Author Profile
Gary Soto
8 Books
Gary Soto is an American poet, novelist, and children’s author known for realistic stories rooted in Mexican American family life, friendship, school, and growing up in California. His books include the story collection Baseball in April and Other Stories, the novel Buried Onions, and the humorous Chato picture books, as well as poetry collections such as A Fire in My Hands. His work often combines everyday humor with thoughtful observations about identity, community, and adolescence.
Maya has the best view of the wedding: right in the middle of the celebration, camera ready. As flower girl at a lively Mexican American family wedding, she notices everything, from the procession to the altar to the small, funny moments grown-ups might miss.
Each snapshot catches a piece of the day: fancy clothes, music, food, teasing cousins, children making their own fun, and a family gathered for something joyful. Spanish words and playful details give the story warmth and rhythm, while Maya’s bright point of view makes the wedding feel close enough to step into.
Snapshots from the Wedding is a funny, affectionate picture book about family traditions, celebration, and the memories that stay after the party ends.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Christmas Eve is a very special time for Maria! Snow is falling, her favorite cousins are coming over, and best of all, she gets to help make delicious tamales for dinner. While her mom is busy, Maria can't resist trying on a beautiful, sparkling diamond ring. It looks so grown-up on her finger!
But then, disaster strikes! The ring is gone! Could it have fallen into one of the many tamales? Oh no! What will Maria do? Join Maria and her clever cousins as they try to solve this big problem. Get ready for a hilarious, food-filled adventure as they race against time. This warm and wonderful story celebrates family, traditions, and how everyone pulls together to make Christmas perfect, no matter what!
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Chato is one cool East L.A. cat, and when a family of little mice moves into the barrio, he sees the perfect chance to be neighborly. Very neighborly. He and Novio Boy start cooking a feast with tortillas, beans, salsa, enchiladas, and plenty of delicious plans.
But Chato’s idea of dinner is not quite the same as his guests’ idea of dinner. The mice are cheerful, polite, and not nearly as worried as Chato expects. Even better, they bring someone along who may change the whole menu.
Chato’s Kitchen is a wickedly funny picture book full of food, Spanish words, barrio flavor, bold illustrations, and a cat whose clever plan may not be as clever as he thinks.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
36 Pages
Chato and Novio Boy are ready for a dream cruise, but the moment they step aboard, something is wrong. This is not a cool cat vacation. The ship is packed with dogs, dog games, dog treats, and far too much barking for two low-riding cats from the barrio.
Trying to enjoy themselves is hard enough. Then the dogs party, snack, and race around until they are in real trouble. When Chato and Novio Boy look for help, they discover the cruise they meant to take all along, and suddenly they must choose between joining the fun and keeping their word.
Chato Goes Cruisin’ is a lively ocean adventure full of jokes, loyalty, Spanish-flavored wordplay, and comic energy on every page.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Ricky wants one thing for the Cinco de Mayo class play: the biggest, bushiest mustache in the costume box. Everyone keeps telling him he looks like his mother, but Ricky wants to look like Papi, strong and grown-up and unmistakably himself.
He is supposed to leave the mustache at school. Instead, he wears it home, enjoying the way it makes him feel older and more like his father. Then the mustache disappears, and Ricky has to face the scary thought of telling the truth.
Big Bushy Mustache is a tender, funny picture book about family resemblance, honesty, school celebrations, and the special bond between a boy and his father.
6-8 Years
40 Pages
Chato loves a good pachanga, and when he learns that his best friend Novio Boy has never had a birthday party, he knows exactly what to do. He will throw the biggest, coolest, tastiest surprise party in the barrio.
Soon Chato is inviting the neighborhood, planning music, arranging food, thinking about cake, and making sure every party detail is just right. There is only one problem: when the celebration is ready to begin, Novio Boy is nowhere to be found.
Chato and the Party Animals is a bright, funny picture book about friendship, birthdays, community, and one enthusiastic cat who remembers almost everything. Spanish words and lively illustrations make the celebration feel noisy, warm, and full of heart.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Miata Ramirez has made a terrible mistake: she left her mother’s special folklórico skirt on the school bus. The skirt is not just part of a dance costume. It belonged to her mother when she was a child in Mexico, and Miata is supposed to wear it for a performance on Sunday.
Now it is Friday, time is running out, and Miata does not want her parents to find out she has lost something important again. With her best friend Ana beside her, she has to think fast, be brave, and find a way to get the skirt back.
The Skirt is a warm, suspenseful chapter book about family, friendship, responsibility, and cultural pride, with a heroine whose worries and determination feel wonderfully real.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
82 Pages
Rigo is tired of hand-me-downs. By the time his brothers are finished with their clothes, buttons are missing, knees are torn, and nothing feels like it truly belongs to him. Then, for his birthday, Rigo receives something wonderful: a pair of brand-new loafers, shiny and stylish and his alone.
But new things can bring new worries. After teasing makes Rigo hide the shoes away, he keeps them safe for so long that he begins to lose his chance to enjoy them. With help from family, he starts to see that the story behind an object can matter as much as whether it is new.
If the Shoe Fits is a warm, gentle picture book about siblings, pride, family memories, and learning what makes something valuable.
6-8 Years
40 Pages
