Giveaway: New Bilingual Products from Ingenio Toys

One of the LBBC's favorite toy companies is Ingenio Toys. We think they are the best bilingual toy manufacturer in the U.S. and have shared several of their products with you already. They focus on quality toys that are educational, safe, and affordable. We like how their products are thoughtfully created to promote a variety of learning skills including literacy, and bilingual/bicultural awareness. Parents can rejoice in the fact that their children are developing critical thinking skills while learning about math, geography, and science.

In honor of  Hispanic Heritage Month, Barnes & Nobles is offering 20% off all Ingenio products, so if you've been thinking about buying your son or daughter their Smart Projector or My First Notebook, now's the time!

In addition, Ingenio has just launched three new products: The Puerto Rico Map Learning Puzzle, the Mexico Map Learning Puzzle, and the Easy Translator (Spanish). 

THE GIVEAWAY:

In addition, Ingenio is offering one of its learning puzzles to a LBBC reader. To enter for your chance to win, simply visit their site and let us know which puzzle (Puerto Rico or Mexico) you'd like to win.

For an additional entry, you can also:

• Join our Facebook page (be sure to leave a separate comment letting us know that you did!)

The deadline to enter is October 4th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (So PLEASE be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)
 
¡Buenas suerte!

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood

My Havana: Memories of a Cuban Boyhood

written by Rosemary Wells with Secundino Fernandez

illustrated by Peter Ferguson

“Until I am six years old, in 1954, my world is sweet. “We live in a city built by angels,” Papi says. There is no cold in Havana, only sunshine and warm rain. The city’s avenues are lined with arcades of coral-stone archways, ancient doors, and window frames painted bright as birds-of-paradise. The vivid colors are accented everywhere by the deep mahogany of Havana’s window shutters and ceiling fans…”

With these words, my children and I became engrossed in this beautifully written book by Rosemary Wells. My Havana follows the childhood story of Cuban émigré and architect, Secundino Fernandez. Forced to leave his beloved island home twice, Dino must come to terms with his overwhelming homesickness and begin a new life in a city that is completely different.

The book is divided into four sections, which chronicle his early years on the island of Cuba, a year in Madrid, followed by another three years in Havana, and ultimately, his move to New York. The text is rich with imagery and details reflecting the unique properties of each city and time period. Along the way, my children were briefly introduced to the infamous historical/ political figures of Spain’s Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Germany’s Hitler, and Cuba’s Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro, and Che Guevera. This seems like quite a heavy load for young readers, but Wells presents the characters in bits and pieces as they were seen and understood by a young boy, making them easier for young readers to understand. She really has done an impeccable job.

In Havana, Dino spends his days sketching the magnificent architecture that surrounds him, a glimpse of the architect that he is to one day become. I love the talent that he displays and the symbolism of his drawings within the story. My children were most intrigued by the way in which young Dino deals with his intense longing for his native home once he is living in New York. He builds a miniature version of Havana, right on his bedroom floor, using cardboard, paints, aluminum foil, and anything else he can get his hands on.

The book also reveals Dino’s struggle to enter a new school, where he is mistreated by his teacher and fellow students for his inability to speak the language. I love that my children were exposed to this very real tribulation that many children all over this country go through, as well as the way in which he overcame the hardship. The book does have a happy ending, as Dino grows to learn the language, makes a friend, and discovers the beauty that surrounds him in his new home.

The book is sprinkled with Ferguson’s colorful illustrations and black-and-white sketches. It even includes three photographs of eight-year-old Secundino with his parents, which my children inspected with great interest.

This title is one of Candlewick Press’s first ventures into multicultural (specifically Latino) children’s literature. It is a great start and I hope they continue to produce more books of this caliber. Not only is the story line genuine and authentic, but both Wells and Ferguson capture the feeling of each city and time period with great detail. The intimacy of the story and pictures reveals how closely both of them worked with Señor Fernandez to accurately present his story.

Incidentally, the idea for this book was born after Wells heard a five-minute interview Fernandez on the radio. Wells instantly related to his intense homesickness as a child, having experienced a similar situation. His story stayed with her for years, until she finally decided that she wanted to write his story. After four years of searching, she tracked him down in New York.

