Bilingual Board Book Giveaway!

What better way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month 2013 than with a giveaway?  I was recently contacted about ArteKids, a beautiful new series of bilingual board books that celebrate art from around the world and introduce first concepts.  The publisher, Tu Press, has generously agreed to give away a full set of the the books to one lucky reader of ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas!

These five bilingual board books, with text from the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and illustrations from the San Antonio Museum of Art are excellent choices for all public library collections.  They introduce numbers, colors, shapes, animals and vocabulary through images of diverse art, including paintings, sculpture, photography and more.  Questions in English and Spanish on each page spark interaction between child and caregiver.  Examples from Animal Amigos! include: "Can you walk like an elephant?" and "¿Por qué se esconden los monos entre las rocas?"  These suggestions help inspire dialogic reading, movement and conversation between adult and child, making the books excellent choices when introducing early literacy and school readiness concepts to parents.  The artwork from around the world featured in the illustrations is cited in the end pages of each book.  I hope that the series continues to grow!

To be entered in the drawing for a complete set of the five books currently in the ArteKids series, simply leave a comment on this post by the end of the day Friday, September 20.  I'd love it if you would share how you intend to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year, or how you think you may use these books if you the winner.  I will put the names in a drawing and randomly select a winner, who will be contacted by a representative of Tu Press for details on how to receive the books.

Thanks, Tu Press, for this generous offer!

Book Recommendation: Good Night Captain Mama / Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá

This quick post is to share with you a book that I became aware of over the summer, but only recently sat down to read.  Good Night Captain Mama / Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá by Graciela Tiscareno-Sato is a bilingual picture book that covers a subject I've never seen addressed in any picture book, let alone a bilingual one.  It's about a female pilot in the Air Force who is also a mom.  In this story, mom, who has the rank of Captain, takes the time to lovingly tell her curious son about her job, her uniform and her patches.  Her son goes to sleep full of pride and looking forward to the day when he will get to see her airplane.

This is the rare self-published book that I would actually hope to see on library shelves.  It is more instructional than engaging in terms of story development, but still noteworthy due to its attention to women/Latinas/moms serving in the military.

I personally was really touched by the story, because my father-in-law and his father were both pilots in the Navy.  My husband's grandfather was a teacher to other pilots.  He passed away around Christmas time the year before last.  When he was in the hospital before he passed, we had amazing conversations about his time as a pilot instructor.  He still remembered many of his students' names, and had many touching and sometimes hilarious stories to share.  The pride he felt for that work stayed with him his entire life.  I believe picture books that allow young people to connect with their military family members, such as this title, are so valuable.  You can find out more about this book on Amazon or a the book's web page.

Bilingual Nonfiction Book for Earth Day

This Monday, April 22 is el Día de la Tierra, Earth Day.  I recently discovered a book that would be wonderful for marking this holiday in bilingual storytime.  I Love Our Earth / Amo nuestra tierra by Bill Martin, Jr. is a rare find indeed.  It's simple and brief text is lovely in both languages and is short enough to be a perfect storytime choice.  This is sometimes difficult to find in bilingual nonfiction!  The book is illustrated with beautiful photos of real people and real landscapes from around the world.  It would be a nice choice for storytimes on colors and seasons as well.

Spanglish Baby has created a Pinterest pinboard of bilingual Earth Day ideas.  You can can find crafts and printables for celebrating el Día de la Tierra from Primera Escuela as well.

How are you celebrating Earth Day?  Please leave a comment to let us know how it goes if you share this book in your program, have other Earth Day ideas or want to suggest other bilingual nonfiction titles that work well in storytime!

Bilingual Book to Know: Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo

Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo has finally arrived!  I have been waiting for this book to come out since I first heard Brown and Lopez talk about it at the 2010 National Latino Literature Conference.  I have to say, it was worth the wait! This book is going to be so much fun to share with kids and incorporate into storytimes.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!  See my review from Mamiverse Books below and a book trailer narrated by Brown and Lopez.

Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo

Tito Puente: Mambo King/Rey del Mambo
By Monica Brown • Illustrated by Rafael López
Translated by Adriana Domínguez
Rayo/HarperCollins • 2013 • 32 pages
Hardcover ($17.99)
ISBN: 978-0061227837
Ages 4-8

Monica Brown and Rafael López (the duo behind the award-winning My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz) have teamed up again to create an illustrated biography of one of America’s most important and beloved Latino musicians: Tito Puente, Mambo King/Rey del Mambo. This book captivates readers with its lively energy right from the cover, which portrays an enthusiastic Tito swept up in a whirlwind of music.

While some of Brown’s past biographies have been of a length and depth appropriate for older school-age children, this title focuses on Tito’s lifelong passion for music rather than on presenting extensive information about his life. This keeps the text fast-paced and age-appropriate for a younger pre-school audience, which will delight in Lopez’s imaginative full-spread illustrations. Mamis, teachers and librarians will be thrilled to see that this bilingual title is of appropriate length to share with younger children in both languages! Additionally, Brown’s incorporation of repeated onomatopoeia invites readers and listeners to join in, tapping or chanting out the “¡Tum Tica! ¡Tac Tic! ¡Tum Tic! ¡Tom Tom!” as Tito and his friends make joyful music together.

A photo and further factual information about Tito are provided at the end, as well as a musical notation for the repeated rhythm. Playful and vibrant in both text and illustration, this title successfully keeps the spirit of Tito Puente alive for a whole new generation.

—Reviewed by Katie Cunningham, Library Professional and Blogger, ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas! 

Rhyme Time en Español

Serving on the 2013 Pura Belpré award committee was easily one of the greatest honors I have experienced thus far in my career.  However, now that my term is over and our winners were selected, I am thrilled to be able to blog about books again!

Yanitzia Canetti has been on my radar for a long time due to her excellent translation work.  I have always been particularly impressed by how well she maintains rhyme, making changes to literal content when necessary in order to preserve the context, rhythm and intention of the story.  Some examples include La llama llama rojo pijama, Cerdota grandota,and Cha-cha-cha en la selva.  So I am especially thrilled that she has recently published her own book of Spanish children's rhymes, Uno, Dos, Tres: My First Spanish Rhymes.

This title presents dozens of Spanish rhymes organized by topic, such as "Let's Travel / A pasear" and "Let's Play / A jugar."  The rhymes are all in Spanish, but the end pages in the back provides some explanation and English translation.  The title also contains a CD so you can hear the rhymes in addition to reading them.  I know for me this is always useful, as I like to use traditional rhymes in my storytime programs but did not grow up speaking Spanish, so I'm always looking to learn new rhymes that will resonate with the families I serve.  The rhymes aren't titled in the book, which makes their presentation at times a little unclear.  I also wish that the notes at the end included information about in which countries the various rhymes are common. Overall, however, this is an excellent title, a must-have for libraries and definitely one that any librarian offering Spanish/bilingual storytimes and/or serving Spanish-speaking families should know.

Spanish Books for Every Child Ready to Read

I am a big fan of the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) parent education initiative, developed by the Public Library Association (PLA) and the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC).  As a Children's Librarian, I presented many ECRR workshops for parents in both English and Spanish.  As a consultant, one of the services I offer is helping libraries offer ECRR workshops to Spanish-speaking parents in their service area.  One of the reasons why I love ECRR so much is because it is a data-supported model which accomplishes multiple goals at once.  This is particularly true as it is offered to Latino and Spanish-speaking communities.  Not only does it reach early literacy goals by teaching and empowering parents as the first teachers of their children, it also works as an outreach tool to form new relationships between libraries and Latino community organizations and even individual families.  I am a huge advocate of the ECRR initiative and I am thrilled that the updated version will soon be available in a Spanish as well, Cada niño listo para leer.

In order to support librarians and library staff offering ECRR workshops to Spanish-speaking families, I thought I would share some of my favorite Spanish and bilingual books that support early literacy development.  These are books that are fun to share with children, are wonderful to incorporate into storytimes, and make great examples for sharing with parents during ECRR workshops.

Board Books for Babies
My Colors, My World / Mis colores, mi mundo by Maya Christina Gonzalez
This Belpré honor recipient for illustration is now available in board book form.  Explore the colors hiding in the desert with young Maya.

