BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Growing up, I always loved comic strips. I couldn’t get enough of Condorito, Mafalda, Archi and La pequeña Lulú. Looking back, I know at least the jokes in the first two were more for an adult audience than anything else, but I still loved them! While I haven’t introduced my kids to any of these comic strips just yet, I recently got my hands on a copy of El globo grande y mojado a TOON book by Liniers, a renowned Argentinian cartoonist who draws his inspiration from his own two little girls.

My daughter, who’s 7 years old and an avid reader, was immediately enthralled by a format she’s not really familiar with and wasted no time taking over and reading the sweet story to her little brother. The best part is that she actually made different voices for Matilda and her little sister Clementina and made the sound of the different noises Liniers includes throughout his easy-t0-read comic.

El globo grande y mojado tells the perfect little story of what it’s like to be a big sister — a role my girl had no trouble identifying with which, I believe, is one of the reasons she enjoyed this book so much. Not to mention that the cartoons are truly expressive!

BOOK DETAILS

Title: El Globo Grande y Mojado

Author & Illustrator: Liniers

Ages: 4+

Publisher/Year: TOON/Candlewick/2013

ISBN: 978-1-935179-32-0

Price: $12.95

Website: Toon Books

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one copy of El Globo Grande y Mojado to FOUR lucky winners. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know what’s your child’s or your favorite comic strip and enter the rafflecopter below.

Ends November 28th 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

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

When it comes to story time, my 4-year-old son is the one in charge of the evening’s literary adventure of choice. But when I surprised him with Jorge Argueta’s Guacamole, his eyes lit up with delight when he saw the vivid and beautiful illustrations by Margarita Sada.

I was just as excited to read this book to my son as he was. Centered on two of my passions that I strive to instill in my son, cooking and poetry, this book was such a joy to experience with him.

The poem follows three playful siblings on their quest to prepare guacamole. Following the recipe’s instructions, each cooking step is brought to life with added song, dance and rhythmic repetition. The happy children are tiny enough to dance under the kitchen faucet as they rinse cilantro sprigs and ride a lime peel as they navigate the river of its own juice.

The story explains and describes the texture and taste of guacamole and its ingredients one by one with an added flair and vivid description. This is the perfect cooking poem for the entire family to enjoy.

     BOOK DETAILS

      Title: Guacamole

      Author: Jorge Argueta

Illustrator: Margarita Sada

      Publisher/Year:  Groundwood Books/2012

      Ages: 4-7 years

      ISBN: 978-155-498-133-5

      Price: $14.75 on Amazon.com

      Website: jorgeargueta.com