Picture Books about Latin America: Martin de Porres, A Flicker of Hope, and Water Day

Latin Americans are Americans too! Three picture books from past and present that shed light on our neighbors to the south.

Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert by Gary D. Schmidt, illustrated by David Diaz. Clarion Books, 2012, 30 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 6-10

Martín was the son of an African slave and a Spanish don. His mother was freed, but not married, making Martín and his sister something of a reject in the Catholic culture of 16^th century Peru. He might have been destined for scrounging a meager living as a street sweeper had not his father provided training as a barber and blood-letter. But from early childhood there was something different about Martín: a gentle, loving, Christlike spirit. There were even stories about his extraordinary gardening ability that produced ever-bearing orange and lemon trees. He was naturally drawn to holy orders, but the prior of the Dominican monastery refused to ordain him as a priest. Years of humble service revealed Martín’s generosity, healing powers, and love for the poor, leading to his eventual ordination and, centuries later, sainthood.

Martín’s story is told in simple prose with poetic flourishes. The illustrations (awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2013) are bold and colorful, influenced by both traditional Meso-American artwork and medieval stained glass. It’s a moving story of a gentle spirit who overcame scorn and prejudice with love.

Overall Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 4.5
• Artistic/literary value: 5

A Flicker of Hope: A Story of Migration by Cynthia Harmony, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth. Viking, 2024, 30 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 4-10

“Lucia and Papa sit .  .  . silently. Watching. Wondering. Wishing.

Monarcas perch . . . sleepily. Stretching. Swaying. Shifting,”

It’s early spring, when monarch butterflies are beginning to stir in their central Mexico breeding ground. Soon they will be gathering to fly to Norte America for the summer. Lucía and her father are getting ready also, for Papá has his own migration pattern. He will be leaving soon for the orchards and farms of the USA to pick strawberries, tomatoes, and beets in their seasons. He’ll travel with other Mexican men and families, migrating along with the monarchs ever northward until . . . the nights grow chilly and the colors begin to turn, signaling both to butterflies and men that it’s time to turn toward home.

Relating monarch migration—the farthest of any butterfly—to seasonal farm work is a brilliant example of how humans and animals are connected. We all respond to the rhythm of the seasons, for everything has its time. Back home in Mexico, Lucía is also riding the season with traditional summertime work and play, but always looking forward to Papa’s return. The text is poetic and the illustrations are colorful with swirling patterns that reflect the patterns of life. Small children may sit still for only one or two readings, but older ones (and their parents) will be lulled by this gentle story.   

Overall Rating: 4

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Water Day by Margareta Engle, illustrated by Olivia Sua. Atheneum, 2023, 38 pages

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8

Recommended for: ages 4-8

“Water Days are busy days, grateful, laughing, thirsty days.” In the cities and towns of Cuba water can be scarce, owing to climate change and crumbling infrastructure. Every fifth day, a horse-drawn wagon arrives in Trinidad, Cube, bearing a tank full of fresh agua. The whole town turns out, ready for their rooftop water tanks to be filled. Our narrator’s bisabuela (great-grandmother) is eager to give her fruit trees a drink. But that’s not the end—soon after the water wagon leaves, the fish lady bicycles in with a jar of silvery mosquito fish. They’ll be added to everyone’s tank to help control the mosquito population. This means that water must be boiled before drinking, so there’s more work to do, besides washing and bathing and flushing.

Even though the people of Trinidad are pictured as happy and busy, Water Day should give first-world kids an appreciation for the reservoirs and treatment plants in their own towns that provide drinkable water with the twist of a faucet. The primitive-style illustrations and simple, child-level text draw readers and listeners alike into the daily life of a Cuban town.

Overall Rating: 4

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: For more on monarch migration, see The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery.
• Review: See Gary Schmidt’s excellent picture-book biography of Harriet Tubman: So Tall Within.
• Reviews: For more about Cuba (particularly escape from an oppressive regime), see Across So Many Seas, Cuba in My Pocket, and 90 Miles from Havana.

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