Super Cilantro Girl – La Superniña del cilantro

I’m a 4th grade teacher in a bilingual program in Central New Jersey. I’ve taught students from just about every Spanish-speaking country. While the topics of diversity, culture, and immigration are part of the district curriculum, they are even more integral to my classroom instruction due to the needs of my students. Often, my children are homesick for their countries and the loved ones they’ve left behind. Many of my students experience culture shock, some have a difficult time adjusting to their new surroundings, and many continue to feel some insecurity in their new American home.

An activity I do every year is that of inviting my students to imagine themselves as a superhero. They are encouraged to create themselves as a “new” superhero, complete with costume, logo, and superpowers. Then, they write stories about themselves and their adventures. In their stories, they must use their powers to help and do good.

I was excited when, a couple of years ago, I came across Super Cilantro Girl/La Superniña del cilantro. This book, by Juan Felipe Herrera, tells the story of a little girl called Esmeralda Sinfronteras (Emerald Without Borders) whose family lives near the Tijuana border. Esmeralda’s mother, who has gone to Mexico for a visit, is stopped at the border, told she must have a green card. Esmeralda is assured though, that everything will be alright, as her mother is an American citizen.

Esmeralda goes to bed worried nevertheless, clutching a small bouquet of cilantro leaves, on which she makes a wish for her mother to return home safely. Her concern turns into a dream where her hands, her teeth, and her hair turn green as the cilantro she holds. She grows and grows “EsmerALTA” and flies… in search of her mother. The rest of the story reads like a superhero rescue. It also gives the reader an idea of how it must feel for families to be kept apart by borders.

Super Cilantro Girl is a bilingual book. The illustrations by Honorio Robledo Tapia are filled with honest, rich and colorful landscapes, city scenes, and vibrant greens.