Kids' Corner

¡Hola!

Dora and Diego are not the only ones speaking Spanish- you can too!  Recently, many children’s books written in both English and Spanish (bilingual) have been published.  Here are some of them:

Mama Goose: a Latino Nursery Treasury  by Alma Flor Ada
A lively collection of lullabies, riddles, proverbs and jump-rope songs, with charming illustrations by Maribel Suarez.
For preschool – grade 2

Pele King of Soccer/ Pele el Rey del Futbol  by Monica Brown
Amazingly energetic illustrations by Rudy Gutierrez bring this bilingual picture book biography of the sports hero from Brazil to life.      For ages 4 – 8

Quinito, Day and Night  by Ina Cumpiano
Opposites (in English and Spanish) are featured in this book which describes a friendly  little boy and his family.  Preschool-grade 1

The Storyteller’s Candle/La Velita de los Cuentos
by Lucia Gonzalez
Two children from Puerto Rico move to New York City in 1929, and are made to feel welcome by a Spanish speaking storyteller.  This is a picture book tribute to Pura Belpre, New York City’s first Latina librarian.    For ages 4 – 8

The Moon is la Luna:  Silly Rhymes in English and Spanish
by Jay Harris
While you’re enjoying these funny poems, you won’t notice that you’re learning more than 50 Spanish words!  For  K – grade 3

Book Fiesta!    By Pat Mora
Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day (April 30- the same day as Mexico’s Day of the Dead) all year long, by taking a book with you wherever you go.  Bright paintings by Rafael Lopez practically jump off the pages.   For preschool – grade 2

Mice and Beans  by Pam Munoz Ryan
As Rosa Maria spends the week getting ready for her granddaughter’s 7th birthday party, behind the scenes mice in the house are making their own party plans!  For ages 4 – 8

A Perfect Season for Dreaming/Un Tiempo Perfecto para Sonar
by Benjamin Saenz
78 year old Octavio Rivera has been having wonderful dreams, but has no one to share them with . . . until he remembers his 6 year old granddaughter Regina, who has always shared her secrets with him.     For ages 4 – 8

Counting Ovejas   by Sarah Weeks
When he can’t sleep, a little boy counts sheep – and the reader learns numbers and colors in Spanish and English.  For ages 3 – 7

Growing Up With Tamales/ Los Tamales de Ana
by Gwendolyn Zepeda
Starting at age 6, Ana looks forward to making better tamales each year, and to owning her own tamale factory one day. For ages 4 – 8

Starting on June 23 you can sign up for HPL’s Summer Programs, so mark your calendars.

Happy Reading!
Ellen Xydias, Children’s Librarian
June 2009