Fourth International Book Fair is This Weekend!

For those of you who live in or near the Dallas, TX area, this weekend is a wonderful opportunity for you to explore Latino literature during the Fourth International Book Fair being held at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.

Free and open to the public, the event will have around 40 national and international authors participating.

Families can enjoy artistic and cultural performances, multilingual story times, book signings, plays, music and children's activities. In addition, aspiring writers can benefit from one or more of the writing workshops.

Children’s book writers, including Lucía González (The Bossy Gallito, The Storyteller’s Candle) and Rosie Pova (Ladybug and Caterpillar: The Way to Friendship) will be in attendance, as well as a ton of other Latino authors.

For more information, or to download a schedule of the weekend’s programs, visit the Book Fair’s web site.

Review: ¿Cómo estás, pequeño Panda?

It's certainly a pleasure to be writing my first book review for the Latin Baby Book Club. I am not a Latin mami on the outside, but the Spanish language and the cultures of the peoples who speak it are a major part of my life as I've been studying the language for 19 years and teaching it for six. I had a baby girl, Zoe, last May, and we are doing the one-parent, one-language approach with her, so I only speak Spanish to her unless I want someone around me to understand what I'm saying. Accordingly, Zoe has more Spanish books than English and her favorite is the one I've chosen for my first review.



¿Cómo estas, pequeño Panda?, written by Marie Helene-Delval and illustrated by Thierry Courtin is part of the Palabras Menudas series of boardbooks and you can purchase it from Amazon here.
The point of the book is really to use phrases useful for telling how someone is doing. In the storyline, pequeño Panda has a nice red tricycle, but a strange little bear comes and takes it away. No worries, though--the bear's papi returns the tricycle so Panda can speed down an incline safely, very proud of himself.
Pequeño Panda has been Zoe's favorite from the very beginning. Part of what makes it such a good book for young babies is that the star is a panda, and of course black-and-white contrasts are what young babies see best. Zoe cannot stand being on her stomach, but by propping her on her support pillow and putting the open Panda book in front of her, we were able to get her to at least do a little tummy time. The page she's contemplating in this picture is her favorite page, I'm guessing because it has the most going on. This where the Papi gives the tricycle back to Panda.



And of course, sometimes you just need a break to chill and contemplate this new information.



I hope you and your baby enjoy ¿Cómo estás, pequeño Panda?

Find the differences

The Final cover of The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez is done!
Look at the final and tentative cover. What differences can you find?
Don't fotget to look for the book in March 2o1o.

Final Cover

Tentative Cover

October's BOM: Calavera Abecedario

Calavera Abecedario
A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book
By Jeanette Winter

The LBBC’s recommendation for November’s Libro del Mes, is Jeanette Winter’s Calavera Abecedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book.

This fantastic little book is based on the true story of a Mexican family of artistas. Don Pedro spends the year making cartonería (papier-mâché objects) like skeletons for the fiesta of el Día de los Muertos. This is a family business involving everyone from his sons and grandsons to the cat! Each one helps him to create the life-size esqueletos using bamboo, papier-mâché and paint. The result is an imaginative and vibrant parade of skeletons to celebrate the holiday.

The beginning of the book is written primarily in English with Spanish words embedded throughout. However, the actual abecedario is in Spanish and the illustration accompanying each letter depicts the associated word. For example, "G [is for] Granjero, H… Huevera, I…Ilustradora," etc. This really is a great way to expand your vocabulary and introduce occupations. There is a glossary in the back, as well as an author’s note discussing the life of master cartonero, Don Pedro Linares, and the uses of papier-mâché during the many fiestas in Mexico.

Winter does an extraordinary job with the illustrations. Each page is colorful and captivating, and the costumes and accessories that each esqueleto uses are authentic, indicating that Winter is very familiar with the culture.

This books is an excellent read for supplementing lessons on Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos. It may also serve as a springboard for discussions of fiestas, art, and customs throughout Latin America. Family businesses are another possible topic for discussion, as is the importance of children helping their parents.

The LBBC has this and many other titles related to Día de los Muertos in our bookshop. If you would like to buy your own copy of Calavera Abecedario, please click here. Or you can follow the link in our sidebar to the LBBC’s on-line store. We have both new and gently used copies available.

The Case of the Pen Gone Missing

If you're looking for a book geared more toward elementary school-aged children, I suggest you check out René Saldaña, Jr.'s The Case of the Pen Gone Missing. This short mystery, the first in a three-part series featuring fifth-grader, Mickey Rangel, a "Web-licensed" kid detective is published by Piñata Books, an imprint of Arte Público Press,

Even though it'll be several years before my toddler is able to enjoy this book, it was a nice treat for me. If you liked Nancy Drew, you'll know what I mean.

