Each Tiny Spark

One of the jobs of a good librarian is to advocate for her people. I feel the need to advocate for my people today.

I'm Hispanic. Not by birth, but by a somewhat precarious adoption into the tribe. I've worked hard to gain this admission by studying Spanish for thirty years and working and living with children, friends, and family who have close ties to Hispanic cultures.

So please trust me when I say that children are not often able to find their Hispanic cultures represented in books. And that is very sad.



But today I have good news. I present to you Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya.

Each Tiny Spark is the delightful story of young Emilia Torres, a girl who has difficulty keeping focused in school, who has a wonderful mom who helps her stay on track, a loving dad who has just returned from a deployment overseas, an assertive grandma who would like to guide her toward a traditional female Hispanic path, and a huge assortment of teachers and friends who tug her and prod her and encourage her and hinder her in the life she is creating for herself.

It's the conversations I love most in this book, the conversations with a generous mix of English and Spanish, the kind of conversations I hear all the time when I am among my friends and family.

If you speak Spanish, you are going to love Each Tiny Spark. If you don't, I urge you to give it a try. And to help you, I've created A Little Guide to Spanish, using words from this book. If you are like me, and you'd like to become just a bit more Hispanic or to simply connect with others a little better, you might try inserting these words into your everyday conversations and see what happens.



Full disclosure: I don't know every word in Spanish, so please bear with me if I've a few boo-boos here.