TEACHING THE AMÉRICAS AWARD FOR
CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG ADULT
LITERATURE
TFLTA Conference, Friday, November 8th, 2013
Connie Fogle Sharp, Jones Paideia School, MNPS
Claire González, CLAS Vanderbilt
PURPOSE OF THE AMERICAS AWARD
•
Encourage and commend authors, illustrators and publishers who produce quality
children's and young adult books that portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or
Latinos.
•
Provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use, the national Consortium
of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) offers up to two annual book awards,
together with a commended list of titles.
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
AWARD GUIDELINES
•
Up to two awards are given in recognition of U.S. published works of fiction, poetry,
folklore, or selected non-fiction.
•
Books must authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or
Latinos in the United States.
•
By linking the Americas, the intent is to reach beyond geographic borders, as well as
multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages
within the hemisphere.
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
HOW BOOKS ARE JUDGED
• Distinctive literary quality
• Cultural contextualization
• Exceptional integration of text, illustration and design
• Potential for classroom use
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
RECENT WINNERS
2013 Award
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano; Scholastic Press
2013 Honorable Mention
Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt; Clarion Books
2013 Commended Titles
Aristotle and Dante Discover Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz; Simon and
Schuster
Drummer Boy of John John by Marc Greenwood; Lee and Low Books, Inc.
In Darkness by Nick Lake; Bloomsbury
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
THE DREAMER (2010) PAM MUÑOZ RYAN
Recommended ages: 10-15
Country: Chile
Neftali finds beauty and wonder everywhere: in the oily colors of
mud puddles; a lost glove, sailing on the wind; the music of birds
and language. He loves to collect treasures, daydream, and write-pastimes his authoritarian father thinks are for fools. Against all
odds, Neftali prevails against his father's cruelty and his own
crippling shyness to become one of the most widely read poets in
the world, Pablo Neruda. This moving story about the birth of an
artist is also a celebration of childhood, imagination, & the
strength of the creative spirit.
Themes: Chile, Pablo Neruda, magical realism, biography, poetry
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
HURRICANE DANCERS (2011)
Country: Cuba
Recommended Age Level: 11-18
Quebrado, a slave of Taino Indian and Spanish ancestry, has been traded
from pirate ship to ship in the Caribbean Sea for as long as he can
remember. When a hurricane sinks the ship and most of its crew, it is
Quebrado who escapes to safety. He learns how to live on land again,
among people who treat him well. And it is he who must decide the fate
of his former captors.
This is a novel written in verse told in five different voices.
Instructional Ideas or Theme: free verse poetry, point of view, create a
diorama of a Taino village, point of view of indigenous groups
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
DRUMMER BOY OF JOHN JOHN (2012)
Country: Trinidad
Recommended Age Level: 5-10
A young boy in Trinidad wins the Carnival band competition after he
discovers he can create tunes by banging on discarded metal tins and
cans. Drummer Boy is based on the true story of Winston “Spree”
Simon (1927-1976). He is credited for being one of the first to tune the
steel oil drums that were discarded from the oil refineries on the island.
The steel pan drum is now the national instrument of Trinidad and
Tobago.
Instructional Ideas or Theme: onomatopoeia, create your own musical
instruments out of found objects, Carnival, cultural differences
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
MARTIN DE PORRES: THE ROSE IN THE DESERT
(2012)
Country: Peru
Recommended Age Level: 5-11
Martin de Porres was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and
former slave, who was born into extreme poverty. Martin was a servant
boy who became well-known for performing miracles to the people in the
barrios. Martin continued to serve in the church, until he was finally
received by the Dominican Order, no longer called the worthless son of a
slave, but rather a saint and the rose in the desert.
Instructional Ideas or Theme: biography, perseverance, prejudice and
tolerance
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
CLEMENTE (2010)
Country: Puerto Rico
Recommended Age Level: 8-12
A young boy by the name of Clemente discovers that his name takes after a
well-known baseball player by the name of Roberto Clemente. The young
boy explores the biography of Roberto and shares fascinating information
including Roberto’s outstanding 4 batting titles and 240 homeruns. Clemente
was a committed baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the first Latin
American player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Clemente
was greatly known for “not only for his exceptional baseball skills but also for
his extensive charity work in Latin America.”
Instructional Ideas or Theme: perseverance, baseball, namesake,
humanitarian, create a baseball card of Clemente
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
PABLO NERUDA: POET OF THE PEOPLE (2011)
Country: Chile
Recommended Age Level: 5-11
Neftalí is different from other children. He is incredibly shy and quite frail. The
majority of his time is spent reading, writing and day dreaming all by himself.
He finds beauty in the smallest things in the life such as the colors that make
up a mud puddle, and the songs. He manages to reconcile his dreams with his
father's dreams and become the artist that he always wanted to be.
Instructional Ideas or Theme:
Pablo Neruda, Chile, Poetry
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
THE REVOLUTION OF EVELYN SERRANO (2012)
Country: United States
Recommended Age Level: 10-18
Evelyn is a fourteen year old girl growing up in East Harlem in 1969. She lives
with her Puerto Rican mother and stepfather during a time when conditions in
her neighborhood are less than desirable. When the Young Lords, a Puerto
Rican activist group, start protesting about the living conditions in El Barrio, her
grandmother steps in to lead the fight. Evelyn must decide if she will stand up
and fight or take a more conservative approach like her mother.
Instructional Ideas or Theme: Puerto Rico, cultural diversity, activism, Young
Lords
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
RESOURCES FOR AMERICAS AWARD
Vamos a leer blog
http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/
Americas Award on CLASP website
http://claspprograms.org/americasaward
Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American Studies
www.vanderbilt.edu/clas
www.Teachingbooks.net
¡GRACIAS!