More Books for the Day of the Dead!

A special thanks to Monica for getting the ball rolling! We were thrilled to find some other fantastic books for the Day of the Dead in addition to those already mentioned. You can find all of the titles on the new Colorín Colorado booklist (also available in Spanish).

What's so great about the wide range of titles out there is that they each focus on unique and different aspects of the celebration, whether it’s a young girl spreading a path of marigolds from the cemetery, a group of skeletons dancing in the moonlight, or a family in the U.S. that is mixing Halloween customs with its Day of the Dead celebration.

And of course, we can't forget the butterflies! Many of the books incorporate beautiful stories and illustrations of the returning Monarch butterflies throughout the story in heartwarming ways.

Here are three more tales for Day of the Dead, in which a child is looking for some hope after losing a loved one:
Uncle Monarch and the Day of the Dead
By: Judy Goldman
Illustrated by: Rene Kind Moreno

Day after day, Lupita and Tío Urbano watch the Monarch butterflies arrive. Urbano says they are the souls of the dead arriving in time for El día de los muertos. When Urbano becomes sick and dies soon after, Lupita feels only sadness - until she sees the Monarchs and remembers Urbano's words.

This hearwarming book not only conveys the magic of the Monarchs' return, but also the hope and comfort that the Day of the Dead offers when we miss our loved ones.

A Gift for Abuelita: Celebrating the Day of the Dead
By Nancy Luenn
Illustrated by: Robert Chapman

When Abuelita dies, Rosita's father encourages her to make a gift that she can leave at the altar on the Day of the Dead. Rosita likes the idea - but what can she make? This touching story captures the sadness of a losing a loved one and the comfort of fond memories. Bilingual text.

What is particularly memorable about this book is the artwork. Illustrations made out of cast paper add such a unique dimension to the story that you will find it hard to believe that you can't reach out and touch the texture of the illustrations!

The Spirit of Tío Fernando: A Day of the Dead Story
By: Janice Levy
Illustrated by: Morella Fuenmayor
Nando has many loving memories of Tío Fernando, which he thinks of as he and his mother prepare the family altar for the Day of the Dead. When Nando goes to the market to look for things that remind him of his uncle, he wonders just how he will know that Fernando's spirit has returned. Bilingual text.

What I found so special about this book was the rich attention to detail - Tío Fernando's long, skinny legs, a papier-mache skeleton riding a horse, a tablecloth embroidered with yellow-and-green birds. Every time I re-read this book, I found a new detail I had missed before...perhaps Fernando is trying to tell me something!

Happy reading, everyone!

The LBBC's Favorite Books for Día de los Muertos

With Día de los Muertos less than a week away, now is the perfect time to make a little trip down to your local library to pick up some great titles dedicated to this holiday. If you stop by our sister blog, MommyMaestra, we have started a nice list of lesson plans, activities, videos, and more, some of which include one or more of these great books. (You'll also get a sneak peek at an exciting new picture book that I'll be reviewing here on the LBBC next week.)

So in no particular order, here are a few of our favorite Day of the Dead titles for children...

Just a Minute!: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book and

Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book

by Yuyi Morales.

This is a fabulous pair of books, beautifully written and illustrated. Together they make a great set for Spanish learners as each one teaches fundamental concepts (counting and the alphabet) using the same charismatic characters with complementary story lines. Yuyi also has a fun website that is a visual treat and gives additional activities to supplement her books. You can find a review of Just a Minute! here.

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

Jeanette Winter's is a consummate storyteller and an extraordinary artist. Calavera Abecedario is one of my daughter's favorite books for it's distinctive illustrations and biographical story. You can read a complete review here.

Day of the Dead

By Tony Johnston

Illustrated by Jeanette Winter

This beautiful tribute to Dia de los Muertos is illustrated in Winter's distinctive style and resembles the papel picado decorations so commonly used throughout Mexico. Written in English, Johnston has carefully embedded Spanish words throughout the text to increase vocabulary. Head over to our amiga Lori Langer de Ramirez's blog for more information about this book.

The Festival of Bones
by Luis San Vicente

San Vicente lets children join the celebration as they watch the skeletons rock, rattle, and roll those long old bones as they get ready for the biggest event of their social calendar. A short and fun essay, directed toward young readers, will explain this important Mexican holiday.

For more books on Día de los Muertos, visit our online store here.

New Bilingual Board Books from Leslie Patricelli

We have not reviewed any bilingual board books for children in a long while, so I am happy to be able to share this pair with you now.

Leslie Patricelli is a writer and illustrator of ten books for infants and toddlers. Her books are vibrantly illustrated and deal with themes such as opposites, imagination, and other conceptual topics to which young children can relate. Each one contains simple language that serves to supplement the story expressed through the illustrations.

Two more of her board books will be released this January in a bilingual format with text in both English and Spanish. The first - Higher! Higher!/¡Más alto! ¡Más alto! - is the story of a little girl whose imagination takes flight on a park swing, taking her out of this world and back. Though it is written for children ages 2 – 5, older kids who are beginning language learners (English or Spanish) will enjoy the story line and quickly learn from the simple text.

The second book - The Birthday Box/Mi caja de cumpleaños - is the story of an infant who receives a puppy in a box on his birthday. The focus of his attention will surprise you…or maybe not! Once again, Patricelli explores the power of a child’s imagination. This book contains a lot more text and would work better with a child whose first language is Spanish. They will love the story line, too! And I loved how even the “sound effects” in the book are translated, as well.

As a parent, I liked this book for the sweet and funny story that it presents. It is what I call a “giggle” read. The type of book, that parents read to their children just for the giggles it produces. Fun for bonding.