I Love to Sleep / Me encanta dormir / J'aime dormir and I Love to Eat / Me encanta comer / J'aime manger by Amélie Graux
Trilingual touch-and-feel board books introduce simple vocabulary.

¡Fiesta! by Ginger Foglesong Guy
Count the objects the niños buy at the market for their fiesta.

Time for Bed / Es hora de dormir and Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes / Diez deditos de las manos y diez deditos de los pies by Mem Fox
Two much loved titles for babies now available in bilingual board books featuring spectacular rhyming translations by F. Isabel Campoy.

¡Cu-cú, bebé! and ¿Dónde está el ombliguito? by Karen Katz
Spanish versions of fun lift-the-flap board books that introduce new vocabulary in an interactive manner.

Picture Books for Toddlers
Hello Night / Hola noche by Amy Costales
A gentle story that rhymes in both languages.  Perfect for bedtime.


Let's Eat! / ¡A comer! by Pat Mora
A sweet story in the "My Family / Mi Familia" series about the joy of sharing a meal together as a family.  The entire series is highly recommended; other titles are Wiggling Pockets / Los bosillos saltarines and Sweet Dreams / Dulces sueños.

Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla
Rhyming English text which incorporates Spanish words introduces us to the many ways in which babies celebrate!


¡Muu, Moo! Rimas de animales / Animal Nursery Rhymes by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
Animal rhymes that niños and parents will enjoy sharing time and again.


ABeCedarios: Mexican Folk Art ABCs in English and Spanish by Cynthia Weill
The first in a series of bilingual first concept books that feature photographs of traditional Mexican folk art pieces as illustrations.  Others in the series are Opposites / Opuestos, Colores de la vida, and Count Me In!


Picture Books for Preschoolers
Quinito's Neighborhood / El vecindario de Quinito by Ina Cumpiano
Meet the diverse folks in Quinito's neighborhood while learning fantastic vocabulary!

Ten Little Puppies / Diez perritos by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
A traditional Spanish children's song in storybook form.  Count and sing along!

Un pez muy divertido by Jack Tickle
One of several Spanish pop-up books in the "Libros Cu-cu Sorpresa" series.  Spanish pop-ups can be difficult to find for purchase; it's really fun to be able to share them with kids in storytime or at a workshop.

What Can You Do with a Rebozo? / ¿Qué puedes hacer con un rebozo? by Carmen Tafolla
The rebozo, a traditional shawl, can be many things if you use your imagination.

Arroz con leche / Rice Pudding by Jorge Argueta
One of several bilingual cooking poem stories.  The stories are actually recipes told in poem form, which makes them excellent for acting out and talking about what happens first, middle and last.  Others are Sopa de frijoles / Bean Soup and Guacamole.

What did I miss?  This is just a sample; there are many more great Spanish and bilingual books that promote early literacy skill development and are fun to share with kids.  If one that you love is not on this list, please leave a comment and share it with us!

Pura Belpre and other award winners announced this morning!

The award winners have been announced! As always, there were some surprises and also many anticipated winners. I have to redirect everyone to my previous post regarding Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora...this year's Pura Belpre winner for illustration! Visit the ALA press release for news on all the winners.

From my blog, April 9, 2009:
"As if we really need any more reasons to absolutely LOVE Pat Mora!  Well, just in case, here it is -
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros.  I have been keeping this book on my desk lately for those moments when I just need a smile.  It is impossible to read this book without feeling all warm and fuzzy!

This totally bilingual book is all about celebrating the joy of reading, in whatever language, with all children.  We read alone, with our friends, with our pets, with our families, wherever we are...even the library!  We also exercise our imaginations, reading in submarines and on hot air balloons.

For any "Ready to Read" early-literacy advocates out there, turn to the page toward the end with the big moon and prepare to squeal in delight.  This is probably the best example of the use of print awareness in a picture book that I know of.  Not only do we have to turn the page vertically to read the text, starbeams across the page spell out "Read Books."  Keep looking even closer and you'll see the word bubble is filled with nighttime words, in English AND Spanish.  Beautiful!

Rafael López has done a spectacular job with the illustrations in this book.  I imagine he will be the illustrator to beat for the 2009 Pura Belpre award.  Every child will be able to see him or herself in this book, which makes it truly special.  This is on the top of my list along with Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach for my favorite illustrations.

