Giveaway: Two Read-Aloud Books that Celebrate Diversity

One great way to develop your child's literacy skills is by reading aloud story books on a daily basis. To help you create the best environment possible, consider these tips:

• DESIGNATE a specific reading area that is well-lit, comfortable and quiet. Avoid high-traffic rooms or those with a TV.

• SET UP a cozy chair, bed, or sofa that you can both cuddle up on comfortably.

• POSITION your baby so that (s)he can clearly see your face. For older children, be sure that they can see the book.

• CHOOSE books that are age/developmentally appropriate. Newborns do best with books that have simple illustrations, while toddlers prefer picture books that help them envision the story.

• ALLOW your child to choose the book and don't discourage books that you have already read once (or twice or many more times!) as repetition helps your child to recognize patterns, develop phonetic awareness and sequence - to name a few.

• READ WITH EMOTION and allow your voice to rise and fall. Use exaggerated facial expressions to convey emotion.

And finally, POINT to the words as you read so that you child will begin to learn letter sounds and combinations.

THE GIVEAWAY:

Kane/Miller Book Publishers carefully chooses books from around the world to which they believe all children can relate. They have a fantastic line of multicultural books, and what makes them so spectacular is that they also carry some of these books in Spanish.

A while back, Kane/Miller sent the LBBC several books to use for reviews and giveaways, which we have done over the last year or so. I am so happy to finally be able to offer these two books, which I was saving for a post on reading aloud to children.

The first is ¿Quieres jugar? by Deborah Niland.  This "Toddler Tale" was originally printed in Australia. It is a simple and adorable story of three animal friends as they play at the park. It begins...

"Éste es Perro Rojo.

¿Está zambulléndose?

¡No!

Está...." (You'll have to read it to find out)

The second book is one of my favorites because of its simplicity and repetition. ¿Quién se esconde? by Satoru Onishi was published first in Japan. In addition to the reasons stated above, I also like this book because it encourages interaction between the parent reading the book and the child. Each page asks a question such as "¿Quién está llorando?" or "¿Quién está al revés?" And though they are unnecessary, the author includes a page in the back with the answers, which is nice.

To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling us why you have chosen to raise (or teach) a bilingual child. The deadline to enter is Friday, April 16th. The winners will be chosen using Random.org. and announced next Saturday, April 17th.

And to increase your chances of winning, consider the following:

1.) Blog about Día and this giveaway and include the link to your post,

2.) Tweet about Día and this giveaway and include a link to your tweet,

3.) Become a fan of the LBBC,

4.) Subscribe to our feed through a reader or via e-mail.

Don't forget to let us know by posting a separate comment for each entry!

This giveaway has now ended. Congratulations to #2 Marcela & #5 Tati! Please contact us with a mailing address at admin [at] latinbabyusa dot com