Mama Fela, a skilled seamstress, is the aging matriarch of the Romero clan in Santa Lucía, a small town in northeastern New Mexico at the height of the Great Depression. Her six-year-old granddaughter and constant companion, Cipriana, delights in the Shirley Temple movies that occasionally come to the town's theater. Through Cipriana's eyes, we see her parents' struggles over money. Graciela, Cipriana's mother, is a teacher in a rural school system who juggles the roles of wife, mother, and breadwinner. Cita, Cipriana's aunt who is in her mid-twenties, spends her days mothering neighbors, nieces, and a nephew, while dreaming of creative pursuits in a time and place where women's roles are strictly defined and dreams are stifled. Together, these strong women cope with the challenges of poverty and prejudice, striving to pull their families through these difficult times. 
 "Literature at its best introduces humankind to itself. Meet Mama Fela--wife, mother, grandmother, caught in a crossfire of time and geography, a prism through which pass the many colors of Hispanic life in America. Ana Baca's compelling tale will draw you in until you, too, join the family."--Jerry Spinelli, Newbery Medal-winning author of Maniac Magee 
 "Delightful read. Details, from muddy roads and crank-start cars to schoolhouses heated by wood fires and cold, spider-infested outhouses, all lend historical accuracy."--Lisa Lenard-Cook, author of Dissonance and Coyote Morning

Mama Fela's Girls: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Baca, Ana

United States

University of New Mexico Press

Ana Baca's bilingual tale of how two children from different generations learn to make their family recipe for tamales will delight readers of her earlier picture books that combine folklore and traditional cuisine.Luz's school day is canceled because of snow and her abuela decides it's the perfect time to teach her to make tamales, just as Abuela's father, Diego, was taught by his ti?a on a long-ago winter day.As Abuela tells it, when Ti?a showed up unexpectedly at Diego's home, the pantry was almost bare with only a few dried squash, two pumpkins, three onions, a bundle of dried corn, and one red chile ristra on the shelves. Diego didn't think they'd be able to do much with such meager ingredients, but by the end of the afternoon, Ti?a had taught him that with laughter and a little embellishment, a delicious meal can be made from almost nothing.

Tia's Tamales (English, English and Spanish Edition)

Children's Books

Growing Up & Facts of Life

Ana Baca's bilingual tale of how two children from different generations learn to make their family recipe for tamales will delight readers of her earlier picture books that combine folklore and traditional cuisine.
Luz's school day is canceled because of snow and her abuela decides it's the perfect time to teach her to make tamales, just as Abuela's father, Diego, was taught by his tía on a long-ago winter day.
As Abuela tells it, when Tía showed up unexpectedly at Diego's home, the pantry was almost bare with only a few dried squash, two pumpkins, three onions, a bundle of dried corn, and one red chile ristra on the shelves. Diego didn't think they'd be able to do much with such meager ingredients, but by the end of the afternoon, Tía had taught him that with laughter and a little embellishment, a delicious meal can be made from almost nothing.
Winner of the 2011 New Mexico Book Award

Tía's Tamales (English, English and Spanish Edition)

As they prepare to make the traditional Christmas cookies known as bizcochitos, Christina's grandmother tells her the story of how a magical butterfly first introduced these sweet treats to her great grandfather, a shepherd in the hills of New Mexico.

Benito's Bizcochitos: Los Bizconchitos De Benito (English and Spanish Edition)

Castilla, Julia Mercedes

Teen & Young Adult

Arte Publico Pr

In a magical bilingual picture book that celebrates a hallowed Southwestern spice and the risk taken by a young, hopeful boy, Benito trades his family's cow for a handful of powerful seeds, but when the seeds appear to only grow weeds and the neighboring farmers begin to complain, Benito almost gives up hope.

Chiles for Benito/Chiles Para Benito (English and Spanish Edition)

Colin, Jose Juan

Pinata Books