Super Cilantro Girl

Author: Juan Felipe Herrera

When Esmeralda Sinfronteras learns her mother, an American citizen, has been stopped at the border for lack of a green card, she transforms into Super Cilantro Girl. Turning green like a bouquet of cilantro, salsa verde, and the earth in spring, Esmeralda the superhero is able to leap over border walls, scale control towers and turn everything cilantro green so the border will disappear and her mother can return home. Written in both English and Spanish by nationally known Mexican-American poet Juan Filipe Herrera, Super Cilantro Girl examines themes of cultural duality, immigrant status and national borders as they affect children. This entertaining, imaginative and brightly-illustrated story can be used to initiate classroom explorations into these timely issues with young students.

Super Cilantro Girl/La Superniña del Cilantro

Year Released: 2003

Grade K-4