CLRT Book List

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (CLRT) Institute Culturally Relevant Texts for Classroom Use Grades Kindergarten through High School.

This list of culturally relevant texts was compiled from various sources including the Migrant Education Program’s Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching Institute feedback from participants. These books have not been reviewed in their entirety by the California Department of Education staff, so please preview these books prior to using them in your classrooms. This list has four sections including culturally relevant texts for Hispanic, Mixtec, Punjabi, and Hmong students with most titles being culturally relevant for California’s Hispanic students.

Pre-Kindergarten – PK, Kindergarten – K, Middle School/High School – MS/HS

Culturally Relevant Texts for Hispanic Students

Grade	Title	Author	Text Language	Culture/Nationality of Literature
PK – 2^nd	Abuela	Dorros, Arthur	English; some Spanish; Spanish edition available	Mexican/Hispanic
PK – 3^rd	Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English; some Spanish	Mexican/Hispanic
PK – 3^rd	Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos	Brown, Monica	English; some Spanish	Mexican/Hispanic
PK – 3^rd	Side by Side/Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez	Brown, Monica	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Medio Pollito/Half–Chicken	Ada, Alma Flor	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K –1^st	Barrio: José's Neighborhood	Ancona, George	Some Spanish; English dominant	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	This House is Made of Mud	Buchanan, Ken	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Gathering the Sun	Flor Ada, Alma	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Magic Windows	Lomas Garza, Carmen	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	A Gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead	Luenn, Nancy	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Way Out in the Desert	Marsh T.J. & J. Ward	English w/Native glossary Sing–along	Mexican–American
K – 1^st	De Colores	Orozco, José–Luis	Bilingual Spanish/English Song Book	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	La Nochebuena South of the Border	Rice, James	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	The Gullywasher	Rossi, Joyce	Bilingual Spanish/English Song Book	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Carlos and the Squash Plant/Carlos y La Planta de Calabaza	Romero Stevens, Jan	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Too Many Tamales	Soto, Gary	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Diego	Winter, Jeanette	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Chato’s Kitchen	Soto, Gary	/Spanish edition available	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 1^st	Chato and the Party Animal	Soto, Gary	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 2^nd	Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora de Arcoiris	Elovitz Marshall, Linda	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 2^nd	Amelia’s Road	Jacobs Altman, Linda	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	Abuela’s Weave	Castaneda, Omar	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	From North to South/Del Norte al Sur	Lainez, Rene	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English	Flor Ada, Alma	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	Mango, Abuela, and Me	Medina, Meg	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	Dreamers	Morales, Yuyi	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 3^rd	Soñadores (Dreamers)	Morales, Yuyi	Spanish	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
K – 4^th	His World and Ours	Rivera, Diego	English	Mexican/Hispanic
1^st – 2^nd	Between Us and Abuela	Perkins, Mitali	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
1^st – 4^th	Separate is Never Equal	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English; some Spanish	Mexican/Hispanic; American history
1^st – 4^th	Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English; some Spanish words	Mexican–American
1^st – 4^th	The Spirit of Chicano Park	Zamora, Beatrice	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Chicano/Latino
1^st – 4^th	My Name is Maria Isabel	Flor Ada, Alma	English	Hispanic/Latino
1^st – 3^rd	The Princess and the Warrior	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English	Mexican
1^st – 3^rd	Waiting for the Biblioburro/Esperando el Biblioburro	Brown, Monica	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino; Central/South American
1^st – 3^rd	My Diary from Here to There/Mi diario de aqui hasta alla	Irma Perez, Amanda	English/Spanish translation available	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
1^st – 5^th	Danza! Amalia Hernandez and El Ballet Folklorico	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English	Mexican/Hispanic
1^st – 5^th	Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras	Tonatiuh, Duncan	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic
1^st – 8^th	Teach Us Your Name	Huda Essa	English	American
2^nd – 3^rd	The Legend of the Hummingbird	Ramirez, Michael Rose	English	Puerto Rican
2^nd – 3^rd	Magda’s Tortillas	Chavarria–Chairez, Becky	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino
2^nd – 3^rd	Among the Volcanoes	Castañeda, Omar S.	English	Central American; Mexican
2^nd – 3^rd	The Legend of Mexicatl	Harper, Jo	English	Mexican; Central Mexican
2^nd – 3^rd	A Spoon for Every Bite	Hayes, Joe	English	Mexican/Hispanic
2^nd – 3^rd	The Spirit of Tío Fernando	Levy, Janice	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
