Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with Isabel Estrada O’Hagin

“All of us have stories. Each of them is different.”

—    Dreamers, by Yuri Morales

What are you reading for National Hispanic Heritage Month?

Each year from September 15 to October 15 we recognize the contributions and influence of our diverse American Latino community to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. What was originally Hispanic Heritage Week and established by legislation and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 was later expanded to a month by a law signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

What are you reading to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month? I’m reading Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista, a middle grade novel with an interesting twist to its sci-fi genre. Habia una vez. . . a girl named Petra Peña who, like her abuelita, wants to be a storyteller. Higuera’s amazing story takes you on a journey through the stars and keeps you turning the pages. Her novel was selected as this year’s Newbery Medal Winner and the Pura Belpré Honor Award, among other awards (one of my goals this coming year is to read all the titles in the Pura Belpré Awards List). Higuera’s first novel, Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, won the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor and the Pura Belpré Honor Award, is another favorite. 

Recently, I picked up Higuera’s award-winning picture book, El Cucuy is Scared, Too! As a kid, I, too, was scared of El Cucuyi who I thought of as the barrio boogieman. Blending her imagination with the folklore of her youth, Higuera tells a story of how a young boy, Ramón, learns to cope with his nervousness about his first day at a new school by showing empathy to the monster who lives in his cactus pot. Illustrator Juliana Perdomo paints a brilliant and joyous serape of colors and shapes to match Higuera’s gentle, perceptive text. I keep this picture book on my desk as an inspiration to write my own stories that draw from borderlands folklore.

Are you a kidlit creator who’s looking for Latinx book titles? Look no further than our own SCBWI website, which offers a host of incredible resources to explore, or La Cometa, SCBWI’s bi-monthly Spanish-language bulletin —just a couple of the benefits of your membership!

There are other online resources that offer timely information on what’s happening in Latinx kidlit publishing. You don’t want to miss the virtual celebration of the 2022 Latinx Kidlit Book Festival held October 13-14 (with some pre-festival events in September). The event features big names in the Latinx kidlit publishing world (Aida Salazar, Donna Barba Higuera, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, Meg Medina, Eric Velasquez, Duncan Tonatiuh, among others), and it’s free! Click on the link below to access the Schedule-at-a-Glance and other information.

Additional resources include the Highlights Foundation, Las Musas, Delia Ruiz’s Twitter and Instagram pages, Latinx in Kid Lit, TheLatinoAuthor.com, The Latina Book Club, Latinx in Publishing, and La Bloga, the world’s longest-established Chicana/Chicano, Latina/Latino literary blog.

A final note: you may have noticed the various language used throughout my article: Hispanic, Latino/Latina, Chicana/Chicano, and Latinx.  The approach I use is to let the individual self-identify whenever possible. I identify as a Latina of Mexican American ethnicity, but I’m comfortable with the term Latinx—others are not. For more information on these different terms, you might want to read: Hispanic or Latinx? How Evolving Language Impacts Kids.

One way we can celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month is to amplify and support Latinx voices—throughout the year. Enjoy!  

“We are dreamers of the world. We are Love, Amor, Love.” –Yuri Morales

¡Sigamos soñando!

Isabel Estrada O’Hagin

SCBWI Michigan Outreach Coordinator

Isabel Estrada O’Hagin (Ph.D.) weaves her imagination with her life experiences blending borderlands Latino culture and folklore into stories. She writes stories about strong girls, struggles in life, and the love of family. Her publication credits include journal articles, book chapters in early childhood music, and serving as the editor for a state education journal. She loves her roles as SCBWI-Michigan Outreach Coordinator and Kalamazoo Area Shop Talk Co-Coordinator (KAST—where everyone’s a star!). Isabel’s picture book debut about a young girl’s musical wish will be published by Sleeping Bear Press in 2023.