In the world of children’s books, we often speak about the window and the mirror. It is of course important for our kids’ books to serve as a mirror and for them to see themselves in what they read. On the other hand, books must also provide a window into experiences and cultures other than our own. My kids are surrounded by books. Books we own, books from the library… suffice it to say, books are everywhere. Okay, okay, we own a company that helps families discover books, but we are not unlike many other families in our neighborhood. For us, books are in abundance. And yet, throughout the U.S. and in many other countries around the world, there are kids growing up with no books in their homes at all.

Waiting for the Biblioburro gives a window into many things for our kids. First, we are introduced to rural life in Colombia, where a teacher moving away means no more school or access to books for local children. Ana, the main character of the story, reads her sole book over and over again, until she and her village friends are one day surprised by a biblioburro, a teacher from the city who acts as a mobile library for children throughout the countryside. Ana’s deep appreciation for her books, and the love she has for reading and writing, resonate with child and parent alike.

The best part about this uplifting story is that it is based on the real life Biblioburro, which gives us a meaningful opportunity to talk with our little ones about the value of reading and books, and what it means when they are not easy to obtain.  At Zoobean, we have created English and Spanish reading guides to accompany the book and enhance your experience while enjoying it. We hope you love the story as much as we do, and would love to hear your feedback on the book and guide. ¡Qué disfruten!

Special for SpanglishBaby members, enter SPANGLISH at checkout to receive 50% off the first month of a new subscription on Zoobean!

English Guide Here

Spanish Guide Here

The Giveaway!

We’re giving away one copy of Biblioburro to THREE lucky winners. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know who you’d like to win this giveaway for. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

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Jordan Lloyd BookeyJordan Lloyd Bookey is Chief Mom and Co-Founder at Zoobean, a discovery platform and service that handpicks book and app selections for each individual child. Every book or app from Zoobean is curated by a team of experts…who also happen to be parents and librarians! These curators also provide reading guides with literacy tips and fun activities for the books selected for each child. Jordan leads Zoobean’s marketing and curation efforts, looking after the content and creative direction of the site. Before she decided to make the leap as an entrepreneur, Jordan served as Google’s Head of K-12 Education Outreach, where she was responsible for the company’s worldwide programs that expand access to technology and computer science kids. Prior to that, Jordan led the Diversity & Talent Inclusion efforts for Google’s Midwest and East Coast offices.Jordan earned an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in Latin American Studies, spending time in Venezuela and Cuba, and graduated with an MBA from The Wharton School of Business. Before graduate school, Jordan taught middle school Social Studies and Language Arts at the Seed School of Washington, DC, and served as a program director at a literacy‐focused nonprofit.Jordan is originally from Des Moines, IA, and now lives with her family in Washington, DC. You can usually find her at 1776 DC, working on Zoobean with her husband and Chief Dad, Felix, or exploring the city and trying to keep up with her children, Cassius and Florence.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Antonio Sacre is an American storyteller born in Boston to a Cuban father and an Irish-American mother and his fun, sometimes touching, stories reflect the diversity of his identity and experience.

“My Name is Cool: 18 Stories From a Cuban-Irish-American Storyteller,” is Sacre’s most recent book filled with Spanglish-style writing. Marketed to “young readers” — it’s my opinion that this book not be handed over to children younger than 12 due to some mature themes in a few stories. If chapters are pre-read by the parent, then you can go as young as 8 and use your discretion as to which stories to read with your child, because there are definitely some hilarious ones they’re sure to love.

Since each chapter is a separate short story, nothing is lost by jumping around or skipping chapters entirely. My favorites in the book include “My Name is Cool,” which is about having many nicknames as a child (a familiar phenomenon to most Latin Americans!), and “Food Fight” which is about the time his Cuban grandmother re-taught him Spanish when he forgot it.

Other books by the author worth checking out include “La Noche Buena: A Christmas Story” and “A Mango in the Hand: A Story Told Through Proverbs.” Both of these picture books are really beautifully illustrated and include great stories in a mix of Spanish and English. My 11-year-old and I read these together and loved them.

BOOK DETAILS

Title: My Name is Cool: 18 Stories From a Cuban-Irish-American Storyteller

Author: Antonio Sacre

Ages: “Young Readers” (Ages 12+ advised by reviewer)

Publisher/Year: Familius/2013

ISBN: 9781938301568

Price: $10.95

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one copy of My Name is Cool, one copy of La Noche Buena and one copy of A Mango in the Hand to one lucky winner! All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us a nickname of yours from when you were little or a nickname you use for your child. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Editor’s note: We continue with our week of Sylvan Dell Publishing Spanish-language book reviews. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our GIVEAWAY for each book reviewed, but also the GIVEAWAY on Friday for a one year subscription to the Sylvan Dell eBooks iPad app Fun eReader!