My Havana is not a picture book. It is geared for older children, ages 8 and up, though I read it to both of mine, ages 4 & 6, over the course of two nights. As a parent, I truly loved this book for it’s multicultural content, the introduction to world politics, and thought-provoking substance. I would really like to see more books like this written about children around the world, especially Latin America. As a teacher, I was able to discuss with my children the topics of geography, immigration, family responsibility, displacement, architecture, bilingualism, diversity within the Latino culture, and politics.

If you would like to buy your own copy of My Havana, 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.

Using Bilingual Flash Cards to Teach Your Kids Spanish

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who have taken the LBBC survey. If you haven't had a chance to fill it out, you can click on the button in our sidebar. Your feedback is valuable and you have given us much to think about. We have taken all of the information you have given us and are working on the ways we can improve this site to better serve you.

One of our readers suggested that we share more ideas, programs and on-line resources for children/students who are learning Spanish. While we have mentioned a few programs here and there, this has not been our primary focus, so we will be sharing with you more products and resources, like the following bilingual flash cards that were recently reviewed on our sister site, Mommy Maestra.

BLINGuals are a new set of bilingual flash cards on the market. The illustrated cards are English on one side and Spanish on the other. I have found these to be extremely versatile in that they are beneficial for not only for second-language learning, but they are also great for teaching categorization, color learning, spelling practice and reading. They are best utilized by children ages 4 and up, but parents/teachers can use them with younger children to increase their vocabulary.

The cards can be grouped by color, location, function, and other relative categories, which makes them an excellent tool for reinforcing the concepts of comparison and categorization. If your children are just starting school, BLINGuals are an ideal supplement to their curriculum.

You can tell a lot of thought has gone into the design of this product. There are quite a few sets of bilingual flash cards out there (I know because we have a few of them), but I think that one of the reasons that my kids and I are enjoying these so much is because of the illustrations. They are not independent of each other, but rather are tied together in a story book like fashion with a young boy and girl as the main characters. I found my daughter arranging the cards in a certain order to "tell a story."

Also, the English side is surrounded by a blue border, whereas the Spanish side is yellow, which is helpful if you or your kids accidentally drop them all over the floor. They are very easy to sort without having to look at each word.

There are a couple of cards that use Spanish words that I don't (for example, I say "pelota" not "bola"), but with such a diverse language, I don't find it to be bothersome. I just pointed it out to my kids and told them that there are many ways to say the same thing, and then I used the word that I preferred.

BLINGuals also offers flash cards in other language combinations. Acutally, they have 15 available languages that you can choose from and you can get your cards in any combination ... French/Spanish, anyone?

To purchase a set of BLINGuals, just run over and visit their website.

Bilingual Book on Astronomy Needs Your Votes

As parents, our children’s future rests mainly on our shoulders. We are their greatest source of support, inspiration, and guidance. It is up to us to fight for their educational rights and to provide them with opportunities to explore their world (and beyond!) so that they may discover where their future lies.

Snapshots of the Universe/Instantáneas del universo is a bilingual art book on astronomy for children. It was created last year by Dark Skies, Bright Kids (DSBK), a program that enhances science education for elementary kids. Led by astronomer Kelsey Johnson from the University of Virginia, this program is mostly run by student volunteers.

Each week, these volunteers meet at rural elementary schools to talk with the children about the universe and run lessons based on hands-on activities. Every other week on Friday nights, the volunteers set up telescopes at the school and encourage family stargazing.

Many of the schools in the area have a large Hispanic population, and while reaching out to a third grader, student volunteer Laura Jackson (a Spanish major with a minor in astronomy) got creative and produced a number of paintings of the objects found in our solar system. For the child’s benefit, Jackson labeled each one in English and Spanish.

An instant hit with the young students and their teachers, DSBK decided to develop the idea further by adding more text and compiling the paintings in a book format. Many other University students have contributed their talents, and native speakers from Chile, Mexico, and Spain have reviewed the text for accuracy.

Because DSBK feels very strongly about keeping information freely available to promote scientific literacy, they hope to have a free digital copy of Snapshots of the Universe/Instantáneas del universo available on their site by the end of the year. And they have plans to translate the book into other languages.

But DSBK also wants to place a free English/Spanish copy of the book in 6,750 third grade classrooms throughout Virginia, and an additional 1,250 in every one of the state’s public elementary school libraries. And to make this dream a reality, Kelsey Johnson, the program’s leader, is applying for a $25,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh educational grant program.

