Dennis Chávez: The First Hispanic US Senator/El primer senador hispano de los Estados Unidos

Gr 4–6—The first Hispanic senator born in the United States was Dennis Chávez, who represented the state of New Mexico and served in the U.S. Senate from 1935–62. His granddaughter, Coy, writes this bilingual middle grade biography in a flip-book format. Senator Chávez fought for the rights of the oppressed and clean water for Native Americans, sponsored bills to get free textbooks for children in New Mexico, spoke against Senator Joseph McCarthy, and pushed for legislation to make it illegal to not hire someone based on race. The narrative is not entirely presented in chronological order—there are a few time jumps. Despite that, readers will be interested to learn about Chávez, a Hispanic pioneer in the world of U.S. politics, and how "the seeds he helped plant grew into the new Civil Rights law." The story of his life, battles, and accomplishments need to be told, especially in the context of the fight for equality and desegregation in the early and mid-1900s.