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

A grandfather builds a fort for his granddaughter using “six simple machines” in “La Fortaleza de la Calle Cuatro: Una historia acerca de seis máquinas simples” by Lois Spangler and illustrated by Christina Wald. Like all books in English and Spanish from Sylvan Dell Publishing, each story includes a non-fiction “Creative Minds” section with activities and informational text.

I was impressed by the quality of this book from cover to cover and although the target audience is ages 4-9, my 11-year-old and I enjoyed it together. As non-native speakers we even learned new words such as “polea” for “pulley” which we don’t typically use in everyday language around the house!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: La Fortaleza de la Calle Cuatro: Una historia acerca de seis máquinas simples

Author: Lois Spangler

Illustrator: Christina Wald

Ages: 4-9 years

Publisher/Year: Sylvan Dell/2013

ISBN: 978-1-60718-717-2

Price: $17.95

Website: Sylvan Dell Publishing

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one copy of La Fortaleza de la Calle Cuatro to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know why you think your child will enjoy this book. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

You can also enter to win one of the other three Sylvan Dell Publishing books we’re giving away, plus an annual subscription to its Fun eReader for iPad and computer devices. To enter each one, visit this link.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

When I learned that Sylvan Dell Publishing publishes award-winning picture books about math and science in Spanish, I was immediately interested in checking them out. At 7 years old, Vanessa is enthralled by anything related to the ocean, jungle animals, space, the planets and how things work, so I knew the review book we got would be a hit.

The book is called Un día en la profundidad and this is what my daughter had to say about it: “I liked learning more about the animals in the deep. The pictures are cool because they told me more about what I was reading.” In fact, she was so impressed by the illustrations, that she made two drawings based on what she had seen and read!

Personally, I enjoyed the realistic images, the wealth of information and the impeccable Spanish translation. Each books comes with an additional educational section, which is perfect to continue the exploration of the topic discussed.

We liked Sylvan Dell Publishing books so much, that we’ll be reviewing — and giving away — all four of its Fall 2013 titles in Spanish as well as its iPad app Fun eReader this week!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Un día en la profundidad

Author: Kevin Kurtz

Illustrator: Erin E. Hunter

Ages: 4-9 years

Publisher/Year: Sylvan Dell/2013

ISBN: 978-1-60718-7185

Price: $17.95

Website: Sylvan Dell Publising

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one copy of Un día en la profundidad to ONE lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know why you think your child will enjoy this book and enter the rafflecopter below.

You can also enter to win one of the other three Sylvan Dell Publishing books we’re giving away, plus an annual subscription to its Fun eReader for iPad and computer devices. To enter each one, visit this link.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Papelucho is a series of books by author Marcela Paz and it’s a children’s classic for all Chilean kids. Twelve books were published between 1947 and 1974 — it may seem outdated, but the beauty of Papelucho is that it is timeless! Papelucho is a young 8-year-old boy and all stories are told from his point of view in a diary entry style. He spends most of his days with his nanny, “Domitila” and he is a curious, observants and very funny boy.  There are very innocent and laugh out loud moments as he describes his world from the point of view of a child.

Papelucho was so much a part of my life that when I started blogging in 2010 that he was the inspiration for writing from my son’s point of view. For two years I wrote as my child and described a world as seen through young eyes. To this day, the series is still a best seller and ask any Chilean and they have great memories of Papelucho and call tell you about their favorite book!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Papelucho (name of series)

Author: Marcela Paz

Ages: 8 — 100!

Publisher/Year: Editorial Sudamericana

Price: $5.99 Kindle version on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Gloria Anzaldua, Chicana author and academic, wrote several books dealing with sensitive issues that arise from living on the Mexico/U.S. border. Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del otro lado is a book that lends itself to discussing a sensitive issue like undocumented immigration with children as young as 6 years old.

What I especially love about this book is that children are given the opportunity to talk about a delicate topic from the perspective of someone who may be going through what the main character is experiencing — the risks of being an undocumented immigrant.

Like other children’s books written by Anzaldua, Prietita Has a Friend (1991) Prietita y La Llorona (1996) & La fea (1958), this one is also a great way to expose children to the colorful ways bilinguals use multiple languages to communicate.

   BOOK DETAILS

   Title: Friends from the Other Side/Amigos  del otro lado.

