Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/18929
LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 8 6 6 6 4 4 2 8 4 2 E X P E R I E N C E L O N G B E A C H C O L O R E D B Y L O C A L F L A V O R S , C H A R A C T E R S A N D S T O R I E S . S U R F ' S U P AT AV I A H O T E L S . C O M Fresh C AT C H . 61 This is, sadly, a story a lot of children in this city can relate to, and relating with a story is vital to getting a child interested in reading, Anita said. "If you give them stuff they can't relate to, or they can't see themselves in it, they get bored," she said. Since the store opened, the Canos have also welcomed over 80 authors for book signings and special events. Some past guests include prominent Latino authors like Victor Villasenor, Graciela Limon, Xyta Maya Murray and Rudolfo Anaya. She should know. Anita has been a teacher all her life, first at Abraham Lincoln Senior High School in Los Angeles and then at Long Beach City College. Her goal is to reach out to as many people as she can to educate them. When a man with a subtle Spanish-speaker's accent came into the store one day Anita showed what her relationship with her customers is like."I don't know if you remember me," he said to Anita. "Of course I do," she cut him off, smiling. She chatted with him for a minute and then left him to browse. He was an example of the typical Cultura Latina customer, she said. "Our customers were born and raised here but want to pass on the culture and the language to their children. These children's books are a big deal because it's about what Mexican-Americans are doing here in the U.S.," she said. About 10 years ago, big American publishers realized, too, what a big deal these books are. That's when they first started releasing Latino-American- themed books in big numbers. "Publishers realized there was a big gap," Anita said. The people who really benefit from the rise of this literature are Latino children, the Canos noted. "We know how significant books are. They're life changing," Anita said. When Anita was nine-years-old she contracted polio and couldn't go to school for a year, she recalled. So her father went to the library and came home with his arms full of books for her. "My life was swimming, physical therapy and reading," she said. "Raising bilingual children is good for the country too," she said. "Bilingualism in any context, Spanish-English, Chinese-English, Farsi-English, these will give them an advantage, especially when they get into the workforce. It's in our national interest. It's a matter of national security. We can't protect ourselves if we can't understand people. It's been one of our shortcomings and parents who are smart know this." After half an hour or so, the customer left with a book under his arm. He was a school teacher when he last came into the store five or six years ago, Anita recalled. He went away to get a master's degree, and now he's back as a school psychologist. He was the type of local customer the Canos serve everyday proudly. "People always make their way back at some point," Anita said. n Cultura Latina 4125 Norse Way 562.982.1515