Américas Book Award Workshops and Resources
The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) founded the Américas Book Award in 1993 to encourage and commend authors, illustrators and publishers who produce quality children’s and young adult works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States; and to provide teachers with recommendations for classroom use. The Américas Award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere.
Workshops
The Center for Latin American Studies offers exciting workshops focusing on strategies to incorporate Latin American and Latino children’s and young adult literature into the classroom. To be informed of upcoming opportunities, join our CLAS for Educators email list.
Global Read Webinar
The World Area Book Awards (Américas Award, Africana Book Award, Freeman Book Award, Middle East Book Award, and the South Asia Book Award) sponsor an annual webinar series on award-winning books, including the Américas Book Award. The webinars include a discussion with the author on how to incorporate the book into the classroom. Participants are encouraged to read the books with their colleagues, students, and community prior to the webinar. For more information, visit the World Area Book Awards.
Teaching Resources for Américas Award Books
CLASP Resources
For educator guides and additional resources on all current and past Américas Award recipients and honorable mentions, visit the Américas Award website and Facebook page.
CLAS Resources
Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz
CLAS Workshop with Benjamin Alire Sáenz, with CCSRE's Dr. Rigoberto Marquéz: February 24, 2021
Educator Guide - Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. Developed by the University of New Mexico, on behalf of CLASP.
Author Jorge Argueta
CLAS Workshop with Jorge Argueta: May 16, 2017
Educator Guide - We Are Like the Clouds. Developed by Stanford University (SPICE and CLAS), on behalf of CLASP.
Author Margarita Engle
CLAS Workshop with Margarita Engle: February 27, 2018
Silver People (2015 Award Winner)
Educator Guide - Silver People. Developed by Stanford University (SPICE and CLAS), on behalf of CLASP.
Author Francisco Jiménez
Memoir Series: The Circuit (1997 Award Winner), Reaching Out, Breaking Through (2001 Award Winner), Taking Hold
CLAS Workshop with Francisco Jiménez: October 15, 2015
Jiménez English resources
- Educator Guide - Breaking Through. Developed by the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, on behalf of CLASP.
- Study Guide - Breaking Through. Developed by Francisco Jiménez.
- Educator Guide - The Circuit. Developed by the University of New Mexico, on behalf of CLASP.
Jiménez Spanish resources
- Una nota del autor (Cajas de cartón) - by Francisco Jiménez
- Preguntas (Cajas de cartón) - by Francisco Jiménez
- Preguntas (Senderos fronterizos) - by Francisco Jiménez
- Preguntas (Más allá de mí) - by Francisco Jiménez
Author Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson
Educator Guide - The School the Aztecs Built. Developed by Stanford University (SPICE and CLAS), on behalf of CLASP.
Author Duncan Tonatiuh
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale (2014 Honorable Mention)
CLAS Workshop with Duncan Tonatiuh and Tomás Jiménez, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Stanford’s Comparative Studies in Race in Ethnicity program (2015-2018): February 6, 2015
Educator Guide - Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote. Developed by the University of New Mexico, on behalf of CLASP.
Vamos a Leer: Teaching Latin America through Literacy & Literature
Vamos a Leer is run through the University of New Mexico's Latin American & Iberian Institute, and is dedicated to providing K-12 educators with more information about books related to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latin@s in the US. Their goal is to create and compile resources that teachers could access anywhere at any time, and to provide the space for national or even international dialogue. Most importantly, they aim to encourage educators to use great literature to create globally literate students, to engage in authentic discussions of culture, and to think about social justice issues.
We Need Diverse Books
We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization created to address the lack of diverse, non-majority narratives in children’s literature. We Need Diverse Books is committed to the ideal that embracing diversity will lead to acceptance, empathy, and ultimately equality. Follow We Need Diverse Books on Facebook.
CLAS is a U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center (NRC). Supported by the U.S. Department of Education under the auspices of Title VI, Section 602(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, NRCs serve to strengthen access to and training in the major languages of their respective regions, and to broaden area studies training across all disciplines.