Noting that even though more than 31,000,000 Latina and Latino Americans will live in the United States by the year 2000, their diverse voices have been largely neglected in literature for children and young adults, this book celebrates these voices. The book is a comprehensive reference tool to help fill the gap--a thoroughly detailed guide to Latina and Latino authors. Highlighting the lives and careers of writers whose cultural roots are embedded in a variety of racial, ethnic, regional, and religious traditions, the book not only makes it easier to locate their work, it also provides insights into their writing styles, motivations, and points of view. A section of the book addresses the issues involved in evaluating and selecting books from a pluralistic perspective, providing guidelines for examining books for racist, sexist, classist, ageist, and homophobic attitudes. Altogether, 39 different authors are discussed in the book. Six appendixes (1) list many additional Latina and Latino authors; (2) offer suggestions that activities teachers, parents, and librarians might use with the books to extend the literary experience; (3) list the authors' birthdays so that each unit might be further personalized; (4) supply a calendar of holidays and special days often celebrated in Latin cultures; (5) provide information about additional resources for young people such as magazines, videos, and posters; and (6) offer an extensive bibliography of additional resources for educators, parents, and librarians, such as journals, newsletters, catalogs, and organizations. Four different indexes are provided, including a comprehensive index on themes, curricular areas, genres, and topics. (NKA)