Cinco Puntos Holiday Sale

The Cinco Puntos Team! The Byrds with Jessica Powers and Cactus Mary Fountaine
Not pictured: Stephanie Frescas , Jill Bell and Michelle Lange
Happy Holidays! May the coming year bring us all peace and thanksgiving! 

Cinco Puntos Picks for the Readers in Your Life

Books make wonderful gifts—they never go out of style, shrink in the dryer or go baggy in the knees. Cinco Puntos Press books are unique: They open windows and doors to other peoples and places, while providing clear-eyed mirrors in which to see ourselves. Our most recent books will make wonderful gifts for your kids and grands, in-laws and outlaws and friends far and near. 

If you want to know more about our books, visit our website or give us a call. During the holidays, all books receive a 20% discount. If you are considering a gift to a school, NPO, or simply a group of deserving kids, we offer a 50% discount for literacy projects. (Please call 915-241-3140 for more information or to make a Literacy Project order.)

We wish you all a wonderful holiday. May we all work for peace and a healthy planet in the New Year!

—Johnny, Lee and Bobby Byrd, along with our colleagues Jessica Powers, Mary Fountaine, Stephanie Frescas, Jill Bell and Michelle Lange

A Song for the River by Philip Connors

Why we love it: Beloved, bestselling author Connors is back with this soon to be classic of nature writing, loss and love. And Publishers Weekly named it one of the best non-fiction titles, 2018; Amazon's picked it as one of the 20 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year, and Outside Magazine picked it for Best Adventure Books of the Season.

Perfect gift for: Hiking and wilderness aficionados, environmentalists, fans of Mother Nature and this great planet

When a Woman Rises by Christine Eber

Why we love it: When a Woman Rises, like these holidays, radiates compassion. This is a story of our time seen from the eyes and hearts of the Tzotzil women of Chiapas.

Perfect gift for: Readers who want to know more about the lives and beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Central America, so many of whom, looking for a secure life, are migrating north.  

The Death of Bernadette Lefthand by Ron Querry

Why we love it: Why was this classic ever out of print? "The best novel of its type since Leslie Sitko's Ceremony.” –Tony Hillerman

Perfect gift for: Fans of Native American literature and the cultures of the American Southwest. Simply a good novel for readers who want a woman protagonist they can love.

Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico by David Bowles

Why we love it: A first of its kind of book, a general reader for adults and high school students telling the origin stories of Mexico. A book of the year from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal.

Perfect gift for: Lovers of myth and story; Mexican-Americans who are curious about the myths and legends of their Mexican heritage; and readers who are wanting to understand more deeply the cultures and backgrounds of our Southern neighbors.

They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles

Why We Love It: Güero is a border kid, cool, complex, “woke,” a gamer, a reader, a poet (egad!), compassionate seventh-grader. Yeah, he lives on the border with all its issues, speaks two languages,but really he's like most  American boys, getting in trouble and worried about girls.A 2018 Best Book from School Library Journal and Shelf Awareness along with multiple STARRED reviews and many other accolades!

Perfect gift for: All the boys you know.

Watch Out for Clever Women! / ¡ Cuidado con las mujeres astutas!  by Joe Hayes

Why we love it: A bilingual classic, reissued with five new stories, all great fun if you want to see what ingenious plots women use to outwit overconfident or foolish men. Joe Hayes’ trademark engaging and witty storytelling is in full display in this new edition. Includes Joe's signature story, "The Day It Snowed Tortillas"!

Perfect gift for: Young readers who love tricks and playful stories, overconfident or foolish men you want to send a message to. Great fun for young and old practicing their Spanish skills!

Iron River by Daniel Acosta

Why we love it: Man-on-fire, the smart, earnest Mexican kid narrating the story, shares what life is like in a barrio in the 1950s—bringing you into a world of both close-knit communities and terrible injustices. 2018 Kirkus Best Book, Historical Fiction, and STARRED reviews in Kirkus and SLJ.

Perfect gift for: YA readers looking for Latinx representation, readers who came of age in a world like Iron River, or anyone interested in the social struggles of the 1950s

First Concepts in Mexican Folk Art, Board Books by Cynthia Weill and wonderfully gifted Mexican Artisans

Why we love it: Those cute early readers will love the fun, vibrant figures that accompany bilingual displays of those early concepts. ABCs, opposites, colors, numbers, and animal talk. A treasure chest of fun!

Perfect gift for: For those toddlers who love to read and eat books! 

Olor de perfume de viejita by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez

Why we love it: By popular demand, Claudia Guadalupe Martinez' classic The Smell of Old Lady Perfume is now in Spanish! A wonderful coming of age story of sixth-grader and soccer star Chela growing up in a border barrio. And the translation is exquisite, thanks to el maestro Luis Humberto Crosthwaite!

Perfect gift for: Those glorious middle-grade girls on your list: fifth, sixth, seventh graders. They will all know a girl like Chela. And they can read about her in Spanish!

All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez and illustrated by Adriana M Garcia

Why we love it: It won the Tomas Rivera Award! How cool is that? A beautiful book in every way. Illustrations. Story. Design. But it's simple message--a grandfather telling his granddaughter about the circles found all throughout nature, including in the cyclical nature of life--is the soul of the book.

Perfect gift for: Curious kids who notice everything around them, grandparents that want to share with curious grandkids.