Children’s Books for Thanksgiving

This Thursday let's thanks for all the wonderful things we have. Say "Thank you" and "Gracias" and remember to smile.

Check these wonderful books in your local bookstore or public library.

Gracias, the Thanksgiving Turkey by Joy Cowley. Illustrated by Joe Cepeda.

Trouble ensues when Papa gets Miguel a turkey to fatten up for Thanksgiving and Miguel develops an attachment to it.

¿Pavo para la Cena de Gracias? ¡No, gracias! por Alma Flor Ada. Ilustrado por Vivi Escriva.

When the turkey overhears a conversation about how fat and tasty he will be on Thanksgiving, he loses his own appetite. He meets a young spider who sets out to find a way to save the turkey.

Molly y los peregrinos por Barbara Cohen. Illustrado por Michael J. Deraney. Traducido por María A. Fiol.

Told to make a doll like a pilgrim for the Thanksgiving display at school, Molly's Jewish mother dresses the doll as she herself dressed before leaving Russia to seek religious freedom--much to Molly's embarrassment.

How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Beth Peck.

Refugees from a Caribbean island embark on a dangerous boat trip to America where they have a special reason to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson. Illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner.

A new twist on the cumulative folk song, this time involving a ravenous Thanksgiving Day guest.

The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene. Illustrated by Susan Graber.

Rhyming verses trace the events leading up to the first Thanksgiving Day.

The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli. Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi.

Two families--one that is perfect and one that is far from it--celebrate Thanksgiving in their own loving ways.

This Is the Turkey by Abby Levine. Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye.

Describes in rhyme the activities of a young boy and his extended family as they share a special Thanksgiving.

Virtual Book Tour: El chocolate de Abuelita *GIVEAWAY*

Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita

by Mara Price

illustrated by Lisa Fields

Spanish translation by Gabriela Baeza Ventura

This weekend my mother is coming to visit.

And, as usual, my children are beyond excited. Apenas pueden aguantarse a que llegue 'Buelita. Every day they ask me when ‘Buelita will get here and yesterday I heard them whispering in the back of the car, wondering what sorts of gifts she would be bringing them. So it is perfect timing for me to share this new title by author Mara Price.

Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita is the sweet story of young Sabrina and the lessons she learns about her heritage during one of her Abuelita’s visits. Together they explore the many gifts that Abuelita has brought in her yellow suitcase, discussing the history of the objects and imagining what Sabrina’s life would be like if she were a Mayan princess. Special emphasis is place on cacao seeds and the origins of chocolate.

Written with full text in both English and Spanish, this book is an excellent source of Mesoamerican history. And it is presented in a manner that young children will be able to understand.

This book would also be a wonderful supplement to the following topics/themes: cooking/chocolate; indigenous cultures; family and relationships; cultures and traditions; and Aztec, Mayan, or Olmec studies. It is a great read for children ages 4 and up.

The LBBC is so happy to be involved in this virtual book tour, which has included some other great blogs.

In her story this past Wednesday on La Bloga, Price stated that the inspiration for this story was her own childhood memory of making and drinking hot chocolate with her abuelita. And I think that perhaps some of the best books that we have featured here on the LBBC are often those that describe the personal experiences that many of us share.

For those of you interested in the history of chocolate, this past Tuesday, on her blog, On Beyond Words & Pictures, Megan discussed the importance of chocolate in Mesoamerica and even shared a recipe for traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

And on Monday, Yuyi Morales posted the video trailer for this lovely book. I encourage you to stop over there and watch it.

Be sure to visit Adriana Dominguez’s blog, Voces, on Monday for the final day of the blog tour and learn about writing a history-based fiction children’s story.

For more information about Mara Price, visit her website. You can also meet her in person.

THE GIVEAWAY:

Mara is generously offering a signed copy of Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita to a LBBC reader. To enter for your chance to win, please leave a message on this post letting us know what part of your own heritage you’d like to share with your children or students?

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 November 26th 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.)

¡Buena suerte!

Meet Our Newest Sponsor: Witty Planet

In the survey that we took a while back, some of you requested that we include more products that taught Spanish, as well as educational material that was in Spanish only.

