Me llamo Sandra: My name is Sandra
Buenos días, chicos: Good morning, children
Buenos días, Señora Peña: Good morning, Mrs. Peña
Ché, Mauricio, encontrále un pupitre a la chica nueva, ¿querés?: Hey, Mauricio, find the new girl a desk, will you?
¿Sos Sandra, no?: You’re Sandra, right?
¡Mirá sus orejas!: Look at her ears.
Sandra, vení, a almorzar: Sandra, come on over to lunch
Cúentame: Tell me
Vos, no sabés lo que aprendí yo: You have no idea what I learned
90,000 Children
mojados: wet (illegal immigrants who have crossed US–Mexico border on foot)
un verdadero: a real one
indiecitos ignorantes: ignorant Indians
chili con carne: chili
No seas insistente.: Don’t be pushy.
¿La utz awach?: Hello? (in K’iche’)
Ri in nub’i’ Romina.: My name is Romina. (in K’iche’)
Soy Frank.: I’m Frank.
muy bonito: very pretty
K’iche’: Mesoamerican language in the Mayan family
¡Qué bonito dibujo!: What a beautiful drawing!
¡Déjame ver!: Let me see!
Y está mal: And it’s wrong
mi padre: my father
bueno: well
nopalitos: prickly pear; cactus used as a vegetable in recipes
TRANSLATIONS OF THE REFRANES
Refranes are sayings in the Spanish language that often convey a lot in a succinct way.
The Attack
De noche todos los gatos son pardos.
At night, all cats are black.
Selfie
El que quiera celeste, que le cueste.
He who aims for heaven must work for it.
Güera
Las apariencias engañan.
Appearances deceive.
Burrito Man
Nadie sabe el bien que tiene hasta que lo pierde.
No one knows his wealth until he loses it.
Band-Aid
No se puede tapar el cielo con la mano.
You can’t hide the sky with one hand.
Hay que coger al toro por los cuernos.
One must take the bull by the horns.
Cubano Two
Tal para cual.
The one for the other.
Peacemaker
Las aguas siempre vuelven a su cauce.
River waters always return to their bed.
The Secret
Mañana será otro día.
Tomorrow will be another day.
Pickup Soccer
El fútbol es la única religión que no tiene ateos.
Soccer is the only religion without atheists.
Saturday School
Ser valiente es tener miedo a quedarse sin hacer nada.
Being brave is to be afraid of doing nothing.
90,000 Children
Sólo el que carga el costal sabe lo que lleva adentro.
Only he who carries the sack knows what it holds.
NOTES ON THE STORIES
I set almost every story squarely where it happened after researching the locale described in the news item that inspired it. However, for the stories based on events that happened to friends or acquaintances, I chose to set them in places different from where they occurred, out of respect for people’s privacy. I consulted both the Census Bureau and the Migration Policy Institute in order to find a state and city with a large amount of the particular Latino population I was writing about. All the real names of people have been changed. The articles that inspired or informed each story have been cited under its title.
The Attack
This story retells Guadalupe’s account of events that occurred in 2007. Although Guadalupe’s family members were either legal residents or citizens of the United States, all contributing members to society, they felt profiled and unwelcome. And even though her story was never reported, many others who recount similar instances of police abuse have appeared in the national news since then.
Kelly, Kimbriell, Sarah Childress, and Steven Rich. “Forced Reforms, Mixed Results.” Washington Post. November 15, 2015. Print.
Selfie
For years I had been hearing about the problem of obesity among the poor, the difficulty of good nutrition on a budget, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes among Latinos. The insulin resistance condition is prevalent in the overweight and may cause constant thirst, tiredness, and blurry vision. Prediabetes has almost no warning signs except sometimes for the condition Acanthosis nigricans. Common among people of African, Caribbean, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic descent, the condition presents as patches of thick velvety dark skin around creases and folds. It often looks like dirt that can’t be washed off. If I explored these issues in a story, would the main character be able to find a solution even within her life’s difficult circumstances? I found the way out for Marla when I heard about the Eastside Bike Club on National Public Radio.
Archer, Edward. “We Can’t Blame Obesity on Our Genes.” Washington Post. June 16, 2015. Print.
