Family Pictures

A picture book from writer and illustrator Carmen Lomas Garza about life growing up in Kingsville, Texas a place located in South Texas near the Mexican border. This story will help teachers teach about the diversity of a community as well as Mexican culture. The illustrations are made from oil, acrylic, and gouache on arches paper. Each page contains English and Spanish translations. The stories are small glimpses of life within Carmen’s family and growing up in Mexican culture in Texas. The first story starts out with “The Fair in Reynosa,” which takes place in Reynosa, Mexico across the border. The second story is about picking oranges with her grandmother. The illustration shows her grandmother using her apron to hold the large number of oranges that the children help her pick. Also, it shows a huge orange tree with numerous oranges in the tree and on the ground. The next story is about getting ready for dinner with Carmen’s grandparents. The children are shocked from seeing their grandparents prepare the live chickens and the illustration is true to the story by showing the grandmother culling a chicken for the family’s soup. This illustration is not overly violent but can be sensitive material for younger children. The rest of the book contains the stories and illustrations of a birthday party, cakewalk, picking cactus, visiting the beach, cooking rabbit, a celebration of La Posada, making tamales, eating watermelon, visiting a curandera, and going to church.

Garza, C. L. (2005). Family Pictures. Children's Books Press.