El Otro Niño by Lorraine Donlon

El Otro Niño written by Lorraine Donlon is a draw it out guidebook/journal for children dealing with a special needs sibling.

Written in clear and simple language, El Otro Niño is an excellent learning tool for children to use with parents, grandparents, educators, special education service providers and social workers. Targeted for children between five- and twelve-years-old, El Otro Niño, validates the complex feelings of being the sibling to a brother or sister with special needs. It encourages siblings to express their feelings through art and writing. The book also allows siblings to appreciate their brother/sister, to respect and accept their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. It also highlights the similarities between siblings. More importantly, El Otro Niño is the beginning of an honest conversation.

While my son is an only child, I would highly recommend this book to parents with multiple children. I also believe that this book should be added to every school library and/or used with sibling support groups. It's important that children understand their feelings. El Otro Niño supports awareness and acceptance.

The sibling of sisters with special needs, Donlon wrote this book from her own experience. Born in 1959, Donlon was considered "lucky" to be "normal." However, she admits that she "didn't feel lucky" and often felt "guilty" for being a typically developing child while her sisters were "very low functioning" and "mostly non-verbal." Donlon shared that she "created El Otro Niño as a coloring book because I wanted very small children to know that all the feelings they were experiencing were nothing to be ashamed of - and actually a very normal response to a very stressful situation. Letting kids have a place to draw and talk about what they are feeling also gives caring parents insights into what "el otro niño" is feeling so concerns can be addressed in a loving and supportive way."

Donlon's advice to parents: Find a way to have "alone" time with the typically developing child. Kids with special needs demand a lot of time, energy, and resources. It's important to remember that the typically developing kids need attention too - special 1:1 time where they can just be kids and feel important.

Donlon's advice to "El Otro Niño": It's OK to need your parents, too. It's OK to have really strong feelings - both positive and negative - and that there are caring adults who will listen. It's also important for kids to know they are not alone - and can feel very reassured when they realize other siblings have felt the same way.

El Otro Niño is available on Amazon for $10.95 and is also available in English (The Other Kid).

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Lisa Quinones-Fontanez is a secretary by day, MFA Creative Writing CCNY student/blogger by night and Mommy round the clock. Lisa also is the author of AutismWonderland. Her writing has been featured in Being Latino, BronxMama and Tiki Tiki Blog.

Reader Recommendation: Nancy La Elegante

Nancy La Elegante

Written By: Jane O'Connor,

Illustrated By: Robin Preiss Glasser

A girl who wants to learn French, loves ice cream and uses the word "boligrafo"? That's Nancy La Elegante for you! My daughter fell in love with this popular character because of her girly ways and flare for the dramatic (I think she saw a bit of herself in there). I fell in love with Nancy because of all the great vocabulary words sprinkled throughout the book.

Whimsical illustrations tell the story of Nancy's quest to make her family "mas elegante" (fancier). She gives silly and fun examples of what it means to be elegant such as how wearing ruffled socks help her play soccer better than socks without ruffles. Nancy is a resourceful and creative little girl who takes it into her own hands to fancify (better yet - Nancy-fy!) her family. She sets up her own in house class for her mom, dad and sister where she teaches them how to distinguish between "lo sencillo y lo elegante" (simple things and fancy things).

Her family gets the hang of the fancy life and heads out to enjoy a glammed up pizza meal. A little run in with dessert leaves Nancy feeling not so "elegante" and the family heads home to settle in for the night. At the end
of the book, after an exhausting fancy day, Nancy shares with readers that there's only one way to say "I love you".

Nancy is a regular in our house - bedtime, story time, just cause. Her silly antics and delightful way of describing things always keeps us giggling!

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Carla Molina is a weaver of words and creative collaborator. A Jersey girl at heart with lots of love for Boston, she spends most of her time raising two bilingual little ladies and brainstorming more ways to write her heart out. She blogs about being a woman and a creative creature at All of Me Now. And plays cheerleader to the local businesses serving families in her current home state at Petit Rhody.

Author/Illustrator Interview: Maroe Susti

Technology is allowing parents to access educational tools from almost anywhere and at any time. And some of the best tools are the digital storybooks that are now available online in a variety of formats. Recently, I was thrilled to learn about 4 amazing iPad e-4books for kids in English and Spanish.

Illustrator Maroe Susti is the owner of Susti Graphics, and has created some of the most beautiful e-books that I have seen. Ms. Susti graciously consented to answer a few questions and share her story with the LBBC. I hope you will take a moment to read our mini-interview and to explore her work...


