By Valeria Alvarez, Bilingual Children’s Library Associate, Martin Regional Library
Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15 through October 15. This month is dedicated to celebrating the cultures, achievements, and historical moments of people of Mexican, Caribbean, Spanish, and Central and South American descent. Since October is here, I want to share some children's books that combine the magic and slightly scary energy of Halloween with Hispanic elements!
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes is a picture book that uses rhyming bilingual text to show how different monsters (and kids!) spend their Halloween day. It is also illustrated by Yuyi Morales, this year's recipient of the Hummingbird Award in Literary Arts. To learn more about this program (and how you can get your book signed by Yuyi!), visit https://www.tulsalibrary.org/hummingbird-award.
The Huntsman and the Witches by Abraham Matias is the third book in the Everlasting Tales collection, a series of picture books based on fairy tales passed down through oral tradition across several cultures. This book focuses on the Mexican tale of the Huntsman and the Witches and tells the tale of a stubborn huntsman who ignores the witches' warnings while hunting a boar.
The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition by Adrianna Cuevas is a juvenile chapter book about Frani Gonzales, a young Hispanic girl with ADHD and a high tolerance for "gross" stuff (guts, bugs, you name it!). She, along with a scaredy-cat new friend and a teenage zombie, must save their town after zombies start to invade them. Adrianna Cuevas has other spooky books with Hispanic elements, like Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo and The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto.
The Daggers of Ire by J.C. Cervantes follows Esmeralda Santos, a young descendant of one of the four original witches of the magical town of San Bosco, and her best friend, Tiago, as they journey through an abandoned realm to save their town from losing all its magic. If you like the Percy Jackson series, this would be a good book to try out!
Lotería by Karla Valenti takes an eerie spin on the Mexican game of Lotería. Eleven-year-old Clara goes on a journey to save her missing cousin, unknowingly entering a life-or-death game with the Lotería cards. This nerve-wracking book is perfect for kids who like thrillers! Karla Valenti is also the author of Lola, which won her the Pura Belpré Children's Author Award in 2025.
Felice and the Wailing Woman by Diana López is the first book in the Los Monstruos series. This book focuses on Felice, the daughter of La Llorona, the infamous Wailing Woman from Mexican legends. Felice wants to free her mother from the curse she's been subjected to.
