As a mother of two and a Kindergarten teacher, I often wonder about the imagination of children and if it is being fostered enough. We live in the era of electronics and I’m not sure our children are being given the opportunity to use their imagination the way we were when we were young. With television, video games, and educational apps, our kids don’t have to construct castles, monsters, or mountains in their minds as it’s right there on a screen in front of them. For this reason, it’s important for children to read! Books do what no other object can do – books can take you to that far away place and allow you to view worlds from your lens, the eye of a reader.

El Viaje de Magélica is an example of an exemplary read with a plot full of opportunity for the imagination to fly. Without giving too much away, this beautiful tale allows little girls and boys to fly away and imagine Magélica and all that they would want her to be in their minds. She is a character that comes with so much magic and inspiration, it’s truly special. This book can be read by little boys and girls who dare to allow their imagination to run wild with adventure. Magélica is a little girl who has no answers about where she came from but accepts the challenge of discovery, adventure, and imagination all through being grateful for it all.

The message behind this tale is that we all have the choice to allow a touch of magic into our lives. In order for us to believe, we have to allow our imagination to take flight and discover all that life has to offer. It amazes me when children read a story that really touches their core and allows their imagination to capture a moment in a book like this with so much imagery and power. Children broaden their minds by reading and truly believe in the words they read in quality books like this. This books allows you, the reader, to discover so much and to really look deep inside yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself for all that you are and all that you might become. Once you believe, you hold the key to your own happiness.

The Giveaway!

We’re giving away one copy of El Viaje de Magélica to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us who you’d like to share this book with. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

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On November 1st, McDonald’s celebrated the joy of reading by including four different original books in their Happy Meals. The books focused on nutrition, imagination and play and were available  in English and Spanish. They’re a great addition to the “on the go” library and a fun reminder for kids to eat right. Below is a short description of the four books pictured above.

• “La Hormiguita Campeona”  is a book about Ant, a bodybuilder, who encourages physical fitness through exercise and eating right.
• “Doddi La Dodo y su Viaje Fantástico” – Tells the story of Doddi, a bird who travels the world. Doddi eats right to have energy to take flight again and travel even farther each time.
• “Dina la Soñadora” – Dina is the world’s smallest dinosaur, but she has big dreams. She learned that by eating right she could accomplish her dreams of growing strong and tall.
• “Billy el Cabrito Comelón”– Billy has a big appetite and eats anything and everything in his path. Until one day he get’s sick. His family teaches him how to eat right and Billy becomes a happy and playful kid.

 
The best part is that all of these books are available for free download at McDonalds.com and MeEncanta.com . Just click on the See What Goes Into Your Happy Meals icon at the bottom of the page, then click on the image of the book and you’ll see an option to download the book in English or Spanish.

This collection is amazing!

The books are written in an interesting way with information that is both educational and entertaining.  Each book has vocabulary that is age-appropriate and contains pictures that support the text, providing images that bring the words to life. There are also interesting text boxes with information on the time period, other characters, social movements or moments in history. Each book has the character’s timeline in the back, providing important dates during the life of the person who is depicted in the book. There is also a chronology of the world, with important dates in history so readers can see what was happening during that time around the world.  Both young readers and parents will learn a lot!

Find the ¿Quién fue …? books on Amazon.

The Giveaway!

We’re giving away one set of the seven books pictured above to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know which of the seven books you and your niños are most excited to read. Then, enter the Rafflecopter below.

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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.

Have fun practicing Spanish through movement and storytelling this summer!

Moving and playing together is great in any weather, but summer is especially enjoyable for beach-themed kids yoga.  The sequence below will lead your family on a beach-inspired journey in your living room, backyard, or local park.  Kids yoga is all about having fun, being imaginative, and engaging through movement.

The specific order of the poses below is meant to invite flow from one pose to the next.  Feel free to add or take out any of the poses to suit the needs and interests of your child.  Creativity is always encouraged, but it is always best to start with the Sun Salute and end with the Resting Pose.  Get in the mood with comfortable beach clothes, and practice barefoot.  Even if you’ve never tried yoga, just give it a go.