When and why did you become a graphic artist?

I grew up in a family of artists; my mother was a painter, and I think I inherited this inclination and it developed naturally throughout my childhood. It was an easy decision for me after high school to study fine arts at the Art School of the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Lima- Peru. I did a year of postgraduate study for design in Milan Italy, where among my teachers was Umberto Eco. I have extensive experience in both fine arts and graphic design. I really enjoy my work on both.


What made you decide to create educational and bilingual stories for children? And why Spanish?

I was born and raised in an Italian family in Lima, Peru. I grew up speaking Spanish and Italian, and had English classes at school; for me speaking multiple languages has always been a part of my life. When my daughter was 3 or 4 years old, I used to make up stories to teach her about simple life situations. And at bed time, I would also make up stories when she was young. She liked some stories more than others, and I would write them down to re-read to her exactly the way it was the first time; she was very particular about that.

As time went by (this was the 1980s) I roughly illustrated some stories but never got around to publishing them. My daughter was older then, and I introduced her to Sesame street magazine. She spoke only Spanish at that time and it was then that I though about a bilingual book. She eventually became an avid reader and fluent English speaker with an interest in writing.

In the 1990s, I found the stories in an old documents' box, and re-made all the illustrations in a few of the stories. At this time, I had a vague intention of publishing them sometime in the future. This lasted for several years. I worked on them on an off in my spare time. The "maybe one day I will publish," became a family joke with my daughter, but I finally did it! Or I could say we did it, because she has been part of all this process since she was very young. She would give ideas and sometimes reformat the stories. She wrote the text for Christmas Trouble/Navidad en Apuros when she was thirteen.


What is the process like? How do you go about creating an app for iPad?

All my stories are very simple since they are for 4- to 8-year-olds. They rely heavily on illustrations to promote curiosity, entertainment and a little dose of learning simple things. Since I am a visual artist, I tend to go with little text and enhance the story with the images. The hardest part is to come up with a story that not only your child will like, but all children.


The initial concept of the book is the most important. The process would begin with the concept, taking into account the kind of story you will like to write, the age of the reader, and the media of the final product. It could be for print or digital, and if digital, you have to decide for what platform. Could be iPad only, or produce a set of several versions for every tablet in the market, and/or for phones.  If you plan to do a digital book and add a lot of interactivity, sound, bilingual choices, games or personalization; it has to be decided early in the project. If I had to begin from scratch today, maybe the outcome would have been different since I adapted text and illustrations that were originally for print, into an iPad format. My mind was set on a parent reading the book, promoting reading and bonding with the child. But, now that they are published, I think I will revise and improve at least two of them in some areas. I am planning to do a version 2 with more interactivity. It will upgrade automatically through the iTunes store.


How long does it take from start to finish to create a digital storybook?

If I had begun and publish the stories as if it was a deadline job, I think it would had taken me eight to twelve months for the lengthy ones. When I began with the publishing itself, the options for coding and bundling the stories where scarce. I did them with specialized coders - which I am not. Six months after I began the final production of the books, the technology has improved greatly for digital publishing with Adobe digital publishing for designers. I think publishing will be relatively fast once you have your story and illustrations finished, which is the hardest part.


You currently have four bilingual, digital books available. Can you tell us a little bit about each one? Do you have a favorite, and if so, why?

As this was "the project of my life,” I have two that are very dear to me. Sea Colours and Mr. Martin and the Birds.

SeaColours/Los Colores del Mar -I began in the late 70s. This is a story with 3 threads featuring “Mr. Green fish”, “Ms. Jellyfish” and “Octonio” the octopus. Each of the stories have common elements and tell a story of three families of sea creatures and their personal lives and activities. There is a fourth choice that gives some information about color also in both languages. I had the help of Liliana Nunez-Aguirre, an excellent translator proficient in both languages for this story.

Sea Colours concentrates on the rhyme in both English and Spanish and in detailed illustrations that promote an intimate time for the kids reading by themselves or with their parents doing it for them. There are opportunities to find and discover hidden fishes, see the jellyfishes one on one, and get to know the heroes in each story. To begin, the user has to tap on the English/Spanish seal on the cover. Every page has both languages side by side, which can help bilingual kids or those that want to learn a new language. The illustrations were digitally created.