Medina, Jennifer. “Los Angeles Neighborhood Tries to Change, but Avoid the Pitfalls.” New York Times. August 17, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/us/los-angeles-neighborhood-tries-to-change-but-avoid-the-pitfalls.html?_r=0
Meraji, Shereen Marisol. “On A ‘Tour De Tacos’ With Los Angeles’ Eastside Bike Club.” National Public Radio. July 26, 2015. http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/07/26/425659877/on-a-tour-de-tacos-with-los-angeles-eastside-bike-club.
Saslow, Eli. “All Eyes on the 8th: D.C. Family Adjusts after Cuts to Monthly Food Stamps It Relies On.” Washington Post. December 16, 2013. Print.
Saslow, Eli. “Too Much of Too Little: A Diet Fueled by Food Stamps is Making South Texans Obese but Leaving them Hungry.” Washington Post. November 10, 2013. Print.
Güera
There is wide misconception among the people of the United States that all Latinos are brown and most are poor. I wanted to dispel this notion by portraying the phenomenon of mistaken identity some Latinos living in the US experience. I intended to show that we hail from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and come in many shades. In this story, Güera ends up owning the nickname she initially disliked, and comes to be proud of who she is.
Booth, William, and Nick Miroff. “Mexico’s Middle-Class Migrants.” Washington Post. July 24, 2012. Print.
Burrito Man
As soon as I read Steve Hendrix’s story I knew it would inspire a story for children. It touches on themes relevant to many: persistence, grief, hard work as the key to success, and the discovery that an otherwise unassuming person was such a contributing member to society. What I didn’t know was that in writing this story, the second one after “The Attack,” I would continue on to write ten more.
Hendrix, Steve. “A Hole in Their Hearts, and Stomachs: Farragut Square Mourns a Man who Began as a Vendor, Became a Friend.” Washington Post. October 7, 2010. Print.
Band-Aid
The issue of mixed-status America is a difficult one. Exploring what it means for a young girl to have her life change drastically because of a parent’s deportation was sobering to me. Eli Saslow’s article sheds light on an extraordinary woman, and I chose to have la gran madre’s story as the background for Elena’s trials.
Saslow, Eli. “A ‘Band-Aid’ for 800 Children.” Washington Post. July 6, 2014. Print.
Firstborn
Bullyonline.org. “Bullying in the Family.” May 4, 2015. http://bullyonline.org/ind
ex.php/13-bullying-at-home/130-bullying-in-the-family.
Jordan, Mary. “Exodus from Puerto Rico Could Sway Election.” Washington Post. July 27, 2015. Print.
Kennedy, Kerry. “An End to Bullying.” Washington Post. August 12, 2013. Print.
Cubano Two
For years I’ve heard the different viewpoints from family and friends who hail from Cuba about the reasons behind the waves of migration. My own father-in-law was Cuban. Rather than delve deeply into the complexities of these issues, I chose to offer a glimpse in a story that would make readers laugh, and perhaps prompt them to find out more about Cuban migration.
Miroff, Nick. “Change Coming to Cuba in Fits and Starts.” Washington Post. December 16, 2015. Print.
Rennie, David. “Cuba Libre.” The Economist Special Report: America’s Hispanics. March 14, 2015. Print.
Peacemaker
Both the character of Wilfred and the difficult issues he needs to deal with are based on the life of a very close friend of mine. And although this story is open-ended, in real life my friend remained the peacemaker until his parents’ passing. Dysfunctional families abound, and neither your ethnicity nor your social status shields you.
Neu, Denese. “The Story of La Purísima and La Griteria: A Unique Nicaraguan Sacred Tradition Adapted to Louisiana.” Louisiana Folklife Program. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/nicaraguans.html
Ware, Carolyn. “Ritual Spaces in Traditional Louisiana Communities: Italian, Nicaraguan, and Vietnamese Altars.” Louisiana Folklife Program. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/creole_art_ritual_spaces.html.
The Secret
I closely followed the news about the Dream Act as the administration was discussing it in 2011 and 2012. Reading Julia Preston’s article made me want to consider the feelings and events that one young girl experienced, which led her to stand along with thousands of other young Latinos in Chicago.
