Each month, we usually focus on the works of an author, and while the importance of writers to the world of literature cannot be overstated, we wanted to change our focus for this School Library and look at the contributions of illustrator Enrique O. Sanchez. A native of the Dominican Republic, Sanchez is primarily a fine artist that has created the illustrations for more than 13 children’s books including for such award-winning titles as “Abuela’s Weave,” “Amelia’s Road” and “Confetti.” Sanchez’s work is featured on Lee & Low Books’ website along with teachers’ guides (featured below) and other classroom materials.
“Amelia’s Road”
by Linda Jacobs Altman
Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
ISBN-13: 978-1880000274
Teacher’s Guide: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/amelia-s-road/teachers_guide
Amelia Luisa Martinez hates los caminos, the roads, that take her migrant worker family to fields where they labor, to schools where no one knows Amelia’s name and to bleak cabins that aren’t home. Amelia longs for a beautiful white house with a shade tree in the yard where she won’t worry about los caminos again. Then Amelia discovers an amazing tree reminiscent of the one in her dreams. Its stately sense of permanence inspires her to put her own roots down in a special way. The richly colored illustrations bring to life the landscape of California’s Central Valley farmland.
“Confetti: Poems for Children”
by Pat Mora
Amazon Recommend Grade Level: 2 – 4
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
ISBN-13: 978-1880000854
Teacher’s Guide: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/confetti/teachers_guide
In this joyful and spirited collection, award-winning poet Pat Mora and fine artist Enrique O. Sanchez celebrate the vivid landscape of the Southwest and the delightful rapport that children share with the natural world. Poems include “Sun Song” where animals and nature itself react to the sunrise like they are hearing music; “Colors Crackle, Colors Roar” where “red shouts” and “verde rustles;” and “Purple Snake” where an artist “finds” his animal creation “sleeping” in a piece of wood. Through language resounding with both English and Spanish, “Confetti” is also an anthem to the power of a child’s imagination and pride.
“Abuela’s Weave”
by Omar S. Casteñeda
Amazon Recommended Grade Level: Kindergarten – 3
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
ISBN-13: 978-1880000205
Teacher’s Guide: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/abuela-s-weave/teachers_guide
Esperanza’s Abuela, her grandmother, is unmatched in her skill in weaving traditional Mayan tapestries. She has shared her gift with her granddaughter, and now they plan to sell their goods at the market. However, the birthmark on Abuela’s face may scare customers away because some kids teased her about the mark and made up a nasty rumor that she’s a witch. So Esperanza must cope with the city streets and find buyers alone. This touching story of personal growth and family pride is illustrated with authentic Guatemalan scenery that gives life to the country’s radiant landscape and bustling city streets.
“Estela’s Swap”
by Alexis O’Neill
Amazon Recommend Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2
Publisher: Lee & Low Books ISBN-13: 978-1600602535
Teacher’s Guide: https://www.leeandlow.com/books/estela-s-swap/teachers_guide
Estela is excited. This is her first time at Swap Meet, and she is looking forward to selling her music box to earn money for folk dancing lessons at the Ballet Folklórico. All year, she had been saving her money and only needs ten more dollars for the lessons. As Estela waits for customers, a strong wind sends everything flying. Estela rushes to help a woman selling flowers nearby, but she is too late. All the flowers are gone! Estela decides on a simple act of compassion and generosity, which brings her the gift of friendship and a delightful surprise.
“The Hostage Brain”
by Bruce S. McEwen and Harold M. Schmeck, Jr.
Publisher: The Rockefeller University Press
ISBN-13: 978-0874700763
Many people are vaguely aware of the power of the human brain, but few are aware of its vulnerability to temperature, chemistry, infection and physical impact. The brain can be captured by the flood of hormones it sends pulsing through the body or taken hostage by outside events and even its own thoughts. “The Hostage Brain” illuminates for the lay audience—through prose and illustrations—what the brain is, how it functions and how it is often subverted. It reveals the most recent advances in brain research and describes key discoveries together with the social and political implications surrounding them.
“Biotechnology and Culture: Bodies, Anxieties, Ethics”
Edited by Paul P. Brodwin
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN-13: 978-0253214287
As birth, illness and death increasingly come under technological control, struggles arise over who should control the body, defining its limits and capacities. Biotechnologies turn the traditional “facts of life” into matters of expert judgment and partisan debate, blurring the boundary separating people from machines, male from female and nature from culture. This title brings together historians, anthropologists, cultural critics and feminists to examine the broad cultural effects of technologies, including surrogacy, tissue-culture research and medical imaging. The moral anxieties raised by biotechnologies and their circulation across class and national boundaries provide other interdisciplinary themes for discourse in these essays.
“Epidemic Invasions: Yellow Fever and the Limits of Cuban Independence, 1878-1930”
by Mariola Espinosa
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN-13: 978-0226218120
In the early fall of 1897, yellow fever was a devastating epidemic that shuttered businesses, paralyzed trade and caused tens of thousands of people living in the southern United States to abandon their homes and flee for their very lives. Originating in Cuba, the deadly plague inspired disease-control measures that not only protected U.S. trade interests but also justified the political and economic domination of the island nation from which the pestilence came. By focusing on yellow fever, “Epidemic Invasions” uncovers for the first time how the devastating power of this virus profoundly shaped the relationship between the two countries.
“The Nursing Job Search Handbook”
by Genny Dunne
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN-13: 978-0812218053
This manual is designed to assist nurses at various levels in conducting a successful job search or career change. Genny Dunne brings more than 16 years of experience in the field of career counseling to provide specific advice for developing a professional reputation and style, along with strategies for learning about job openings, handling interviews and negotiating a contract. She includes resources—sample resumes and cover letters, many up-to-date websites and mailing addresses—and discusses the use of the Internet in job searches. This book also provides useful information on advanced nursing education, licensing boards and organizations that offer credentialing.