Get out beach props like a beach umbrella, a beach chair, sunhats, or a bucket and spade.  Look for beach-related books, toys, or photos.  Put on your favorite beach music or the sound of ocean waves or animals.  Make fun fruity drinks with umbrella straws.  Cater to each of your senses.

Use your imagination!  Once your “beach” is set up, jump in and act out what you find along the shoreline with your children.  Discuss the “journey” with your children as you move together.  What do they imagine seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling.  Kids yoga isn’t about perfect poses or rigorous exercise.  It’s about participating in a healthy activity together that promotes a balanced lifestyle.

1. Hello to the Sun – Saludar al Sol 

Sun Salute – Saludo al Sol

Stand tall, reach your hands up to the sky, and look up.  Hello sun!

2. Walking to the Beach – Caminar a la Playa

Walking – Caminar

Walk in place, pretending you are heading to the beach.  What do you see on the shoreline?

3. Beach Umbrella – Sombrilla

Tree Pose with arms out like an umbrella – Postura del Árbol

Stand tall on one leg, place your other foot onto your inner thigh, and pretend your arms are an umbrella.  What’s the weather like?  Is it windy?

4. Surfer – Surf

Warrior 2 Pose – Postura del Guerrero 2

Surf with your arms straight out and whoosh like the wind.  Did you catch a wave?

5. Beach Chair – Silla de Playa

Chair Pose – Postura de Silla

Sit back as if you’re sitting in your beach chair.  What do you smell at the beach?

6. Sandcastle – Castillos de Arena

Downward-Facing Dog Pose  – Postura del Perro Boca Abajo

Pretend you are a sandcastle roof and then come forward into a plank as if you are the castle bridge.  How does the sand feel between your fingers and toes?

7. Swimming – Nadando

Locust Pose – Postura de la Langosta

Lay on your tummy, swim with your arms, and kick with your legs.  What animals do you see in the water?

8. Sea Stars – Estrellas de Mar

Resting Pose – Postura del Muerto

Lie on your back with arms and legs stretched out, breathe, and rest.  What do you hear?

I would love to hear about your beach-inspired Spanish Family Yoga experience.  Email me at giselle at kidsyogastories dot com.

Related Links:

14 Ways Yoga for Kids is a Great Idea

A Step-by-Step Guide to have your Family Moving, Laughing, and Storytelling Together!

Beach-inspired Kids Yoga Lesson Plan with twenty kids yoga poses

10 Tips for Starting a Family Yoga Practice

Join the Lucas en un Dia en la Playa  virtual book launch to celebrate an Australian beach-inspired yoga story.  Get details and free kids yoga resources in your inbox by signing up for Giselle’s weekly Kids Yoga Stories Newsletter on her website, or check her out on Facebook, Twitter , and Pinterest .

Giselle Shardlow is the author of Kids Yoga Stories.  Her yoga-inspired children’s books get children moving, learning, and having fun.  Giselle draws from her experiences as a teacher, traveler, yogi, and mom to write her stories found at kidsyogastories.com or on Amazon worldwide.

{First image by  Martijn.Munneke }

As those of you with preschoolers and early elementary schoolers may have discovered, it’s difficult to find bilingual books to transition them from the baby board book phase to the early readers phase. Books need to be complex enough for them to learn new vocabulary, but short enough for a bedtime story.

My Big Sister/Mi hermana mayor by Samuel Caraballo is the bilingual story of a little boy named Pablito, who spends the days with his big sister, Anita, while his parents are at work. Anita makes him breakfast, walks him to the school bus, takes him to play after school, and helps him with his homework.

Although we parents may relate to having been raised by a sibling more so than our little ones will, they will still revel in the sweet relationship between Pablito and Anita.

My Big Sister/Mi hermana mayor is beautifully illustrated and is one of my son’s go-to stories now, especially since he has two big stepsisters. If your child is the eldest, he might also be inspired to look after the little ones even more after reading about what Anita does for her brother.

