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!
languages
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?
Margaret and Margarita / Margarita y Margaret
Margaret and MargaritaMargarita Y MargaretMargaret speaks English but not Spanish. Margarita speaks Spanish but not English. Can they still play? Of course they can! Join two robust girls who aren’t about to let anything spoil their fun.
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
The Children of the Sierra Madre
Describes life in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains, with a focus on the customs of the Tarahumara Indians.
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.
Playing Loteria / El juego de la loteria
A boy has a good time attending a fair with his grandmother in San Luis de La Paz, Mexico, as she teaches him Spanish words and phrases and he teaches her English.
Read more about Playing Loteria in Volume 1, Issue 3 of WOW Review: Reading Across Cultures.
This book has been included in WOW’s Language and Learning: Children’s and Young Adult Fiction Booklist. For our current list, visit our Booklist page under Resources in the green navigation bar.
Featured in August 2023’s WOW Dozen for books about Language Learning and Communication.