As a result, we are so happy to introduce you to our newest sponsor, Witty Planet, a company importing educational material from Argentina. Línea Descubriendo is an exceptional line of educational products created by Primeros Pasos Argentina. Developed by professionals in childhood development, Línea Descubriendo invites children to learn through play, song, and dance. Their goal is to stimulate a child’s curiosity, interest in learning, and communication skills. The entire line was developed by keeping in mind children's visual preferences and pedagogical requirements for early childhood.

It is evident how much thought and effort has been put into this line of DVD's, CD's, and flash cards. I have been very impressed by the quality of the products, as well as with how quickly my children became engaged by them. For instance, their favorite video at the present time is Descubriendo mi Cuerpo, which, as the name suggests, focuses on learning about the body. My kids enjoy this musical DVD so much that they have been walking around singing the "Boca, boca" song for days. The video is divided up into segments about the different body parts and how to care for them. The original songs are full of information about each topic along with images of real children preparing to take a bath, playing in the bubbles, brushing their hair, etc. The songs are separated by short skits involving the cast of puppets from Línea Descubriendo, including its host, Bubba (pronounced BOO-bah). This adorable monkey had my kids in stitches a number of times with his silly antics and facial expressions. All the puppets were developed by Roberto Docampo, Director of the Puppetry School at the San Martin Theater, in Argentina.

You can see a sample of Descubriendo mi Cuerpo here.

Equally important to my children is the fact that this interactive DVD includes extra material, which allows your children to put together puzzles and complete various coloring pages. And for times when you don’t want your kids watching TV, you can simply run the individual songs so that the kids can sing while they are playing, coloring, or engaging in other creative activities.

I think that Spanish-speaking families with young children will be absolutely delighted with this Spanish-only line. They are high-quality products vaguely reminiscent of Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby - but the songs are original pieces, specific to the topic, with additional information about the subject. The music was created exclusively for Línea Descubriendo. Preschoolers would benefit the best from the DVD’s and CD’s that teach basic concepts such as colors, the five senses, transportation, body parts, farm animals, etc. And the flash cards introduce your children to the alphabet, numbers, animals, and foods.

ESL learners will also enjoy the DVD, Descubriendo En Ingles, which introduces them to English words through song and dance. This, however, is the only product with English language.

English-speaking families, however, who are looking to teach their children a second language will appreciate Línea Descubriendo’s style and delivery. The videos will be an excellent supplement to any Spanish curriculum that you may be using, and the flash cards are a great way to introduce the Spanish alphabet, numbers, and new vocabulary.

To extend these products even further, families can visit the adorable, interactive site, El Mundo de Bubba, for additional games, art, and much, much more. (This site really should get some sort of award for creativity. Go there now! You'll LOVE it!)

Please consider these fun and educational products this holiday season. They would make great gifts for your own kids, or any family working to raise bilingual children. You will be delighted with their response. To purchase any of these products, visit Witty Planet. Their website is available in both English and Spanish. Don't forget to type in the coupon code LATINBABY for an additional 10% off your purchase.

Disclosure: Witty Planet provided a DVD for this review and has paid for a sponsorship. However, the opinions expressed in this post are sincere and true. The LBBC does not endorse products that it does not approve of or that we feel will not interest our readers.

Sing Along with Abuelita Rosa *GIVEAWAY*

Sing Along with Abuelita Rosa: Hispanic Lullabies/Canciones de cuna

by Baby Abuelita Productions

illustrated by Oscar J. López

When my daughter was 2-years-old, someone gave her a Baby Abuelita doll for her birthday. Actually, it was Baby Tita, who sang snippets of traditional lullabies and folksongs from Latin America when you squeezed her hand. This little doll quickly became one of my daughter’s treasured companions and still holds a place of honor in her room four years later.

We have since enjoyed other Baby Abuelita products, such as their DVD’s (Family Fiesta), and now are enamored by one of their newest products, the sing-along book.

This musical board book made an entrance in my home several days ago and was embraced wholeheartedly by both my children, ages 4 and 6. A couple of the songs were new to them, but the others, like “Duérmete, mi niña,” are family favorites. In fact, my 4-year-old liked this one so much, he took the book to bed with him, and I could hear the sweet melody drifting down the hallway for a while afterwards. He, of course, knew the male version, Duérmete, mi niño, but the tunes are the same. This small action spoke volumes to me about the importance of music in a child’s life. It also says a lot about the strength of our memories and how profound the impact of our infancy is on our future life.

