When author and Air Force aviator Graciela Tiscareño-Sato sat down with her son one night to talk about a Veteran’s Day event at his preschool, she realized she could not think of a single bilingual story for children about Latinas in the military.
Instead of combing the library shelves, she created one herself, Latina Lista reported.
“Good Night Captain Mama / Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá” features a boy who asks his mother what the patches on her Air Force flight suit means. Through the stories of the patches, his mother teaches him about women who serve in the military.
The book is “the first illustrated [book] showing a Latina mamá in U.S. military uniform [and] could spark that patriotic fervor at even earlier ages,” the report said.
According to a 2011 Pew study, there are more Latinas that serve in the military than Latinos. Their research shows many undocumented Latina teens declare their intent to enlist in the military while waiting for immigration reform.
However, Tiscareño-Sato has received some pushback from parents for reading her story to classes in both Spanish and English.
According to the report, when a photo of her reading appeared on Facebook, some parents commented, “I think it’s great what you’re doing but if you’re reading in schools in America…you should read in English only!!” or “My forefathers learned English so will the our grand children its the American way.”
Despite the criticism, Tiscareño-Sato remains a proponent of bilingual literature for children.
The book is available for pre-order here.