   Author: Gloria Anzaldua

   Illustrator: Consuelo Mendez

   Ages: 6-10+

   Publisher/Year: Children’s Book Press/1995

   ISBN: 0-64234-130-0

   Price: $7.60 on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Many of us have heard the phrases “Value what you have” or “Don’t be afraid to start over.” It is here that Pam Muñoz, author of Esperanza Renace (Esperanza Rising in English), does an amazing job exemplifying what this really means by taking her readers in a journey with Esperanza (which means hope). This is a story of a young girl who learns how important both love and sacrifice for family and friends are.

Esperanza is a girl who has it all: the most beautiful silk dresses, expensive porcelain dolls, and a family she adores. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse and Esperanza and her mother are forced to move to California. This new life is completely different from the one she had grown accustomed to.

The character Esperanza is based on Esperanza Ortega, Pam Muñoz’ grandmother, and her real life experiences living on a hacienda in Mexico and later coming to The United States. The beauty of this book is that is very well written and will leave you always wanting to read more. While it is targeted for audiences 8+, this is a great opportunity to use this book as a read aloud to your children. They for sure will love it.

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Esperanza Renace

Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Translator: Nuria Molinero

Illustrator: Joe Capeda

Publisher/Year: Scholastic en Español, 2012

Ages: 8+

ISBN: 978-0439398855

Price: $6.99 on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

If you are looking for a non-traditional book in Spanish, though it comes in English as well, then Tener un patito es util/Tener un nene es util is it! It is essentially a two-for-one book (though the stories are connected) because as the pages are flipped, the book unfolds to one long panel. You can start reading about the duck’s perspective (yellow side) about bath time and then flip the book over to read about the little child’s perspective (blue side). In fact, one of the reasons why I love this book is because it offers a way to teach children about seeing the world (or in this case, the point of view of a rubber duck versus a little kid during bath time) from two different points of view.

The illustrations and the storyline were both created by the author, Marisol Misenta, an Argentine native who is known by the mononym ISOL. Like many of her other children’s books, such as Nocturno: Recetario de sueños, there is an interactive component where the child reading the book is asked to, either literally or implicitly, to think or write about what is happening in the book.

   BOOK DETAILS 

   Title: Tener un patito es útil/Tener un nene es útil

   Author and Illustrator: ISOL

   Ages: 2-5 years

   Publisher/Year:  ISBN: 978-1480001244

   Price: $18.49 on Amazon.com

   Website:  http://www.isol-isol.com.ar/

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish!

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Ever since I was a child, I loved fables and legends. De cómo dicen que fue hecho el mar (or How they say the ocean was made) is one in a series of three books about Taino legends adapted and illustrated by Puerto Rican Mrinali Álvarez Astacio. The other two are about love and people.

Legends explain complex topics using simple tales that even a small child can understand. This one is no exception. I wasn’t aware of this Taino legend and I must say I love it. Basically, it’s thanks to someone’s mischief that the ocean got created. My kids and I love the ocean, so this particular book has been of particular interest to them. Not to mention that they’re half Puerto Rican, so it’s a great story to help them learn about their father’s heritage.

The author has written several children’s books which are favorites at our home. Sadly, they’re not all readily available, but you’ll get a chance to win some by entering our weekly giveaway. ¡Buena suerte!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: De cómo dicen que fue hecho el mar

Author: Mrinali Álvarez Astacio

Illustrator: Mrinali Álvarez Astacio

Ages: 4 to 8

Publisher/Year: La Editorial, Universidad de Puerto Rico/2009

ISBN: 978-0847715862

Price: $10.54 on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish!

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

How many times have your kids wished to be older and have more privileges? How often are they envious of an older sibling that is capable and allowed to do more things?

In Gwendolyn Zepeda’s award-winning bilingual picture book Los Tamales de Ana/Growing Up with Tamales, Ana is the younger sister who is always wishing she were just like her older sister Lidia. Every Christmas the girls are assigned jobs to help make the tamales: mixing the masa, spreading it on the corn husks, filling and rolling the tamales — and every year Ana envies what her sister is able to do.

We see Ana getting older as the years pass, turning 10, 12, 14, and 16, and Ana sees Lidia always two years older, and always able to do the more difficult tasks.

Sweet Ana does not get discouraged and knows that when she grows up, she will make the tamales by herself and get to deliver them to all of her family and friends.

Los Tamales de Ana is a delightful story and combines the holiday tradition of making tamales as a family with the wishes of a little girl who can’t wait to grow up. I can’t wait to take this book out this December when we are making our own tamales!

    BOOK DETAILS

    Title: Growing Up with Tamales/ Los Tamales de Ana

    Author: Gwendolyn Zepeda

    Illustrator: April Ward

    Ages: 3-7 years

    Publisher/Year: Arte Publico Press/2008

    ISBN: 9781558854932

    Price: $20.22 on Amazon.com