In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Dr. Iran Barrera, professor in the Department of Social Work Education and Dr. Helda Pinzon-Perez, professor in the Department of Public Health, discuss their children’s books for the Latinx and Chicano/a communities.

Barrera’s book, which is written in English and Spanish, is a coloring handbook meant to enhance literacy among communities, who have experienced and are vulnerable to adverse childhood experiences.

"The book is meant to engage families and give them helpful information," Barrera said. "The topic of adverse childhood experiences is important because we are beginning to see the relation between toxic stress and trauma in our communities and the health impacts these experiences have, including anxiety, depression and obesity."

The focus of Pinzon-Perez’s book is resilience. She said that as children grow up, the development of resilience skills early in life is essential to their growth as they enter adolescence and adulthood.

"We all struggle with difficult times in our lives," said Pinzon-Perez. "It's part of life. Having resilience and the ability to overcome those difficult times in a positive manner is a great learning opportunity. This book talks about that and addresses issues like immigration, poverty and illiteracy."

Both books are free and available to local community-based organizations, nonprofits and schools.

To request a copy, please contact Barrera at irbarrera@csufresno.edu and Pinzon-Perez at hpinzonp@csufresno.edu.