all these ways and more. Vivid illustrations by Ra l Col n bring the poems to life and interpret the magic of the language with captivating images in a style influenced by Mexican muralists. Together the poems and illustrations are sure to inspire creative wordplay in readers of all ages. We can read, you and I, see letters become words, and words become books ... You and I read, round and round, bookjoy around the world.

A collection of haiku focusing on fourteen foods native to the Americas, celebrating the fun of the foods as well as their origins. Smear nutty butter, then jelly. Gooey party, my sandwich and me. Peanuts, blueberries, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more -- here is a luscious collection of haiku celebrating foods native to the Americas. Brimming with imagination and fun, these poems capture the tasty essence of foods that have delighted, united, and enriched our lives for centuries. Exuberant illustrations bring to life the delicious spirit of the haiku, making Yum Mmmm Qu rico an eye-popping, mouth-watering treat. Open it and dig in

This beautiful Pura Belpr Award-winning picture book is a bilingual ride through the joyous history of Children's Day/El d a de los ni os.Children's Day/Book Day; El d a de los ni os/El d a de los libros is observed each year on April 30. Founder Pat Mora's jubilant celebration of this day features imaginative text and lively illustrations by award-winning illustrator Rafael L pez that will turn this bilingual fiesta into a hit for story time Toon Toon The book includes a letter from the author and suggestions for celebrating Children's Day /El d a de los ni os, making the book perfect for gifting, family celebrations, and classroom sharing.

En este encantador libro-álbum, un ratoncito, Chico Canta, salva a su familia del pequeño pero astuto Gato-Gatito, gracias a su agilidad mental y su conocimiento de otro idioma. Chico Canta, el menor de doce hermanos, es un ratoncito travieso y temerario que vive con su familia en un viejo teatro. A todos les encanta subir al palco. Desde allí miran los espectáculos y luego gritan, “¡Bravo, bravo!” con el público, cuando cae el telón. La señora Canta vive arreando a todos sus hijos de un lado a otro, y a Chico en particular. Siempre les dice: “¡Pronto! ¡Pronto! Hurry! Hurry!” Ella habla muchísimos idiomas: español, inglés e italiano, pero también araña, grillo y polilla. También anima a sus hijos a desarrollar sus propias capacidades lingüísticas: “¡Bravo, bilingüe!” les dice siempre. Una noche, después de una maravillosa puesta en escena de Los tres cerditos, la familia de ratones está a punto de caer entre las garras del Gato-Gatito. Una vez superado el susto, los ratoncitos se animan a montar su propia versión de la obra. Sigue una actividad intensa: el señor Canta supervisa la costura de los disfraces y la construcción de la escenografía, mientras la señora Canta dirige a las grillos músicos, a las arañas escenógrafos y a las polillas acomodadoras del público. Pero cuando al fin llega la noche del estreno, la verdadera estrella resulta ser Chico Canta. Desde la escena, el ratoncito detecta al Gato-Gatito en la sombra y enseguida utiliza su maravilloso don para los idiomas para evitar el desastre. Las tiernas ilustraciones de Amelia Lau Carling, reflejan todas las emociones que viven Chico Canta y su familia: sus alegrías y hazañas, sus temores y triunfos. Todo esto, contra el telón de fondo del viejo y elegante teatro. Una nota de la autora Pat Mora describe cómo ella y su hija Libby escribieron esta historia, inspiradas en un chiste bilingüe que leyeron en un libro de cuentos méxico-americanos.

This edition is in Spanish. In this delightful story two young children, Ray and Amelia, discover the old New Mexican tradition of "los abuelos" for the first time. Long ago, in the cold midwinter of northern New Mexico, village men would go up into the mountains, disguise themselves as scary old men and then go down to the village to see who had been good and who had been bad. The abuelos -- wearing masks and covered with soot -- would tease the children and then have them sing or dance around the fire. This midwinter masquerade, which contains elements of Spanish and indigenous Pueblo culture, as well as sharing features common to solstice celebrations in other parts of the world, died out in New Mexico for a time, but has been occasionally revived in recent years.

International Latino Book Award for Best English Picture Book In this delightful story two young children, Ray and Amelia, discover the old New Mexican tradition of los abuelos for the first time. Long ago, in the cold midwinter of northern New Mexico, village men would go up into the mountains, disguise themselves as scary old men and then go down to the village to see who had been good and who had been bad. The abuelos -- wearing masks and covered with soot -- would tease the children and then have them sing or dance around the fire. This midwinter masquerade, which contains elements of Spanish and indigenous Pueblo culture, as well as sharing features common to solstice celebrations in other parts of the world, died out in New Mexico for a time, but has been occasionally revived in recent years.