Mr.Martin and the Birds/El Senior Martin y Los Pájaros - I began this story in 1987. It is about an old man that befriends birds he visits every day on the park. He enjoys his daily visit feeding the birds that recognize him from far away. One day is approached by a crow trying to tell him something he does not understand. He finally realizes that the little crow was telling him to leave because the rain was coming. There is some animation of birds flying in and out of the screen but no sound. The illustration are hand drawn and adapted for iPad.

The smelly Cloud/La Nube Perfumada - I began this story in late 70s. This is a very simple, short little story about a steam from a pot on a kitchen stove. The steam flies up to the sky and has some little adventures. This one has some animation and is also bilingual.

Christmas Trouble/Navidad en Apuros-  This one began as images only, and later my daughter wrote the text as I said before. It is a very simple story about the troubles Santa encounters delivering gifts at Christmas.

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

Some ideas came while my daughter was growing as I said before, while others, like Sea Colors were essentially related to my interest in color. Mr. Martin was inspired by real life. In early 1970s, I saw a woman coming every day to feed the birds in the park in front of my building where I lived. When her car approached the corner of the street, the birds would fly in circles and follow her until she opened the door of the car and spread grain on the ground. And the Smelly Cloud was an answer to one of my daughter's questions, i.e., "Mom is the steam a cloud?"

Do you have anything else you'd like to share?

Thank you so much for this opportunity to talk about my stories. I hope your readers will enjoy the stories.

To learn more about Susti Graphics, or to purchase one of Maroe Susti's beautiful books, visit her site at SustiGraphics.com

Lector Mágico {GIVEAWAY}

From the editors of Story Reader, comes Lector Mágico, an interactive reading program in Spanish for children ages 3 and older. Powered by replaceable AAA batteries, this Story Reader console comes with the Spanish-language Finding Nemo storybook. Children rurn the pages and listen to the Finding Nemo story. Children can follow along as their favorite stories are read aloud to them.

Other titles include 101 Dalmatas, Mi Barriguita No Retumba,  La Bella y La Bestia, and Blanca Nieves y Los Siete Enanos. These stories and others may be found here in our online shop, or by visiting the Story Reader site.

NOTE: I'd like to emphasize that while a product like this can be very useful and a great supplement to your daily reading activities, it should not take the place of an actual parent sitting down with a child to read aloud.

THE GIVEAWAY

The Latin Baby Book Club is happy to offer a Lector Mágico set to one lucky reader.

To enter, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Sunday, August 21st. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. and contacted via email - so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment!

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

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

2.) Tweet the following: Enter to win a Lector Mágico from @LatinMami & the LBBC. http://bit.ly/oA2bKi #giveaway

3.) Follow us on Facebook,

4.) Follow us on Google Connect.

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

¡Buena suerte!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by the LBBC specifically for this giveaway. I have not been contacted by Story Reader in any way.

New Mini-Lessons and Handouts From Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy

[Dear friends]

Last month Isabel Campoy and I gave a number of presentations in Texas. We prepared several handouts for the participants. Teachers have found them so useful that we decided to post them in our websites for anyone who would like to download them.

Some of the topics may be familiar to you, but these are either brand new handouts or handouts very much enhanced.

The titles are:

1. Vocabulary Development through Poetry and Song

2. Authors in the Classroom

3. Creative Reading

4. Theater in the Classroom

5. Home School Interaction

Please feel free to download and share them. If you quote them simply acknowledge the source. We will very much welcome your feedback.

You will find them at:

http://almaflorada.com/transformative-education/mini-lessons/

Have a beautiful day.

All best,

Alma Flor

I See I Learn®... In Spanish!

New Preschool Series by Stuart J. Murphy:

I See I Learn®

Last month a new preschool series was published using visual learning techniques to help children learn important skills necessary for school readiness and daily life. Four of the eight titles have been translated in Spanish, including Emma hace amigos, Freda organiza una merienda, ¡Bien hecho, Ajay!, and Percy juega con cuidado.

You may recognize Stuart J. Murphy from his (fabulous!) MathStart series. And now he turns his attention to helping younger children get ready for school. Each story is designed to help young children learn the life skills they need to successfully prepare for school. And each book focuses on a specific from one of four areas: Social, Emotional, Health & Safety, and Cognitive. At the back of each book is a section for parents, which includes questions for parents to go over with their children to reinforce learning and reading comprehension.

Take a look at the I See I Learn site for additional resources (scroll down for the Spanish ones). You can also print up a copy of See and Learn City for your children to enjoy.