"I'm fascinated by detective stories, love watching the crime scene shows, both fictional and real on television, love reading crime novelists and think fondly still to this day of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books," Saldaña explained in an interview via email.

And that's exactly what I thought of when I read it. My earliest memories of checking out books from the library take me back to my bilingual elementary school in Perú, fourth grade and Nancy Drew. I remember devouring those mysteries and anxiously going back for more. Although I'm no longer that child, I remember those books fondly because the author was able to spark my curiosity so as to make me come back for more. I can see how Saldaña's writing would do the same for young readers. Not to mention the fact that Saldaña's portrayal of a fifth grader and his classmates is painstakingly accurate - including a "bully-type" character, a popular girl and all the emotions that go with having a crush on that "unattainable" girl.

One of the best things about this title is that Arte Público Press/Piñata Books has translated it into Spanish. All you have to do is flip the book around and voilà, you'll get la versión en español, front cover and all.

"The two languages meet in the middle, which I think is very cool because they've done away with the issue of which language takes precedence over the other (as happens with other translations: English and Spanish alternating from one page to the next, or the English version as the first half, Spanish the second)," according to Saldaña.

The author, who was raised in a bilingual community which means he spoke Spanish at home and English in school, thinks parents need to take a more active role in their children's reading and writing lives.

"It's not enough anymore to simply support them and to push them forward, regarding their educational careers. We have to learn what all we can be doing in the home to help them be successful," Saldaña said. "Reading aloud, for example, is not a thing just for teachers to do. We need to do it in the home for our children. And can you imagine how much better off our kids will be when we're reading aloud to them in one, two, or three languages?"

René Saldaña, Jr. is the author of The Whole Sky Full of Stars (Random House, 2007), The Jumping Tree (Delacorte, 2001), and Finding Our Way: Stories (Random House, 2003). He lives in Lubbock, Texas, where he teaches in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. Saldaña, and his Swedish wife, are raising their two children trilingual.

September's Giveaway: Jabón, jabón, jabón

Soap, Soap, Soap/Jabón, jabón, jabón by Elizabeth O. Dulemba is one of the latest titles recently released by Raven Tree Press. It is the bilingual, Latino version of an Appalachian Jack Tale. Set in a small town, it is the story of a young boy named Hugo who is on his way to the store to buy jabón for his mamá. Unfortunately, Hugo is a little bit of un travieso and has a propensity for trouble. So naturally, along the way he gets sidetracked by various incidents, which cause him to forget his mission. But his first mishap with a mud puddle, leaves him good and messy which helps to remind him what it is – Jabón, jabón, jabón! – that his mamá sent him to get.

Dulemba both wrote and illustrated the book, and the accompanying artwork is bright, joyful and expressive. The emotion that is conveyed on each character’s face helps to capture the essence of the text and supplements the story beautifully.

Jabón is written in English with embedded Spanish text and there is a glossary in the back. However, the story line is so well written that readers shouldn’t really need it. This picture book is great for children ages 4 – 8.

Parents will love Dulemba’s web site as well. It is full of resources, free downloads, coloring pages and activities for children. Here is the page dedicated to Jabón, jabón, jabón – it includes free wallpaper, coloring pages, recipes, and other activities related to the book.

Our Giveaway!

Win your own hardback copy of Soap, Soap, Soap/Jabón, jabón, jabón by Elizabeth O. Dulemba.

Simply leave us a comment by midnight EST on October 9th. Improve your chances of winning by joining our Facebook page, Tweeting about this giveaway, and subscribing to our feed.

¡Buenas suerte!

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER-

Obviously my reply to Betty doesn't count, therefore, the winner of this giveaway is ohcupcake!

Just send me your mailing address [admin at latinbabyusa dot com], and we'll get this off to you.

And I'd like to say that I am so happy to be seeing so many moms trying to teach their kids Spanish, even when they aren't fluent themselves. The great thing about this is that both of you can learn a new language, have fun, increase your child's IQ, and have some great bonding moments all at the same time!

The LBBC and the State Fair of Texas

First of all, a quick apology for the sporadic postings lately. We are currently swamped at the State Fair of Texas where Latin Baby has a booth set up. Lots of new products are being debuted at the Fair and many of the titles that the LBBC carries are for sale there. So if you want to stop by and visit our booth, you can find us in the Mundo Latino exhibit inside the Hall of State. The fair runs Sept 25th through October 18th.

Tell us you are an avid fan of the LBBC and we'll give you an additional 10% discount off your entire purchase. Most of our products are already marked down for super "Fair Specials," so you'll be sitting pretty when you leave!