Do a Flor is a giant lady who lives in a tiny village in the American Southwest. Popular with her neighbors, she lets the children use her flowers as trumpets and her leftover tortillas as rafts. Flor loves to read, too, and she can often be found reading aloud to the children. One day, all the villagers hear a terrifying noise: it sounds like a huge animal bellowing just outside their village. Everyone is afraid, but not Flor. She wants to protect her beloved neighbors, so with the help of her animal friends, she sets off for the highest mesa to find the creature. Soon enough, though, the joke is on Flor and her friends, who come to rescue her, as she discovers the small secret behind that great big noise. The creators of Tom s and the Library Lady, Pat Mora and Raul Col n, have once again joined together. This time they present a heartwarming and humorous original tall tale--peppered with Spanish words and phrases--about a giant lady with a great big heart.

A whoosh from her grandfather’s blowgun causes Luna, the moon, to tumble from the sky and fall to pieces in the dark ocean. To save herself, she enlists the help of little fish to glue her back together. At last she rises, beautiful and round again, taking her new friends with her to create the Milky Way. Pat Mora and artist Domi have taken the traditional Mopan Maya (Belize) myth ? in which the moon is a young weaver and the Milky Way a fish ? and transformed it into a magical story of friendship and imagination.

Un uuchchcht de la cerbatana del abuelo, hace que Luna se caiga del cielo y se parta en pedazos sobre el fondo del mar. Esta leyenda maya, llena de hermosos detalles, cuenta cómo la luna debe rescatarse a sí misma, con la ayuda de los pececitos quienes la pegan de nuevo. Cuando al fin se levanta, hermosa y redonda otra vez, invita a sus amigos a vivir en el cielo y a formar la Vía Láctea.

An award-winning author and a rising star artist have put a festive Latino twist on "The Twelve Days of Christmas," populating it with pi atas in place of partridges, plus burritos bailando (dancing donkeys), lunitas cantando (singing moons), and much more, all displayed in the most vivid colors imaginable. In this version a little girl receives gifts from a secret amiga, whose identity is a sweet surprise at the book's conclusion. There are things to find and count in Spanish on every page, with pronunciations provided right in the pictures and a glossary and music following the story. This joyous fiesta will warm even the coldest of hearts.

This Pura Belpr Award-winning picture book is a bilingual ride through the joyous history of Children's Day/El d a de los ni os.Children's Day/Book Day; El d a de los ni os/El d a de los libros has been observed on April 30th for over twelve years. Founder Pat Mora's jubilant celebration of this day features imaginative text and lively illustrations by award-winning illustrator Rafael L pez that will turn this bilingual fiesta into a hit for story time Toon Toon The book includes a letter from the author and suggestions for celebrating Children's Day /El d a de los ni os.

Combining poetic language and the traditions of magic realism to paint a vivid portrait of her family, Pat Mora's House of Houses is an unconventional memoir that reads as if every member, death notwithstanding, is in one room talking, laughing, and crying. In a salute to the Day of the Dead, the story begins with a visit to the cemetery in which all of her deceased relatives come alive to share stories of the family, literally bringing the food to their own funerals. From there the book covers a year in the life of her clan, revealing the personalities and events that Mora herself so desperately yearns to know and understand. ?Poet Mora's complex and dramatic family history comprises more than personal reminiscences: it also embraces resonant aspects of Mexican American history. Mora recounts her family's traumatic exodus from Mexico to escape the violence of Pancho Villa and his forces and their struggles to begin new lives in another country. To anchor her psychologically rich, dramatic, sometimes funny, often touching multigenerational tale, Mora uses the image of a house the house of houses during a single year, a fruitful metaphor that allows her to dwell on the bright beauty of flowers, birds, and trees, emblems of the loving legacy of her nurturing family.??Booklist ?Mora has created an ingenious structure for these recollections of her extended family, of their lives and the tales they share about the family's history. Woven in with these memories are recipes, fragments of songs and poetry, folk remedies, and jokes, all of the small matters that most reveal a family's identity. In a language deftly mingling the natural cadences of speech and precise, poetic imagery, Mora believably summons up both a group of tough, loving, idiosyncratic survivors and a vivid, detailed portrait of life in the Southwest in [the last] century.? ?Kirkus Reviews

A Latina poet, educator, mother, national speaker, and literacy advocate, Pat Mora is a cultural resident of nepantla - a Nahuatl word meaning 'land in the middle.' In this important collection of essays, Mora explores personal issues and political responsibilities. Characterized by a keen sense of community, ""Nepantla"" is an important contribution to American letters.

Shh, shh, close your eyes. Shh . . . shh . . . Cierra los ojitos. Outside, the rabbits are sleeping, Afuera, los conejitos est n durmiendo and the birds, and the squirrels. junto con los pajaritos, y las ardillas. Inside, Grandma tucks us snugly into bed. Adentro, Abuelita nos da las buenas noches. The stars and moon are shining bright. Las estrellas y la luna brillan. Sweet dreams Dulces sue os As warm and comforting as a grandmother's voice, this endearing book in the My Family/Mi familia series makes bedtime a soothing family tradition. Este encantador libro de la serie My Family/Mi familia, tan c lido y reconfortante como la voz de una abuela, ayuda a convertir la hora de dormir en una armoniosa tradici n familiar.