Am I Blue or Am I Green?

Azul o verde. ¿Cúal soy yo?

Experience a young child's quest to understand the difference between the Blue of the American Flag and the Green of the Mexican Flag as he discovers the richness of his two distinct cultural heritages.

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Am I Blue or Am I Green- Azul o verde. ¿ Cuál soy yo? is a bilingual (English and Spanish) children's book that explores, through the eyes of a child, the differences between the Red, White and Blue of the American flag and the Green, White and Red of the Mexican flag.

This book explores the feelings of a child who is an American Citizen and whose parents are Undocumented Immigrants. The child examines his life where he enjoys the American experience and lives in a home where his parents speak Spanish and practice the traditions of Mexico. Although he enjoys baseball and soccer, reggae and rock en Español, he feels the fear of his parent's uncertain status. He explores the difference between being American and being an immigrant, and he acknowledges the "limbo" status that so many immigrants experience of not fully belonging to either country.

Ultimately, he reaches an elegant solution, a coming to terms with his life and the richness he draws from two distinct cultural heritages. He is a symbol of resiliency and pride.

This book focuses upon the Mexican- American/Chicano/a immigrant experience, but it is one that all immigrant communities can relate to.

It is fun and light-hearted while also emotional and moving at times. This is a great read for children in mixed status homes, for immigrant parents, for teachers and community members who interface with immigrant populations. It is an insightful view of the challenging world of the child of immigrant parents in the United States and the beauty of resilience.

Topics covered include: Identity, Chicano-Latino-Mexican-American Identity, Immigrant Identity, Bilingual (Spanish-English), Undocumented Status, Mixed Status Family, Citizenship, Mexican Cultural Traditions, BIPOC, Pocho, Resilience, and Freedom.


Meet the author:

Beatrice Zamora is an award winning children’s book author. Her first bilingual children’s book, The Spirit of Chicano Park/El espíritu del Parque Chicano, published by Tolteca Press in 2020, has won several local, national and international awards. She is an artist, activist, and retired educator, born in San Diego, California with roots in New Mexico, Arizona, and Guanajuato, Mexico. Having lived much of her life near the U.S.–Mexico border, this book captures the Chicano/a and immigrant reality.

-Beatrice Zamora-Aguilar

Meet the illustrator:

Berenice Badillo is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Board Certified Art Therapist, community artist, and a Chicano Park Muralist. She is an immigrant from La Piedad, Michoacán, Mexico and has found herself straddling intertwined cultural and subcultural identities her entire life. She strives to create communal cultural wealth through murals, sculpture, pop up art galleries and in the co-creation of counter stories.


Coming soon 2022:

Huehue'Tocaitl: Traditional Names/Nombres Tradicionales

In modern Mestizo/Chicano culture, names are often given to children at various significant times in their lives. This book provides native names, primarily Nahuatl and other indigenous languages primarily from Mexico. Each definition includes the name as is used in its historical context.