We can help! Everyday between now and the end of September, you can vote for DSBK’s bilingual book project. (The Pepsi Refresh grant allows the public to vote for their favorite project.) If you’d like to learn more about the Dark Skies, Bright Kids program, stop by their website.

The Children's Reading Hour Event in LA Features Latino Children's Book Authors

To all our readers in LA, this Saturday marks the beginning of The Children's Reading Hour, a nine week-long children’s program that will feature prominent Latino children’s book authors. The event is a collaborative effort between Pan American Bank, actor Edward James Olmos’ Latino Literacy Now! and the Latino Book & Family Festival.

It will be hosted by the Pan American Bank at 3626 East First Street in Los Angeles at 12 p.m. Admission is free and everyone is invited.

The program kicks off with author Ramona Moreno Winner who will be reading her books The Wooden Bowl/El Bol de Madera, Lucas and His Loco Beans, and Freaky Foods From Around the World/Platillos Sorprendentes de Todo El Mundo. Her books are written for children in Preschool through 6th grade.

They have a fantastic line-up of Latino authors scheduled, and the first 10 children to show up each Saturday will receive an autographed book. Refreshments will also be provided.

The Children’s Reading Hour schedule is as follows:

• Saturday, September 11, 2010 – Ramona Moreno Winner (Preschool – 6th Grade)

• Saturday, September 18, 2010 – David Bueno-Hill (7th – 12th Grade)
• Saturday, September 25, 2010 – Amada Irma Perez (Preschool – 6th Grade)
• Saturday, October 2, 2010 – Joe Cepeda (Preschool – 6th Grade)
• Saturday, October 9, 2010 – NO READING EVENT
• Saturday, October 16, 2010 – Rene Colato Lainez (Preschool – 6th Grade)
• Saturday, October 23, 2010 – Reyna Grande (7th – 12th Grade)
• Saturday, October 30, 2010 – Jamie Martinez-Wood (7th – 12th Grade)
• Saturday, November 6, 2010 – Laura Lacamara (Preschool – 6th Grade)

If any of you go, por favor, take some pictures and share them with us!

Floating on Mama’s Song Virtual Book Tour- Yuyi Morales Interview

Welcome to day number 4 of Floating on Mama’s Song Virtual Book Tour. You can be the lucky winner of a signed copy of this wonderful bilingual book. Leaving a comment on any of the tour's host sites enters you in the drawing to win a copy of Floating on Mama’s Song!


Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Monday, Aug. 30 - Floating on Mama's Song synopsis, reviews
http://www.dianebrowningillustrations.com/(Out of the Paintbox)      

Tuesday, Aug. 31- Laura Lacámara (author) interview
http://www.onbeyondwordsandpictures.com/ (On Beyond Words & Pictures) Megan Frances

Wednesday, Sept. 1- Katherine Tegen (editor) interview -- Publication day!
http://www.tinanicholscouryblog.com/(Tales from the Rushmore Kid)

Señores y Señoras y niños de todas las edades

Ladies and gentleman and children of all ages

For day number 4, Latin Baby Book Club interviewed the illustrator of this fabulous book, Yuyi Morales.

 Hola Yuyi, congratulations on your new publication Floating on Mama’s Song. What is the story about?

Thank you, René. Floating on Mama's Song is the story of Anita, whose mama loves to sing. But then, the day after Anita's seventh birthday, something strange and magical happens: every time Anita's mother sings, she and those who listen to her song, float in the air. Unfortunately, these strange yet happy moments come with consequences and the neighbors, as well as Anita's grandmother insist that Mama sings no more. Can you imagine what would happen if someone asked you to stop doing something you love?

As an illustrator do you have a routine when you get to read the manuscript of a future book for the first time?

Manuscripts are the heart of the book. They are brimming with inspiration and possibilities. I do a lot of imagining from the very first moment I read a manuscript. However, nothing really happens until I sit by my table to begin drawing.

What do you do next? How do you transform the written words into marvelous illustrations?

I begin with research; how do things look like in places such as where the story is happening? what is the feeling I sense? During this time I look at a lot of pictures in books and the internet. The next step is to  divide the text so that every page tells the right part of the story. After that drawing starts, first with thumbnails, which are very rough and very small drawings (smaller than my thumb, that is why they are called thumbnails) and are extremely important to me, because they are my map to navigate the story. Later these rough drawings will be refined into paintings.

