Los Angeles Libros Festival 2022

Grades: 4 - 7

A graphic novel about a young girl who will do anything not to celebrate her quinceañera. Sue would rather be hanging out with her friends this summer but has to go visit family in Honduras, and gets a surprise... she's having her party there! How will she get through everything this summer? 

Isabel Quintero's graphic novel biography of Graciela Iturbide will appeal to all ages. Quintero interviewed the 76-year-old photographer whose pioneering work in photographing indigenous cultures is as remarkable as her own life. Other books by Iturbide can be found here.

Grades 1 - 3: A heartfelt and beautiful picture book. Zeke Peña’s vibrant watercolors capture a special relationship between a father and daughter who bond over their love of motorcycles and their Mexican-American community in Corona, CA. An author’s note by Quintero explains more about the history of her hometown.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros is about Efrén, his younger siblings, Max and Mía, and their Apá going through hardships of food insecurity, working nonstop to pay for Amá’s return, and getting behind in schoolwork when Amá was deported by ICE. It is also about Efrén’s up and down friendship with David, the only white boy in the neighborhood, and that rejection and bias happen to all people regardless of race and background. This book is recommended for middle grades (4-8 grade).

Grades: K - 3

This illustrated biography of Dolores Huerta gives us a glimpse into who Dolores (nicknamed Lola) was before we knew her as a labor leader and civil rights activist. It is an imagined story based on a time when Lola was a Girl Scout.  Even then she was too young to adhere to ALL the rules and expectations at home, but she certainly recognized injustice when she saw it. A reminder to readers that some courageous adults were courageous kids, and one is never too young to stand up for what they know is right. 

Embark on a road trip with three cousins as they travel from Oregon to New Mexico. Three strangers brought together by blood and circumstance find paths towards one another in this heartwarming and beautiful realistic read.

¡Esta canción divertida y vivaz de 123 Andrés, incluida en su álbum ganador de un Grammy, cobra vida de un modo totalmente nuevo, perfecto para la hora del cuento! Por su parte, Sara Palacios anima esta popular canción con ilustraciones frescas y vibrantes que involucran a los pequeños y a sus padres.

Grades 1-4: Tonatiuh gives new life to Mesoamerican creation stories in this exciting adventure tale. The illustrations glow with light and rich color as Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, travels through the underworld on his quest to create human beings.

Grades Pre-K - 3: Neela and her mother enjoy the splendor of fresh tomatoes. Not only are tomatoes a fruit enjoyed the world over, they also hold histories of the Aztec Empire; they are the product of hardworking farmworkers who grow them, and the personal histories passed down within families. Padma Lakshmi's book explores this wondrous fruit in all its glory and sheds light on the many stories that are held within the round, juicy tomato.