Bilingual

These short stories, peppered with Spanish words and idioms, deal with Latino youth struggling with the successes and failures of growing up in California’s Central Valley. Although the characters are Latino, many young readers working their way to adulthood will identify with the universal themes.

In this tribute to bread, Mamita explains to her son how bread is created step-by-step from seed to grain and from farmer to baker. After describing each step Mamita sings the refrain of a song, “El Pan Es Para Comer” (Bread Is for Eating). After thanking nature “for the bread that gives us life,” the son joins Mamita in singing the refrain. The rhythmic text is accompanied by wonderfully textured folk art filled with detail. Lyrics in English along with a musical arrangement are provided so readers can join the refrain.

This is the story of the author’s childhood as the son of migrant farmworkers in the fields of California. In rich lyrical prose he recreates the joy of sleeping and eating under the stars, listening to his father make bird calls and play the harmonica, and hearing his mother sing and recite poetry. With this strong foundation of family and love, Juanito knows that one day he will be able to follow his own road.

The author invites readers along on a visit to a Mexican market. During the tour, you compare colors and shapes of produce, solve math problems, and learn about Mexican culture. Science, language, math, and social studies concepts are hidden in this brightly illustrated picture book bursting with different kinds of foods.

Set in Mexico during the monarch butterflies’ annual migration and during the Days of the Dead, this is a heartwarming tale of a young girl and her close, loving relationship with her grandmother. Read this aloud in celebration of grandparents or during the Days of the Dead. A study guide is included in the back of the book along with descriptions of the celebration and the migration of the monarch butterflies.

This simple poem speaks the languages of the owl, toad, snake, dove, coyote, fish, mice, rain, and wind. And it is told in the languages of English and Spanish. Easy to read, this poem invites children to participate in both languages.

In the tradition of her previous biographical accounts,My Name is Celia and My name is Gabriela , Brown dazzles readers in this telling of Gabriel García Márquez’s magical childhood. Mesmerizing color-pencil, full-page illustrations wrap around the text to create what seems to be a perfect balance of art and language. Based on García Márquez’s adult autobiography Living to Tell the Tale (Knopf), this wonderful, engaging narrative transports readers to Gabito’s early childhood in northern Colombia. He shares heartwarming times with his grandpa and learns about the tough life of the fruit pickers he observes in the nearby banana plantation. The curious, budding storyteller is a dreamer who cherishes life’s every moment. When he decides to share his enchanted world with others, he is on his way to becoming one of the most acclaimed Latin American authors. Young readers will relate to Gabito’s escapades into his private and real worlds and understand without puzzlement how he moves between them effortlessly. Together with Brown’s other titles, this is a must-have for any library collection, especially those interested in adding multicultural titles. An accessible, high-quality choice for bilingual families.—Liliana Barro Zecker, Associate Professor, School of Education, DePaul Univ., Chicago, IL

“What you don’t like in others could be in your own house,” and “Experience is the Mama of Science” are only a couple of the Mexican-American proverbs in this festive bilingual collection. Whimsically illustrated with bright, colorful paintings, these proverbs capture the flavor of Mexico’s folk traditions.