I had heard you sing. You have a wonderful voice. What songs make you float?

Ah, I like singing, but my voice is very untrained and imperfect; however, since it is the one I have, I use it and enjoy it. I very much like singing verses from Son Jarocho, a traditional music from my native state, Veracruz, in Mexico.  I love the Mexican folk songs, and I have learned a lot of the traditional songs from hearing my mom, my aunts, my uncles, and my grandmothers sing while they worked and did chores. Music, singing and even whistling songs were an important part of my growing up.

Where do you work? Do you have a schedule?

I have my studio at home, and I follow a schedule that helps me be disciplined in doing this work I love.  My working day starts around 7:45 am, when I check my messages and send emails. After breakfast I take time to exercise, dance, or walk with my dogs. At about 11 am I come back showered and ready to continue working. I have a couple more breaks here and there (also I am the parent at home), but I usually work until dinner time. If I am dealing with a tights book deadline, I might work some more afterwards and until middle night. But never later than that, because, like my cousin Vanessa says, after midnight are the spooky hours and everybody better be in bed by then! 

Can you tell us a secret/ adventure when you where working on Floating on Mamá’s Song?

I will tell you a secret. I made the illustration of this book using yet another technique I haven't tried before. I cut out and then painted all of the elements in each painting separately. Later, I put them together in the computer combining these paintings with backgrounds and even photographs. Now, here is more of the secret: among the photographs, you can find some familiar faces. Laura's mother is there, and so is my father standing in the patio of my grandmother's house. There you will also find a photograph I took many years ago when I visited Cuba as a student living in Mexico. You will also find photographs of me when I was a child, including one from a school festival where my class and I had to perform a traditional Mexican dance for mother's day. Can you find them?

What are you working on now?

Right now I am starting the illustrations for a book I wrote where the main characters are the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, her dog, Xolot, and her spider monkey Fulang. This book will be illustrated with puppets and photographs. An exciting adventure!

Thanks Yuyi, what are your final words for our readers?

Hey, what about some words in Spanish! Gracias y adios.

¡Muchas gracias a ti Yuyi!



Please visit tomorrow the last stop of the virtual book tour


Friday, Sept. 3 - Announcement of contest winner!
http://www.dianebrowningillustrations.com/(Out of the Paintbox)

September's BOM: A Kid's Guide to Latino History

A Kid’s Guide to Latino History: More than 50 Activities

by Valerie Petrillo

The LBBC’s recommendation for September’s Libro del Mes, is Valerie Petrillo's A Kid’s Guide to Latino History.

In a few weeks, this country will begin celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. How that will go over this year in such a volatile political climate is anybody’s guess, but here at the LBBC we will certainly be celebrating it – as we do every month of the year!

But in honor of the national recognition, I am excited to share a fun and educational book for older children ages 7 and up. A Kid’s Guide is a detailed account of Latino History in the New World, from their “discovery” of the Americas in 1492 to the “Day Without Immigrants” national boycott in 2006. Petrillo’s thoughtful introduction gives young minds a summary of the book’s educational and activity-based contents.

The work itself is broken down into 10 categories, beginning with Columbus’ discovery of the New World and working its way through the contributions and history of the various Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Each chapter offers not only the history of a country or people, but also gives directions for creating a craft or recipe from that country. For example, in chapter eight, Petrillo highlights Dominican Americans and offers instructions for crafting a Dominican carnival mask and a charamico (you are wondering what this is, I bet!) as well as a recipe for arroz con leche.

I think parents and teachers of older children will love, love, LOVE this book not only for it’s educational content, but also for the engaging manner in which it is delivered. This is no ordinary textbook, but rather a learning manual full of creative projects to capture your child’s interest and pride in their own heritage.

The back of the book is also full of resources for parents and teachers. Included is a bibliography for children AND adults, a list of Latino museums, a section on Latino movies and videos, websites for kids, and finally, an awesome teacher’s guide, which breaks down the activities by grade level, ways to modify the activities, and suggests extended learning opportunities.

This book is an awesome supplement to ANY child’s education, and includes a lot of information that your child more than likely would not learn in any school history class. It is a great addition to any bilingual family’s library, and certainly one that will be used often. If you would like to buy your own copy of A Kid’s Guide to Latino History, 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.