Sing Along with Abuelita Rosa features five traditional songs: Arroz con leche; Qué linda manita; Azótate la mocita; Pon, pon, pon; and Duérmete, mi niña. Children can open the book and turn to the page of their choice, then find and push the matching button in the side bar. There are no words to the song, simply a musical tune, which is convenient considering how many variations may exist and thus allowing families of any Latino descent the opportunity to sing the verses they know best. But just in case, each page does come with verses written in Spanish, and the very last two pages provide English translations for each of the songs.

I’ve written on our sister sites, Mi Cielito Lindo and Mommy Maestra, about the importance of preserving our heritage for our children and grandchildren. Traditional games are quickly disappearing, being replaced by electronic toys and games that inhibit the development of our children’s creativity. Songs are another precious cultural gift that we can give to our niños, and one that could easily be lost from one generation to the next. Baby Abuelita should be applauded for their vision to preserve these beautiful songs and the opportunity they create for children all over America to experience them first-hand.

To purchase your copy of Sing Along with Abuelita Rosa, or their second book, Sing Along with Abuelito Pancho, visit their site.

The Giveaway:

Baby Abuelita Productions is generously offering a copy of Sing Along with Abuelita Rosa to a LBBC reader. To enter for your chance to win, please leave a message on this post letting us know which is your favorite Latin American lullaby or folksong.

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 November 20th 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.)

¡Buena suerte!

November's Libro del Mes: Rosita y Conchita *GIVEAWAY*

Rosita y Conchita

by Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger

The LBBC’s recommendation for November’s Libro del Mes, is Rosita y Conchita by Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger.

A few weeks ago when I first read about Rosita y Conchita, I was pretty excited, because I could tell from the cover that a lot of work had gone into this book and I was hopeful to see a full story developed around Día de los Muertos, since this holiday is really starting to spread like wildfire across the U.S.

I was not disappointed. When Eric sent me a copy of the book to review, I was so thrilled to find a story that richly conveys the intention behind the holiday. The story follows twin sisters who are trying to find a way to get together once again. The book describes how Conchita is carefully creating an altar to remember her dearly departed twin, Rosita. The other part tells Rosita’s story as she wanders through the otherworld looking for clues that will lead her to her sister one more time.

This lovely little book is not sad or scary. Instead, it treats death in the same manner that the holiday itself does – with humor and love – so that children will enjoy the story line. The best part of the book, I thought, was how the authors describe the ofrendas in such a way so that the children reading the book can understand the meaning behind each one.

The text itself is another example of the thought and work that both authors invested. The entire story is written in rhyming verse - in both English and Spanish! I do think that this book should win some sort of award for the subject matter, work it displays, as well as the engaging manner in which it captures the attention of young readers.

Here’s a look at one of our favorite pages…

I also loved how at the end of the book, Eric and Erich have included a history of the holiday (in English and Spanish), a simple recipe for making sugar skulls, as well as directions on how to draw Rosita.

While reading this book, my kids had LOTS of questions. And what was really neat was how my older daughter would explain parts of the book to my son, because she quickly understood the messages that were being delivered.

Books like these are, in my opinion, really important for our children, because in American culture, death is not often talked about. Many parents don’t want to burden their children with the concept. Maybe because they themselves don't know how to deal with it. Or maybe because they just don't know how to discuss it on a child's level. But I think if approached with love and respect, children can learn that death is not something to be feared, but rather a simple process that is a part of life – not just one that ends it.

And I think that the act of creating a “Remembrance Table” actually helps children and adults both, to move through the grieving process and to heal. It is such a special gift to be able to move past the sadness and instead celebrate the lives of our loved ones, giving thanks for their place in our own lives. To be able to remember with joy and laughter, those whom we have loved, enriches our own experiences and makes us healthier emotionally.

I think parents and teachers will really LOVE reading this book along with any lessons or activities for Day of the Dead. This book would also be a wonderful supplement to the following topics/themes: poetry, death and grieving, family, indigenous cultures, family relationships, cultures and traditions, and symbolism. It is a great read for children ages 4 and up.

THE GIVEAWAY:

Eric Gonzalez and Erich Haeger are generously offering a copy of Rosita y Conchita to a LBBC reader. To enter for your chance to win, please leave a message on this post letting us know what you think of the LBBC.

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 November 8th 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.)

¡Buena suerte!