If you would like to buy your own copies of the books in this series, 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.

Books In the Home Affect Academic Achievement

Did you know that the number of books in your casa can improve your child's academic achievement? A study published last year in the Journal of Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, shows that the number of books in the house directly correlates to the number of years of schooling that a child in that home will complete. Samples were taken from 27 countries and found that children living in a home with as few as 25 books, completed on average two more years of schooling than those children with "bookless" homes. 

And the more books you have, the better your child's chances of graduating from high school - and even college! The study also found that households with 500 books or more were "as great an advantage as having university-educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father."

Moral of the story? Make your local bookstore one of your weekly shopping destinations!

Read more about this fascinating study (and others like it) in this article by Laura Miller.

Benny

Benny

por Sieb Posthuma

Benny no puede encontrar su hueso.

Ha olfateado por todas partes y…nada.

Efectivamente, ¡todos los olores han desaparecido!

Quizás una visita al Dr. Duncan y a su

Máquina Esnifadora le pueda ayudar.

And so this charming tale follows young, Benny, a puppy in search of his bone, only to lose his sense of smell. This joyfully illustrated and written story will captivate young children, who will worry when Benny goes to the doctor, and rejoice when he gets well. But don’t be surprised if your little one wants to snuggle in your lap afterwards, just as Benny does with him own mami.

This version of Benny is written completely in Spanish. It is published by Kane/Miller who specializes in translations of some of the best children’s literature from around the world.

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

Raising Children in a Literature-Rich Environment

One of the ways to raise a reader is to immerse them in a literature-rich environment. Experts agree that babies raised in households with talkative family members have a larger vocabulary than those in a quiet home.

You can also create print-rich surroundings to helps develop their literacy skills. You can do this in a variety of ways:

• Fill your home with books. Keep simple and colorful board books for children available on lower shelves for easy access. And be sure to take time each day to snuggle up together for a good read-aloud.

• Place labels on objects around your home. Even before they can read, children will learn to associate certain words with particular items.

• Hang posters and alphabet cards on your walls. Our sister site, MommyMaestra.com, has an excellent giveaway going on right now for a beautiful Compassion poster from the Spanish Global Child Collection by Children Inspire Design. Just because it is printed wall art, doesn't mean it isn't beautiful.

• Keep simple, but educational, toys (like the Spanish alphabet blocks pictured above) in baskets on the floor for your child to play with at any time.

The Story Behind the Story: Waiting for the Biblioburro

By Monica Brown

Illustrated by John Parra

The Story Behind the Story

by Monica Brown

I love librarians.  Like me, (and I’ll bet you too if you are reading this), librarians are book people.  Book people find joy between the pages of a book, but their passion doesn’t stop there.  True book people must share books with others.   They believe that placing books in young hands and sharing stories with young minds is meaningful.  Luis Soriano is a book person.  Luis first came to my attention when I read the New York Times article, “Acclaimed Colombian Institution has 4,800 books and 10 legs” by Simon Romero.  Fascinated, I did some research and came across Valentina Canavesio’s short film Biblioburro—The Donkey Library.  The story filled me with joy and not a little pride in the resourcefulness and passion of the Latino culture that Luis and I share. Growing up, Luis Soriano did not have the benefit of extensive formal studies and unlimited financial resources.  What he did have was vision—and two donkeys named Alfa and Beto.  For years, Maestro Soriano has delivered books in rural Colombia to children who don’t have access to libraries.  Some don’t even have teachers or schools.  But Luis, who received his school degree at 16, and then became a teacher and librarian, has made it his life’s work to change that. 

When I wrote Waiting for the Biblioburro, I didn’t want to presume to tell Luis’s story for him, so I created a fictional story inspired by his, from the perspective of a little girl whose life he changes.  I contacted Mr. Romero, the writer, and Ms Canavesio, the filmmaker, and through them, reached Luis himself.  I knew as I was writing this book that I wanted Luis’s blessing--I was lucky enough to get it, and to get to know Luis over the phone and through emails. I also wanted to make sure that his foundation shared in the profits from this work, which my publisher made happen. When I first spoke to  Luis over the phone and across thousands of miles, I was felt that I was in the presence of greatness—he is great man with a great heart.  Luis shared with me his wish to sow the seeds of creativity and to cultivate dreams in the minds of children.