As a homeschool teacher, I appreciate these books for the literacy development that they promote. Reading to your children at least 10 minutes a day, goes a long way towards encouraging letter recognition and fostering an interest in reading.

Both these books are available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Or you can check out some of Patricelli’s other bilingual titles.

Doggy Slippers

Since having children, I have had moments when I am totally tickled by something they say. I’ve thought many times about keeping a journal so that I can write down all the hilarious phrases, observations, or misunderstandings they’ve had. And, if you are a parent or teacher, I bet you’ve had these moments, too.

So of course, I became an instant fan of Doggy Slippers, a recent release by Groundwood Books. Compiled by the incredibly talented poet, Jorge Luján, this book is actually a collection of poems written by children. Luján had the idea to write to children all over Latin America and ask them about their pets. Some of their responses are hilarious…

My monkey and I are exactly alike

except for our hands and feet,
          our hair,
          our bodies,
          our mouths,
          our clothes,
   and that I don’t stink.


while others are sweet…

The
parakeet
talks
and eats his seeds.

That’s
his
way
of making life sweet.


Jorge Luján decided to publish a few of his favorites responses. The end result is enjoyable for both parents and their children. Doggy Slippers is a great first collection of poetry for children.

The illustrations for the book are distinctive. Created by Argentine author and illustrator, Isol, each image uses a simple color scheme. Isol has been selected twice as a Hans Christian Anderson Award finalist and has won a Golden Apple at the Biennial of Illustrations, Bratislava. Both remarkable accomplishments given her young age.

Parents and teachers will love this book as wonderful supplement to the following topics/themes: pets, poetry, emotions, compare/contrast discussion, relationships, and animals. In fact, to supplement this book, you can help your child create his or her own poem about a pet they have or would like to have.

It is a good read for children ages 4 and up. Written with full text in English.

To learn more about the author, visit his website at http://www.jorgelujan.com/.

If you would like to buy your own copy of Doggy Slippers, 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 Runaway Piggy/ El cochinito fugitivo

The Runaway Piggy
El cochinito fugitivo

By James Luna
Illustrations by Laura Lacamara
Spanish translation by Carolina Villarroel
November 30, 2010, 32 pages
Ages 4-8
ISBN-10: 1-55885-586-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-55885-586-1

This rollicking bilingual picture book re-tells 

a familiar story with a Latino twist

The sun shines through the windows of Martha’s Panadería onto the shelves of freshly baked treats. The bakery holds tray after tray of hot Mexican sweet bread—conchas, orejas, cuernitos, empanadas, and cochinitos—all ready for hungry customers.

In the classic tradition of The Gingerbread Man, James Luna’s piggy cookie leaps off the baking tray and takes the reader on a mad dash through the barrio, past Lorenzo’s Auto Shop, Nita’s Beauty Salon, Leti’s Flower Shop, and Juana’s Thrift Shop.

The telephone repairman, the bus driver . . . each person the piggy encounters is greeted by his laugh and the repeated refrain: “Chase me! Chase me down the street! But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! I ran away from the others and I’ll run away from you!” The cochinito fugitivo avoids being eaten by the long line of people chasing him through the neighborhood streets . . . until he meets a crafty little girl named Rosa!

Children—and adults too—will delight in the clever piggy’s escape from Martha’s Panadería in this entertaining retelling of a familiar story set in a colorful Latino neighborhood. A recipe to make Mexican gingerbread pig cookies is included in both English and Spanish.

JAMES LUNA is an elementary school teacher in Riverside, California. This is his first published book.

LAURA LACAMARA is a Cuban-American artist and author. Floating on Mama’s Song / Flotando en la canción de mamá, her picture book illustrated by Yuyi Morales, was published by HarperCollins in 2010. The Runaway Piggy is the first picture book she has illustrated. Laura lives in Venice, California, with her family.

October's BOM: Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding

Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding:
Un poema para cocinar/A Cooking Poem
by Jorge Argueta

The LBBC’s recommendation for October’s Libro del Mes, is Jorge Argueta’s Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding.

Tomorrow, on MommyMaestra, I am writing about the importance of cooking with your children. To read up on how use your time in the kitchen to benefit your children, stop by our sister blog.

So it is fitting that this month’s Libro del Mes should also focus on children and recipes. And what better dish to cook together than one that is found throughout most Spanish-speaking countries? Arroz con leche is Argueta’s latest title from Groundwood Books. In it, he shares a recipe for this beloved rice pudding, which makes it easy for families enjoy the contents of this book beyond its pages. Told from the point of view of a young boy who loves rice, Argueta’s poetic descriptions are filled with imagery…

"Luego el agüita desaparece.

La cocina está llena de magia.

La olla está llena de espuma, olas y nubes.

En la olla hay

un cielo y también un mar.

El arrocito se ha convertido en peces

y pajaritos blancos.

Globos panzoncitos

flotan en el agua.

"Soon the water disappears.

There is magic in the kitchen.

Foamy waves and clouds turn the pot

into sea and sky.

The rice has become fishies

and white birds.

Chubby little bubbles

float in the water."

Brazilian artist Fernando Vilela’s illustrations remind me of some of Dr. Seus’s works. The one-dimensional images use simple color combinations and float on the page.

To learn more about Jorge Argueta’s other titles, visit his website.

Written with full text in both English and Spanish. Parents can use the book as a guide for making some delicious arroz con leche, and then take the opportunity to talk about the subjects of cooking, family, poetry, food, and the senses.

If you would like to buy your own copy of Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding, 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.