2^nd – 3^rd	The Three Little Javelinas	Lowell, Susan	Bilingual: Spanish/English	American Southwest (Mexican, Native American)
2^nd – 3^rd	Gracias Rosa	Markel, Michelle	Some Spanish/English dominant	Central/South American
2^nd – 6^th	Sprinkles	Stempel, Kate	English	American
2^nd – 6^th	The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child	Jimenez, Francisco	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
3^rd – 4^th	The Boy Who Touched the Stars	Hernandez M., Jose	English/Spanish edition available	Mexican–American/Hispanic
3^rd – 5^th	Fearless Trailblazers Pioneros Audaces	Reynoso, Naibe	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Latino/Hispanic
3^rd – 7^th	Land of the Cranes	Salazar, Aida	English	Mexican; American Southwest
3^rd – 7^th	C is for Change: The Story of Cesar Chavez	AR Williams, Arlene	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino
3^rd – 7^th	Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring	Cervantes, Angela	English; some Spanish words	Mexican/Hispanic
4^th – 5^th	Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead	Ancona, George	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Lady of Guadalupe	DePaola, Tomie	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Jade and Iron	Garay, Luis	English	Latin American; Central/South American
4^th – 5^th	Prietita and the Ghost Woman	Anzaldua, Gloria	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino; Central/South American
4^th – 5^th	La Lorna: The Weeping Woman	Hayes, Joe	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican
4^th –5^th	My Daughter my Son	Castillo, Ana	English (Toltec Codice)	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Upside Down Boy	Herrera, Juan Felipe	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Uncle Snake	Gollub, Mathew	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	How We Came to the Fifth World	Rohmer, Harriet	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican; Central Mexico
4^th – 5^th	Fiesta Feminina	Gerson, Mary Jane	Some Spanish/English dominant	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	The Tree is Older Than You Are	Shihab Nye, Naomi	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino; Central/South American
4^th – 5^th	Latino Read Aloud Stories	Suarez–Rivas, Maite	Bilingual Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Friends from the Other Side	Anzaldua, Gloria	Bilingual Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
4^th – 5^th	Abuelita's Heart	Cordova, Amy	Some Spanish/English dominant	Native American/Hispanic
4^th – 5^th	Aztecs: History Detectives	Ardagh, Philip	English	Mexican/Latin American
4^th – 5^th	Lost Temples of the Aztecs	Tanaka, Shelly	English	Mexican/Latin American
4^th – 5^th	Frida Kahlo	Venezia, Mike	English	Mexican/Hispanic
4^th – 7^th	Where the Flame Trees Bloom	Flor Ada, Alma	English	Cuban; Central/South American
4^th – 7^th	Esperanza Rising	Munoz Ryan, Pam	English	Latin American/Hispanic
5^th – 8^th	Yes! We Are Latinos	Flor Ada, Alma	English	Latin American/Hispanic
MS/HS	The Skin I’m In	Flake, Sharon	English	American
MS/HS	Graciela’s Dream/El Sueño de Graciela	Del Monte, Katherine	Spanish	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Drink Cultura: Chicanismo	Burciaga, José Antonio	English	Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Cool Salsa	Carlson, Lori M.	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	The House on Mango Street	Cisneros, Sandra	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Nerdlandia	Gary Soto	English	Mexican/Chicano
MS/HS	The Candy Vendor’s Boy & Other Stories	Garza, Beatriz de la	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	Mexican American Heritage	Jiménez, Carlos M.	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	The Story of Colors	Marcos, Subcomandante	Bilingual: Spanish/English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	First Confession	Montserrat, Fontes	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	The Smoking Mirror	Quiñonez, Naomi Helena	English	Mexican/Chicano
MS/HS	A Fabricated Mexican	Rivera, Rick	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	The Harvest	Rivera, Tomás	English	Chicano
MS/HS	The Monkey Box	Rodriguez, Art	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Eastside Dreams	Rodriguez,Art	English	American
MS/HS	How to be a Chicana Role Model	Serros, Michele	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	Chicana Falsa	Serros, Michele	English	Mexican/Chicano
MS/HS	Buried Onions	Soto, Gary	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	Junior College	Soto, Gary	English	Italian/Hispanic
MS/HS	Tortilla Flats	Soto, Gary	English	Italian/Hispanic
MS/HS	The Fabulous Sink Hole	Treviño, Jesus Salvador	English	Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Zoot Suit and Other Plays	Valdez, Luis	English	Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Pocho	Villareal, José Antonio	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	Rain of Gold	Villaseñor, Victor	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	Walking Stars	Villaseñor, Victor	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	It’s all In the Frijoles	Nava,Yolanda	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino
MS/HS	Song of the Humming Bird	Limon, Graciela	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility	Santana, Patricia	English	Mexican–American
MS/HS	Highwire Moon	Straight, Susan	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	Woman Hollering Creek	Cisneros, Sandra	English	Mexican/Hispanic
MS/HS	Spilling the Beans	Burciaga, Jose Antonio	English	Mexican/Hispanic; Mexican–American
HS	I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter	Sanchez, Erika	English	Mexican/Hispanic/Latino