After talking with Luis, I felt inspired to write an imaginative rendering of Luis’s legacy—a legacy not only of literacy, but of sharing one’s own stories with the world.  My story is about a creative little girl named Ana who loves books and reading, but who doesn’t have access to a library, books, or even a teacher.  It’s her story of waiting, discovery, and finding a voice. 

I hope that Ana’s story, like Luis Soriano’s vision, will inspire us all to be literacy workers and activist librarians, teachers, parents, and friends.  What would you do to bring books to children?  Would you ride a donkey for miles, risking attack and robbery?  Would you build a library with your own hands?  Luis Soriano did.  And we can too. 


Visit Monica at http://www.monicabrown.net/

Watch the book trailer for Waiting for the Biblioburro

Literacy Begins at Birth

photo by takomabibelot

We have talked repeatedly here on the LBBC about how important it is for parents to take their children's literacy development into their own hands. In fact, many parents don't realize that literacy begins at birth, and there are a lot of ways that they can begin to develop their child's literacy skills during their infant and toddler years. Here are three...

Read, read, read

Reading aloud to your baby is the single most effective thing you can do to help him or her develop a  love of reading and writing. Not only does this special time help parents to bond with their child, but it also provides valuable stimulation to the child's brain, allowing them to learn about sentence structure, increase vocabulary, build listening skills, and introduces key concepts such as numbers, colors, shapes, emotions... the list is endless.

Visit the bilingual website, ReadToYourBaby.com, to learn more about the value of reading to your baby. They offer an informative site in both English and Spanish, with tips for what to read and even how to read to your child.


Listen to music

There's a reason that parents all over the world instinctively croon lullabies to their children. It's the same reason that children often learn the ABC song before they can recite the alphabet verbally. Music provides a natural and rhythmic way of learning. Elementary teachers already know this, which is why our children often come home from school singing short songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "London Bridge."

You can read all about the fascinating connection between music and literacy on the Literacy Connections website, and in this article in Psychology Today.


Keep them busy

There are so many seemingly unrelated activities that your child can do, which will help to develop their literacy skills. From helping mami to cook to drawing a picture, your child acquires and masters the various skills necessary to be able to read or write.

Tonya from Room to Grow has a fabulous post that lists 50 Literacy Activities for Babies. You might be surprised at some of the activities that have found their way onto that list, but you'll be delighted to have somewhere to go for inspiration, too!

August's Libro del Mes: Fiesta Femenina

Fiesta Femenina

Celebrating Women in Mexico

retold by Mary-Joan Gerson

illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez

From the inside cover:

Deep in the lush Mexican forests, amidst the tall mountains and the rushing rivers, dwells a great goddess. Her broad torso bends to form the sky and her legs rise to become the valleys and the deserts. She is the earth, the land of Mexico, and if you listen closely, you will here her calling "tengo hambre, tengo hambre," for she is always hungry.

Gifted storyteller Mary-Joan Gerson draws from Mexico's rich cultural traditions, including the tales from the Mayan, Mixtec, and Yaqui peoples to create an authentic collection that reflects the many faces of Mexico's heroines. And Maya Christina Gonzalez's vibrant paintings brilliantly capture the spark behind the stories, and the noble dignity of these eight extraordinary women.

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Today, the Latin Baby Book Club celebrates its third anniversary! As in years past, we are looking forward to a month-long celebration with new book reviews, giveaways, and more.

We are more than pleased to start off this special month by sharing our Libro del Mes: Fiesta Femenina. This is such an incredible book, I can't believe we haven't had it on here before now. As you can tell from the description above, this book is dedicated to the diverse female figures of Mexican mythology and folklore.

Author Mary-Joan Gerson states, "Though this is my third book of adapted folklore, it is my most passionate. I think it combines two of my very strong interests: my profound connection to Mexican culture--which has deepened through many recent trips for specific festivals and events--and my psychological work on feminist issues."

This is a rich collection of Mexican folklore. The beautifully written stories in this book are complex and cleverly delivered. Be sure to read Gerson's introduction, which gives more of the history behind the stories. She also shares her sources for each story in a separate section at the back of the book, which was awarded The Aesop Prize for 2001 by the American Folklore Society.

Gonzalez's illustrations richly and vibrantly accentuate the story line. They are bold and colorful and reflective of the culture.

Fiesta Femenina is best geared for older children - especially girls. Parents and teachers will find this an excellent supplement to studies in the following areas: women, mythology, Mexican history, earth & nature, creative writing, traditions, and more.

To purchase your own copy of Fiesta Femenina, 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.