So if you are looking for a great book to share at a Día de los niños/Día de los libros program, this is it!  But even more, this is a special book to share with any child, anytime to share the feeling of "bookjoy".  Thanks Pat Mora for giving us this treasure!"

The Perfect Book for Making a Splash!

One of my favorite things about being a children's librarian is when I get a batch of brand new books that will be perfect to use in bilingual storytime. Today, just such a book arrived - I Know the River Loves Me / Yo sé que el río me ama by Maya Christina Gonzalez.

Maya Christina Gonzalez is both the author and illustrator of this book, as she also was for My Colors, My World / Mis colores, mi mundo.  This title features the same young Maya exploring the beauty of the world around her.  Like Maya, the river is low and quiet in the winter, and full and loud in the summer.  The river jumps and sings when she sees Maya, runs to her side to cool her down, and is always there calling to her as she gets close.  Maya returns her love to the river by being sure to "only leave behind what already belongs to her."

In addition to the beautiful bilingual text which flows like a river and is the perfect length for bilingual storytime, Maya Christina Gonzalez' illustrations are striking.  I must admit, in addition to Yuyi Morales, Gonzalez is one of my favorite illustrators.  Her style in this book is unique, with paisley-esque blossoms and leaves on the banks of the cool, flowing water.

An author's note at the end explains that the Yuba River in California is an important inspiration for this story.  It is published by Children's Book Press, which publishes a variety of excellent books that bring more diversity into the world of children's literature.

This year, our summer reading theme is "Make a Splash - Read!"  I cannot wait to use this book in a storytime celebrating water and kicking off summer reading, pairing it up with ¡Salpicar! / Splash! by Flora McDonnell.

Susan Middleton Elya strikes again!

The author of the popular rhyming titles that introduce readers to Spanish vocabulary such as Eight Animals Bake a Cake, Oh No Gotta Go!, and Say Hola to Spanish has struck again, this time with Adiós Tricycle. This book takes place at a garage sale, where Mom and Dad are earning some extra monedas by parting with unneeded items such as "outgrown ropa, pots for plantas and bowls for sopa." A gender-neutral niño is growing up and as such has a tricycle for sale - a favorite toy. As each potential buyer approaches the tricycle, our little seller tries to steer them elsewhere to avoid parting with the much loved trike. But finally, the trike moves on, earning the child enough money for a new mode of transportation - a bicicleta! Elizabeth Schlossberg's illustrations are emotive and cartoon-like, and the cast of animal characters represents a diverse group. As always, the text rhymes, which helps little readers develop the important pre-literacy skill of phonological awareness. A glossary at the back defines the Spanish words and provides some help with the pronunciation. Pair with Pato va en bici by David Shannon for a bicycle storytime or read-aloud!

Book Fiesta! My favorite new book of the year!

As if we really need any more reasons to absolutely LOVE Pat Mora! Well, just in case, here it is -
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros. I have been keeping this book on my desk lately for those moments when I just need a smile. It is impossible to read this book without feeling all warm and fuzzy!

This totally bilingual book is all about celebrating the joy of reading, in whatever language, with all children. We read alone, with our friends, with our pets, with our families, wherever we are...even the library! We also exercise our imaginations, reading in submarines and on hot air balloons.

For any "Ready to Read" early-literacy advocates out there, turn to the page toward the end with the big moon and prepare to squeal in delight. This is probably the best example of the use of print awareness in a picture book that I know of. Not only do we have to turn the page vertically to read the text, starbeams across the page spell out "Read Books." Keep looking even closer and you'll see the word bubble is filled with nighttime words, in English AND Spanish. Beautiful!

Rafael López has done a spectacular job with the illustrations in this book. I imagine he will be the illustrator to beat for the 2009 Pura Belpre award. Every child will be able to see him or herself in this book, which makes it truly special. This is on the top of my list along with Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach for my favorite illustrations.

So if you are looking for a great book to share at a Día de los niños/Día de los libros program, this is it! But even more, this is a special book to share with any child, anytime to share the feeling of "bookjoy". Thanks Pat Mora for giving us this treasure!