Culturally Relevant Texts for Mixteco Students

Grade	Title	Author	Text Language	Culture/Nationality of Literature
K – 1^st	¿Qué quieres ser? What Do You Want to Be? ¿Na coniún kiún?	Feldman, George; Feldman, Krishn; Gracida–Cruz, Natalie	English, Spanish, and Mixteco	Mixtec
K – 2^nd	I am Proud of my Family, Estoy Orgulloso de mi Familia, Iyi Cusiji’ini Shi’in Na Ta’in	Feldman, George; Gracida–Cruz, Natalie;	English, Spanish, and Mixteco	Mixtec

Grade

Title

Author

Text Language

Culture/Nationality of Literature

K – 1^st

¿Qué quieres ser? What Do You Want to Be? ¿Na coniún kiún?

Feldman, George; Feldman, Krishn; Gracida–Cruz, Natalie

English, Spanish, and Mixteco

Mixtec

K – 2^nd

I am Proud of my Family, Estoy Orgulloso de mi Familia, Iyi Cusiji’ini Shi’in Na Ta’in

Feldman, George; Gracida–Cruz, Natalie;

English, Spanish, and Mixteco

Mixtec

Culturally Relevant Texts for Hmong Students

Grade	Title	Author	Text Language	Culture/Nationality of Literature
PK	Koj Puas Yog Kuv Tus Me Ab? Are You My Baby?	Kathleen Rizzi	Hmong/English	Hmong
PK	Thom Khwm Liab/Red Socks	Ellen Mayer	Hmong/English	Hmong
K – 3^rd	A Map into the World	Kalia Yang, Kao	English	Hmong-Chinese/Chinese
K – 3^rd	The Most Beautiful Thing	Kalia Yang, Kao	English	Hmong-Chinese/Chinese

Culturally Relevant Texts for Punjab Students

Grade	Title	Author	Text Language	Culture/Nationality of Literature
PK – 2^nd	The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh	Kelkar, Supriya	English	Indian/Punjab
PK – 2^nd	Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Run a Marathon	Jeet Singh, Simran	English	Indian/Punjab
PK – 2^nd	Bindu’s Bindis	Kelkar, Supriya	English	Indian/Punjab
PK – 2^nd	The Many Colors or Harpreet Singh	Supriya Kelkar	English; Indian main character	Indian/Punjab
1^st – 2^nd	Home is in Between	Perkins, Mitali	English	Indian/Punjab
3^rd – 4^th	Ajooni the Kaurageous	Amarpreet	English; Indian main character	Indian/Punjab

Questions: Migrant Education Office | 916-319-0851

Last Reviewed: Tuesday, March 07, 2023

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