SB Finds
: Books + Libros
It’s that time of year already! Time to celebrate a beloved American tradition of food, family, and football. Though it may seem that Thanksgiving is all about stuffing ourselves with casseroles and seeing out-of-town relatives, we must remember the lesson underneath all the holiday bustle: be grateful for the things and people around you. Regardless of nationality, language, or culture, we can teach our children to recognize the fullness of their lives and the history of giving thanks. Below areRead More ...
Too many people associate the phrase “early reading” with elementary school. In fact, an affinity for reading begins developing much earlier than that. Exposure to how words on the page become spoken words are valuable even in infancy. This exposure is all the more crucial for Spanish reading skills, since many of our children will have less reinforcement of Spanish literacy than of English literacy in school. In an English-majority culture, we are always fighting the proverbial uphill battle toRead More ...
I knew I would be impressed with the Chorrito series by Pacific Learning before it even arrived in the mail, but it was better than I expected. I cannot express how impressed I am with these books. The Chorrito I package comes with 20 excellent, entertaining, and well-illustrated stories and a Cuentos y canciones CD that includes story audio plus adorable sound effects and the songs whose lyrics are at the end of each book. The stories are about everythingRead More ...
I recently learned there’s something called the immigrant paradox or “the evidence that immigrants, even those from poor, violent lands who live hard lives in the United States, tend to be physically and mentally healthier than the rest of us.” A lot has to do with the customs and traditions that immigrants bring to their adopted land, as journalist Claudia Kolker discovered and decided to put into a book, The Immigrant Advantage, which was just published. As an immigrant myself, just readingRead More ...
Great news from Putumayo Kids: they’ve expanded their children’s music line to include Africa, Europe and Latin America coloring books and sticker collections as part of their new World Culture books. And you’re going to love them! I’ve always liked what Putumayo already does in terms of music, so I was pretty curious to see their new products in the publishing arena. I was not disappointed at all. We got the Latin America sticker collection which is a hardcover “book”Read More ...
While we are busy dressing our little ones for trick-or-treating and attending costume parties, los mexicanos are putting on calacas and honoring the deceased in the traditional Aztec ritual, el Día de los Muertos. On November 1st and 2nd, Mexicans (and some in other parts of Central America) visit cemeteries, build altars for loved ones in their homes, and enjoy a feast featuring pan de muerto. Even if this is not your family’s tradition, you can take advantage of theRead More ...
As many of you know, around this time last year, we started our trilingual adventures with Little Pim in an effort to teach Vanessa my third language, French. While I haven’t been as consistent as I would’ve liked to, Vanessa tells everyone who’s willing to listen that she speaks three languages! The good thing about learning French with Little Pim (or any other of the nine languages they offer) is that it’s a complete package. They have the DVDs –Read More ...
My daughter just experienced her first Scholastic Book Fair at school. I volunteered to work the fair a couple of days, not only because I wanted to help, but also because I wanted to see her in action. And, it was just as I expected, she was in book heaven! I helped her, and her little friends, fill out her wish list and a few days later we went back to the fair and got her a couple of theRead More ...
