Racial and socio-economic differences are encountered, including how minorities and the poor are treated by the police and by health care services versus the middle to upper class white. This article is written from a real world point of view. Middle grade fantasy readers will enjoy picking up where they left off from the first book in the Paola Santiago series.

I've been building my kids' at-home libraries for years, though, so at this point, I've come across tons of beautiful children's books by Latinx authors that I'm happy to share here. The Paola Santiago series is a series of books by Tehlor Kay Mejia published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint that focuses on Mexican folklore and mythology. We already either own or have read most of the classics, which are, of course, predominantly written by white authors, so it's not like I'm avoiding those, it's just that making sure my children read books by nonwhite authors about nonwhite people has to be intentional and takes a bit more effort. When I take them to the library or the bookstore, I always point them in the direction of books by Latinx authors and books with images on the covers that remind me of our multicultural family. For my kids, I want better, and thankfully, for their generation, representation for people of color has become a priority, and there are now so many more options. I still enjoyed them, but it was all very disconnected from my own experience.

Most of the books I read were about middle-class or even rich white kids who lived in the suburbs. When I was growing up as an Afro-Puerto Rican in the United States, reading was one of my favorite things to do, but till this day, I can't think of a single book I read that featured a main character, let alone any character, that shared a background like mine. Specifically, as a Latina mom, a big part of that has been going out of my way to make sure my children are seeing and reading stories that feature characters who look like them and share some of their cultural experiences. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.Īs a mom, one of the most important things I've done since my children were born has been to read to them daily. As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too.

Paola santiago series