The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) has launched the Latido Honor List! Here, Bookselling This Week and Jackie Garcia-Morales, author, literary agent, and founder of the Latido Honor List, discuss this new initiative designed to spotlight children’s and young adult books by Latine creators.
Bookselling This Week: Would you tell us a little about the statistics that led to the creation of this award?
Jackie Garcia-Morales: There’s some variation in how representation in children’s literature is measured, but the larger picture is clear. We still have a significant gap when it comes to diversity and inclusion in children’s books, and within that gap, Latinx stories remain underrepresented.
I’m Puerto Rican. I’m Latina. Growing up, it was incredibly difficult to find a character who even shared my last name, let alone a family dynamic, culture, or tradition that felt familiar to me. That stayed with me when I eventually entered publishing and advocacy. For the past few years, I’ve served on USBBY’s Outstanding International Books Committee, which does incredible work bringing literature from around the world to the attention of US readers. But I kept thinking about what was happening here at home.
We have a growing Latino population in the United States, yet the books available to young readers still do not reflect that population proportionally. Today, about one in four children in the US is Latino. Child Trends reported that Latino children made up 26% of all US children in its analysis of 2022 American Community Survey data, and that share is expected to continue growing.
At the same time, representation in children’s publishing remains much smaller. Different organizations measure that representation in different ways, so the numbers vary. Some broader measures put Latinx representation at around 13%, while the Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s 2024 data found that only about 6% of the books it received featured a Latine primary character or human subject.
I think those numbers say it all.
The impetus behind the Latido Honor List is to bring greater visibility, validation, encouragement, and recognition to books that center Latinx identities and experiences. We want to make those stories easier for librarians, educators, booksellers, families, and young readers to discover, while also encouraging publishers to continue seeking out and investing in more Latine voices.
That goal also feels deeply aligned with USBBY’s mission to build bridges of international understanding and goodwill through books for children and young adults. Latido is another way to strengthen those bridges by helping more readers encounter stories, cultures, and perspectives they may not otherwise see.
Most of us can think of something about ourselves that made us feel different growing up. Having books that say, “You are here too, your family is here , your story belongs here too,” can make an enormous difference in how children understand themselves, connect with others, and develop empathy.
BTW: Absolutely. It sounded like you’ve been working on this for a while now. How long has this been in the works?
JGM: It had been in my mind for a long time, at least a couple of years. The lack of diversity in children’s literature had affected my own education, and I was also seeing how it could shape my younger family members’ ability to connect with the books they were reading.
Then, after I started volunteering with USBBY in 2024 as a state ambassador and as a member of the Outstanding International Books Committee, I got to know the people behind the organization and began to see a real pathway forward for the idea. USBBY felt like the right home for it because of the supportive environment and the people who are so deeply passionate about children’s literature, representation, and building cultural bridges.
I finally brought the idea forward with the encouragement of Susan Polos, our president, who invited me to develop and share a formal proposal. The board was incredibly welcoming, and the proposal was ultimately accepted.
At this point, we’re focused on getting the word out, building excitement around the list, and connecting with people who want to be part of it. The next step will be putting together a thoughtful, well-rounded committee so that the books can be considered fairly and from a range of perspectives.
BTW: That's really exciting. I love that you had this in your head even before you found the right avenue for it. You mentioned the committee, but who might be on the committee, and what might that process look like?
JGM: We’re looking for a mixed cohort of booksellers, librarians, teachers, publishers, and other people who care deeply about children’s books. We hope to include people who identify as Latinx as well as people who do not, because part of the goal is to understand how these books reach, resonate with, and educate readers across different communities. That broader mix of perspectives will also help us understand how the books we receive can expand awareness, deepen understanding, and support more thoughtful curation in classrooms, libraries, bookstores, and beyond.
If you want to learn more about the list or are interested in serving on the committee, join the USBBY newsletter. When committee applications go live, that will be the first place they’re announced, and on our website, you can learn more about the preliminary ways submissions will be evaluated.
BTW: Do you have anything else that you would specifically like to say to booksellers?
JGM: Please get in touch with us and stay tuned! Whether you’re interested in serving on the committee, submitting or recommending titles in the future, or you’re someone who could benefit from the list as you curate your bookshelves, we want to hear from you.
There are so many ways to get involved. If you’d like to support the work by spreading the word, collaborating, or helping us connect with others who care about this work, you can reach us at [email protected]. You’re also always welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn.
We’re excited to continue building this initiative and connecting with people who are invested in preserving and expanding Latinidad inclusion in children’s literature in the US, while making sure young readers have access to books that reflect the richness of the communities they come from.