Foley, Elise. “Deferred Action Immigration Event Draws Thousands of Dreamers on First Day.” August 15, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/deferred-action-immigration_n_1785443.html
Hendrix, Steve and Luz Lazo. “Reform Changes Little for Many.” Washington Post. August 16, 2012. Print.
Markon, Jerry. “Migrant Flow at Border Abates.” Washington Post. May 28, 2015. Print.
Preston, Julia. “Illegal Immigrants Line Up by Thousands for Deportation Deferrals.” New York Times. August 15, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/us/illegal-immigrants-line-up-for-deportation-deferrals.html.
Pickup Soccer
All across the United States, city neighborhoods are going through gentrification. It’s an issue that may bring positives as well as negatives. Gentrification often displaces longtime residents. When I heard about this San Francisco incident on National Public Radio, I thought it was the perfect story to highlight the subject and its consequences. I examined what it means for a young boy to find himself with ties to both the neighborhood kids and the gentrifiers, and I relished telling the story in a manner that incorporates the energy and excitement of soccer within the written form.
Meraji, Shereen Marisol. “ICYMI 2014: Soccer Field Standoff Highlights Gentrification Tension.” National Public Radio. December 27, 2014. http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/12/27/373284989/icymi-2014-soccer-field-standoff-highlights-gentrification-tension.
Wong, Julia Carrie. “Dropbox, Airbnb, and the Fight Over San Francisco’s Public Spaces.” New Yorker. October 23, 2014. http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/dropbox-airbnb-fight-san-franciscos-public-spaces.
Saturday School
Many youngsters born in the United States to parents who are proud of their heritage and language of birth are encouraged to study it on Saturdays. It is through language that one gains full access to a culture. I decided to explore this notion in the context of a family with several generations, each speaking a different kind of Spanish. Born to Argentinean parents in Puerto Rico, I often felt I lived in two countries: the one within the confines of my home, and the one beyond them. This story is based on true events.
Rennie, David. “Dreaming in English.” The Economist Special Report: America’s Hispanics. March 14, 2015. Print.
90,000 Children
The surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border in 2014 elicited a barrage of articles tackling the subject. I read many of them and chose to examine the issue from the viewpoint of a middle-class and quite prejudiced Tejano boy. This choice allowed me to explore deeply ingrained misconceptions among some Latinos.
Farrah, Douglas. “5 Myths About the Border Crisis.” Washington Post. August 10, 2014. Print.
Markon, Jerry and Joshua Partlow. “Unaccompanied Children Surging Anew Across Southwest U.S. Border.” Washington Post. December 17, 2015. Print.
Nakamura, David. “Migrant Influx Frustrates Border Agents.” Washington Post. June 22, 2014. Print.
“Under-age and on the Move.” The Economist. June 28, 2014. Print.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LULU DELACRE is an award-winning author/illustrator who was born and raised in Puerto Rico to Argentinean parents. She is a three-time Pura Belpré Award honoree. Lulu’s previous collection, Salsa Stories, was an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, a CCBC Choices selection, a CBC Notable Children’s Book in the field of social studies, an Américas Highly Commended Title, an NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts, a Children’s Crown Award nominee, and a Críticas Best Book of the Year. Lulu has illustrated thirty-six books, seventeen of which she also wrote. She has been honored as a Maryland Woman in the Arts and served as a juror for the Original Art show as well as the National Book Awards. Her art has been exhibited at the Mazza Museum, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, among other venues. You can visit her online at www.luludelacre.com.
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CREDITS
Cover art © 2017 by Lulu Delacre
Jacket design by Erin Fitzsimmons
COPYRIGHT
Photo that inspired the portrait of Emilio by Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock.com
Photo that inspired the portrait of Marla by Rachel Matos of theArtMuse.me
Photo that inspired the portrait of Güera by Rachel Atkinson
Photos that inspired the portraits of Alina and Romina by Flying Squid Studio
Photo that inspired the portrait of Luci by Joaquín Medina and Kali Blocker
Photo that inspired the portrait of Pablito by Thomas Schulz
Photo that inspired the portrait of Frank by Vincent Hygonnet
US, IN PROGRESS: STORIES ABOUT YOUNG LATINOS. Copyright © 2017 by Lulu Delacre. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
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ISBN 978-0-06-239214-5
EPub Edition © August 2017 ISBN 9780062392169
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FIRST EDITION
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