Dual Delight: The Joy of Bilingual Picture Books
By Amy of Maricopa County Library District
Not only are bilingual picture books a great tool for language learning, but they are also just plain fun to read! “Green is a Chile Pepper” by Roseanne Greenfield Thong is a popular bilingual picture book that takes readers on a tour of a Latino neighborhood introducing colors in both English and Spanish. The cadence and events of the book will make this a must-read at your family story times! If you are looking for something similar, here are a couple of my favorite bilingual picture books:
“Gato Guapo” by Anika Aldamuy Denise
Gato Guapo is a handsome cat stylishly dressed in a top hat, vest, and boots. He has nine siblings but each time he stops to count them, one of them has gone missing along with a piece of his clothing!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
This counting book is a great way to introduce numbers in Spanish, complete with a Spanish word list at the end of the book!
“Paletero Man” by Lucky Diaz
A little boy runs through the neighborhood in order to get his favorite paleta (ice pop). He zooms past the Korean barbeque restaurant, the tamale vendor, and the bike shop, following the sound of Paletero José’s ringing bell.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
The rhyming English/Spanish text combined with the bright illustrations make this a wonderful read!
“I’m Hungry! ¡Tengo hambre!” by Angela Dominguez
This picture book features a conversation between a blue bird and a very hungry orange dinosaur. The bird, speaking in English, offers up all kind of snack suggestions. The dinosaur, speaking in Spanish, rejects all of the bird’s offers. After a silly misunderstanding, they both agree on a perfect snack!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT:
Told in easy to follow color-coded dialogue, this is an entertaining story about food and friendship that will keep your kids smiling!
KID BOOK REVIEWER – MANU
“DEAR GIRL,”
AUTHOR: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal
GENRE: Non-fiction
AGES: 3 – 7
SYNOPSIS: This book tells all the wonderful things about you and when you think you need a message you can flip to any random page in the book, and it will probably cheer you up or help you make the right choice to handle a challenge.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK: I like that this book is very positive, and you can always look to it for a reminder.
“ALL ABOUT THE BRAIN”
AUTHOR: Dr. Gabriel Dabscheck
GENRE: Non-fiction
AGES: 4 – 8
SYNOPSIS: This book is about the brain and teaches you amazing facts like jellyfish don’t have brains, being with friends and family is good for your brain and health too because what makes you happy makes your brain happy.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK: This is the second book in this non-fiction series. I like that this book has fun facts and really cool illustrations, so that it’s not boring for kids wanting to understand the way our amazing bodies work.
“BAILEY’S STORY: A PUPPY TALE”
AUTHOR: W. Bruce Cameron
GENRE: Fiction
AGES:
SYNOPSIS: This book is about a dog named Bailey. He lives with a boy named Ethan. Bailey protects Ethan and keeps him safe. No matter what challenge Ethan goes through, Bailey is there to help and protect him.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK: I like that Bailey is so cute and the story is so sweet. This is one of the many books in a series. I want to finish the entire “A Puppy Tale” series. I think that Bailey’s story is an one and I would recommend it to dog lovers everywhere.
