languages

Children Around The World

No matter where they live, children are always curious about the world. But nothing proves more fascinating to them than other children. Exploring the themes of commonality and diversity, this informational picture book introduces young readers to 12 children from around the world. Speaking in the first person, the children briefly describe such things as the language, food, clothing, schooling and daily life of their region. One of the most appealing aspects of this book is the artwork, which features the use of fabric, paper, mesh, string and felt in multimedia collage. Through the use of colors and textures, each child emerges with a distinctive and endearing personality.

Merry Navidad!: Christmas Carols in Spanish and English/Villancicos en español e inglés

Resuenen con alegría los cánticos de mi tierra que viva el Niño Jesús que ha nacido en Nochebuena. It’s time to sing out with joy the songs that are sung in my land in praise of the precious Child born this holy Christmas evening. Come share the joy of a Hispanic Christmas! In this warm and vibrant collection of traditional Spanish Christmas carols, or villancicos, noted authors Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy bring to life the holiday traditions of Latin America and Spain. The creative English adaptations by Rosalma Zubizarreta both capture the spirit of the originals and add a new dimension to the songs. And Spanish illustrator Viví Escrivá’s spirited illustrations are perfect backdrops for the lyrics, adding rich holiday flavor. Come sing along! ¡Feliz Navidad! and Merry Christmas!

Sparky’s Bark/El ladrido de Sparky

When Lucy comes to the United States for the first time, no one can understand her English, not even Sparky. How will Sparky help her? Cuando Lucy viene a los Estados Unidos por primera vez, nadie puede entender su inglés, ni siquiera Sparky. ¿Cómo la ayudará Sparky?

What Is Your Language?

Russian, Japanese, Swahili, Spanish… how does each language sound? What are the people of each culture like? Children can find out with this brightly illustrated introduction to foreign lands. “Along with the pleasure of adventure is the recognition of community with kids everywhere.” -Booklist

The Firefly Letters

A stunning novel in verse by a Newbery Honor-winning author paints a portrait of early women’s right pioneer Frederika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 1

Quinito, Day and Night/Quinito, Día y Noche

From dawn till dusk, Quinito’s life is full of opposites. In the morning, he’s up and running – fast or slowly, depending on the day. If it’s sunny, he’s off to the park to swing high and low. If it’s a rainy, stay-at-home day, Quinito’s quiet at naptime and noisy at playtime. So much to do before the sun sets! This playful story builds awareness in young readers that everywhere they look, opposites abound. Told in both English and Spanish, Quinito, Day and Night is a delight for readers young or old, tall or short, messy or neat.

The Moon is La Luna: Silly Rhymes in English And Spanish

This book is full of monos, ratons, and osos. What’s that, you say? You don’t know what a mono is? What about a rio, some pelo, or even an árbol? No? Still no idea? You should read this libro, then. By the time you finish, you’ll be able to recognize and understand more than fifty simple Spanish words. You’ll be saying, “Mas, por favor!” You may even ask your papá to buy you a gato or pato. (But not your papa. Potatoes can’t buy pets.)

Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds

Park and Durango present the sounds people make to express such things as distaste, laughter, and surprise. The outer pages of the foldouts detail people sounds in various languages and dialects, such as Danish, Yoruba, Korean, and Farsi. These words and phrases, surrounded by pastel borders, are accompanied by children expressing these sounds with clear facial expressions and gestures.