¡Felices Pascuas from the LBBC!

As the end of the year quickly approaches, we would like to send all of our readers a virtual abrazo in appreciation for your support and well wishes. We hope you all are spending these final weeks in the warm embrace of your familias and are creating special memories to cherish for years to come.

We will be coming back strong this coming year with plenty of book reviews, interviews and giveaways. I hope you will continue to use the LBBC as a resource for educating your children and enriching your lives. We always welcome your comments and suggestions, so do not hesitate to contact us.

From all of us at the LBBC, we hope you are enjoying a joyous holiday season y que tengan un Prospero Año Nuevo!

Reading: The Perfect Gift

If you are looking for bilingual gift ideas this year, take a look at Colorín Colorado's new gift guide, also available in Spanish!

We have included children's holiday titles in English and Spanish as well as bilingual books, magazines, and musical CDs from José Luis Orozco, Lulu Delacre, Plaza Sésamo,and Putumayo, just to name a few!

For ideas in English, take a look at these book ideas for kids of all ages from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org:

• Books as Gifts 2009 Booklist (Ages 0-9)
• Books as Gifts 2009 Booklist (Ages 9-18)
  
• Ten Books for the Holiday Season

Many of the titles featured may also be in your local library if you're looking for some holiday fun!

Finally, don't miss our holiday activity ideas related to reading and learning:

• Learning That's Hands-On Holiday Fun for Preschool Children (also available in Spanish)
• Creating Learning Traditions (also available in Spanish)

Happy holidays from Colorín Colorado!

December's Libro del Mes: A Piñata in a Pine Tree

A Piñata in a Pine Tree
A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas
By Pat Mora
Illustrated by Magaly Morales

The LBBC’s recommendation for December’s Libro del Mes, is Pat Mora’s A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas.

A wonderfully imaginative story based on the popular song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, A Piñata in a Pine Tree follows a sweet little girl who receives fantastic gifts from her secret amiga. From dos pastelitos to seis trompos girando to ocho pajaritos serenando, this book does a great job of putting a Latin twist on the traditional Anglo carol. And the surprise ending will tie the story together nicely.
The book is written with both English and Spanish text interwoven together. Geared for more advanced speakers, the terminology is complex not simple, but readers have been given a glossary for reference in the back.

Morales’ illustrations are bold, beautiful and full of movement. The gifts are introduced in vibrant colors and depicted in a way that they practically jump off each page to embrace the reader. It is impossible not to finish reading this book without wanting to start over again.

An excellent book for Christmas, Spanish-speaking families will enjoy the cultural references and images. It provides parents and teachers with the opportunity to discuss the holidays, similarities and differences between American and Latin American traditions, Día de los Reyes Magos.

It’s not too late to order this book for Christmas delivery! If you would like to buy your own copy of A Piñata in a Pine Tree, 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.

New Sponsor: Lorito Books

The LBBC welcomes its newest sponsor, Lorito Books.

A few months ago, while reading through some marketing materials for the Fourth International Book Fair in Dallas, I discovered a new independent publishing company, Lorito Books. I was intrigued by the idea of bilingual audiobooks for children. So you can imagine my delight when I received an email from Pam Fochtman, the company’s President, asking about a sponsorship.

Lorito Books is a company that supports many of the same goals that we do here at the LBBC: developing second language literacy and promoting the beauty of Latino culture. They believe that audiobooks are a valuable tool to accomplish these goals.

Their high quality, word-for-word audiobook read-alongs for young readers and second language learners are carefully chosen for their culturally relevant content and values. Their products include Growing Up With Tamales/Los tamales de Ana, The Desert is my Mother/El desierto es mi madre, Icy Watermelon/ Sandía fría and other popular titles in Latino children’s literature.

I am eagerly looking forward to sharing with you some of their fabulous products over the next couple of months (and maybe even a giveaway or two!)

So take a moment to show your support and stop by Lorito Books’ web site to learn more about the history of their company and their products.

Muchisimas gracias to Lorito Books, we’re so happy to have you join us!

December’s Giveaway from Bilingual Readers

Christmas is fast approaching, and we at the LBBC are encouraging parents to give a book or two as gifts for your children. To help you all accomplish this, we have a wonderful giveaway from our amigos at Bilingual Readers. BR is a new publishing company out of Spain, aimed at creating quality bilingual books for children learning Spanish or English. The have recently released their first three products, two of which they were kind enough to send to us as a giveaway for you, our dear friends.

The first item we have, is their set of animal books. These two little libros come nicely packaged in their own sturdy slipcase. The set includes Sea Animals/Animales del mar and Jungle Animals/Animales de la selva. Perfect for children ages newborn to 3 years, these books teach simple vocabulary in both English and Spanish. Each page focuses on one animal with the name in English above and the name in Spanish below. The illustrations are simply adorable. Parents will love how both board books come with rounded corners and washable pages (Wooohoo!)

The second giveaway is for Biligual Reader’s Easy Alphabet!/ ¡Abecedario fácil! This set is SO MUCH FUN! Packaged in a sturdy keepsake box with a magnetic closure, Easy Alphabet is made up of 27 cards plus a guide for parents. The guide is in both English and Spanish and describes different ways in which to use the cards with your child. An excellent product for developing your child’s early literacy skills, this set is geared for children ages 1 year and older. Even better, it grows with your child as you’ll see by the different activities listed in the parent’s guide. Like the board books described above, these cards are nice and thick with rounded corners.

As an additional bonus, parents can visit BilingualReaders.com to find free audio files and extra activities to supplement these products. Bilingual Readers also has another title that it has released titled, Marina and the Little Green Boy. To learn more about it, or to purchase directly from Bilingual Readers, click here.

The Giveaway:

To enter this giveaway, simply leave us a comment below telling us what kind of educational toys you’ll be getting for your children this Christmas. The giveaway closes this Wednesday, December 9th, at midnight and we’ll announce the winners the following day. Two winners will be chosen, one for each product, and we’ll ship as soon as possible so that you can receive your giveaway in time for Christmas.

Feliz Navidad, Everyone!

And the Winners are (gracias to Random.org):

#6 Lisa Renata (wins Abecedario Facil)

#10 Silvia (wins Animales del mar/de la selva)

Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to admin [at] latinbabyusa.com.

René Has Two Last Names Virtual Book Tour

Follow René Colato Laínez virtual book tour
and have a chance to get a free copy of

René Has Two Last Names

Bienvenidos to the first René Has Two Last Names Virtual Book Tour. This week, the book and the author will visit several blogs. Make sure to leave your comments to have the chance to get a free copy of the book. If you don't get it one day, keep leaving your comments the next day. Everyday a book will be giveaway. ¡Pasa la voz! Tell your friends! You can still leave comments on the Monday and Tuesday blogs.


Nov 30 Orlando Latina

Dec 1 Lori Calabrese Writes!

Dec 2 The Happy Nappy Bookseller

Dec 3 Mama Latina Tips

Dec 4 Latino Book Examiner

Muchas gracias to Jo Ann Hernández at
BronzeWord Latino Virtual Book Tour
for organize this tour.