Best Books for Hispanic Heritage Month in Chinese, English, Spanish
For Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m excited to share the best children’s books by Latinx “own voices” authors in English, Chinese, and Spanish. These picture books are geared for kids from 3 to 8 years. Despite being outside this age range, I have loved reading these books, too!
Since we’re raising multilingual children, we have Hispanic Heritage Month books in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Some of these books are compatible with Luka Reading Robot, which narrates stories in fluent Mandarin. I hope you find some of these books in your library or favorite bookstore!
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A Chair for my Mother/妈妈的红沙发/媽媽的紅沙發/Un sillón para mi mamá
This heartwarming story follows a family overcoming hardship and the value of saving money.
A fire devastates Rosa’s home, and the family loses everything. Rosa, her mother, and her grandmother save their coins until they can buy a comfortable chair for their small family to share.
- Where to buy:
- English edition: Amazon
- Simplified Chinese: JoJo Learning
- Traditional Chinese: YoBabyShop
- Spanish: Amazon
- Mandarin narration: Luka Robot and Ximalaya
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez/我做得到！未來領袖蘇菲/Sofía Valdez, presidenta tal vez
Sofi is a brave little girl who works to lead her community in collaborating and creating a park. She becomes a role model for girls to speak up and use their voices.
This Hispanic Heritage Month book is part of the award-winning Questioneers series, which includes Iggy Peck, an Architect; Rosie Revere, an Engineer; and Ada Twist, a Scientist.
- English edition: Amazon
- Traditional Chinese: China Sprout
- Spanish: Amazon
Related: Living with Hearing Loss and Becoming a Bilingual Audiologist and Mom
Island Born/島國的孩子/Lola
A teacher invites students to share where they are from — a difficult question for children separated from birth parents or displaced from home. Lola cannot remember the Dominican Republic, because she left as a baby. Through her family, she learns about her Hispanic heritage—it’s always a part of her, even though she can’t remember.
- English edition: Amazon
- Traditional Chinese: Books Taiwan
- Spanish: Amazon
Related: Best Going to School Books in Chinese and English
A Day’s Work/最重要的事
This beautiful, serious story about a little boy and his grandfather captured my son’s attention. Francisco, a young Mexican-American boy, tries to help his grandfather find work in California. Abuelo (grandfather) cannot speak English, so Francisco lies in desperation and gets his grandfather a gardening job.
The story emphasizes honesty and integrity; Abuelo teaches Francisco that we cannot lie for work and how to rectify mistakes.
- Where to buy:
- English edition: Amazon
- Simplified Chinese: China Sprout
- Traditional Chinese: Books Taiwan
- Mandarin narration: Luka Robot
- Spanish narration: YouTube
Little Frida: A Story of Frida Kahlo/小弗里达/小芙烈達
Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican painter known for her many self-portraits and cultural art. Several nonfiction children’s books have been published about her, but this is our favorite for Hispanic Heritage Month. It features realistic illustrations and highlights her inspiring story of using art as therapy through illness.
- Simplified or Traditional Chinese: China Sprout
- English edition: Amazon
Just Ask!/開口問吧!/¡Solo pregunta!
This inspiring book, written by United States Justice Sonya Sotomayor, includes children with various medical conditions and ethnicities. The author is the first character in the story; she often felt out of place due to Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.
She then introduces other children, such as Vijay, who is deaf but loves reading and writing. A child with food allergies is also featured. Each spotlight concludes with a question, “Do you?” asking the reader to consider whether he or she can relate to the character. This fantastic book would be a great resource for preventing bullying.
- Where to buy:
- English edition: Amazon
- Traditional Chinese: Books Taiwan
- Spanish: Amazon
- Mandarin narration: YouTube
Try this: 15 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read
What are your favorite children’s books about Hispanic and Latino heritage?
What other books on Hispanic and Latino heritage do you recommend?
If you read this book, let me know what you think in the comments below! We’d love to hear about your learning experience with the books you choose! What other books do you recommend we check out?