Once you’ve exhausted this book, check out some other bilingual titles from Piñata Books.

Given that my son just finished learning about the seven continents at school, I was happy to share the book Amy’s Travels with him. This children’s book by Kathryn Starke is a cool blend of geography and culture that promotes all the things we love to encourage as multilingual families.

The book takes us around the world with a little girl named Amy, whose family has lived on five of the seven continents. She is from Perú and although the book is in English, she talks about Spanish being her first language and describes life in South America. I like that kids can learn about the variety of animals and weather on Earth from this book as well (canoeing over crocodiles on the Amazon River), since we sometimes forget that some elements of culture originate from the type of land we live on.

From learning how to say hello in Swahili to why living in America means experiencing four seasons, the book is a thorough and positive introduction to the overwhelming world.

Starke is a second grade teacher and took care to include social studies topics that are appropriate for 2^nd-5^th graders in Amy’s Travels, but the simple illustrations and length of the book make it great for younger readers too.

Get your own copy of Amy’s Travels through Amazon for $10.00 and learn more about author Kathryn Starke here.

The Giveaway!

We are giving away one copy of Amy’s Travels to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave us a comment telling us why you think your kid will like this book. Then enter the Rafflecopter below.

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If you’re searching for some great new titles to add to your kids’ bookshelves, look no further than multilingual publisher Barefoot Books. El fandango de Lola by Anna Witte is a rich, beautiful tale about a girl named Lola, who finds her mother’s tacones and becomes fascinated with the idea of learning to dance flamenco. Her Papi teaches her to dance in time to surprise everyone at her Mami’s birthday party.

Niños and niñas alike will love this story because it teaches a subtle lesson about sibling rivalry (Lola is jealous of her older sister, Clementina, before discovering dance) and it includes fun rhythmic wording to go along with Lola’s dance steps.

In true Barefoot Books style, the illustrations are gorgeous. The book also comes with a narrative CD, which is a great option for car rides or letting your little ones do story time alone.

For more from Barefoot Books, check out their Facebook, Twitter, and blog.

The Giveaway!

We are giving away a copy of El Fandango de Lola with a CD to one lucky winner! Just enter with the Rafflecopter widget below.

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It’s here again…finalmente! The day our kids eagerly await all year: la Navidad. The kids are out of school, overloading their bellies with treats and snooping around the house for presents. While you’re preparing for feasts and family time, remember to take a moment each day to read to your bebés and teach them what Christmas means to you. As with every holiday, we are making the search easy with a list of great bilingual book recommendations from La Tiendita for the occasion.

There’s no better way than snuggling up with a book to make it a ¡Feliz Navidad!

¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad! by Dr. Seuss

¡Llegó la Navidad, David! by David Shannon

Merry Navidad! Christmas Carols in Spanish and English by Alma Flor Ada

Feliz Navidad: A Hand Puppet Board Book by Mr. Jason Fruchter

Fiestas del mundo: Celebramos la Navidad by Deborah Heiligman

Cuento de Navidad by Charles Dickens

N is for Navidad by Susan Middleton Elya

Navidad latinoamericana by Charito Calvachi

Sorpresa de Navidad para Chabelita by Argentina Palacios

Navidad estelar de Dora by Christine Ricci

 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 are some great Thanksgiving-themed book recommendations for young Spanish readers to devour alongside their turkey and pie. Pick out one or many from La Tiendita to enjoy this year and for Thanksgivings to come.

Celebra el Día de Acción de Gracias con Beto y Gaby  by Alma Flor Ada

Gracias: El pavo de Thanksgiving by Joy Cowley

I’m Thankful Each Day!/Doy gracias cada día by Hallinan

El Primer Día de Acción de Gracias by Garnet Jackson

El primer Día de Acción de Gracias by Amy White

Clifford y el Día de Acción de Gracias by Norman Bridwell

La Historia del Día de Acción de Gracias by Patricia A. Pingry

Arturo y el Día de Acción de Gracias by Marc Brown

Thanksgiving/Acción de Gracias by Bonnie Hinman