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Picture Books

Pio Peep! selected by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. English adaptations by Alice Schertle. Illustrated by Vivi Escriva. HarperCollins, 2003 (0-688-16019-0) $14.99

If you, like me, dutifully read your children English-Spanish word books, while trying to stifle your yawns, take note! This collection of traditional Spanish nursery rhymes is how it should be done, offering English speakers a chance to discover Spanish the way children first learn to love language, through delightful sounds and rhythms. Some of the longer rhymes will challenge non-native speakers reading aloud, but most of us can manage verse like "Pito, pito, colorito, donde vas tu, tan bonito?" and have a wonderful time doing it. When the Spanish pronunciation becomes too much for me, I turn to the English adaptations--very free translations that try to keep the sense and feeling of the originals, although the rhythm is often lost.

Of course, this book is not just for English speakers; Spanish speakers can also enjoy it just as a collection of traditional verse. Colorful illustrations, using images and motifs from Spanish and Mexican culture, give additional context for the rhymes, many of which are used in children's games. (2-5)

Mama Goose selected by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. Illustrated by Maribel Suarez. Hyperion, 2004 (0-786-81953-7) $19.99

The people who brought us Pio Peep (see above) have created another collection of Spanish rhymes for children and it's even better, with lullabies, nursery rhymes, jump-rope songs, riddles and just about anything you could want from the oral heritage of childhood. I appreciated the shortness of most of the selections, which makes them easier for a non-native speaker to attempt, although English translations are also included. Maribel Suarez, illustrator of the delightful Te Amo Bebe, Little One, somewhat overdoes the cuteness here, with lots of snub noses and big round faces, but I like the mix of contemporary and traditional Spanish and Mexican settings in her antic watercolors. This is a very welcome introduction to Latino heritage, appropriate for readers of any background. (3-8)

Sometimes/Algunas veces written and illustrated by Keith Baker. Green Light Readers, 1999; 2007 (978-0-15-205961-3) $3.95 pb

One of my favorite easy readers is now available in an English/Spanish edition. Less is more in this positive but never preachy little look at feelings and self-esteem. The star is an active and adventurous alligator, who reveals that "Sometimes I am happy. Sometimes I am sad." But no matter what happens, "I like who I am. I like what I do." The gentle rhythm of the text gives it the qualities of a song, making its simplicity and repetition feel natural, instead of forced or babyish. Baker's vibrant and expressive acrylic illustrations fill in all the details the text leaves out, showing busy scenes of the alligator as he enjoys his daily life.

This is an unusually attractive beginner's book, an excellent choice for sibling reading. The short sentences also make it a good choice for those learning English or Spanish as a new language, and though some of the flow of the original text is lost in the Spanish translation, reading both versions together--"I like who I am. Me gusta quien soy. I like what I do. Me gusta lo que hago."--works surprisingly well. (2-6/) Alphabet Times Four by Ruth Brown. Dutton, 1991 (0-525-44831-4) OP

More than just an attractive multilingual alphabet, this book will have thoughtful readers intrigued by the connections between languages. For each letter of the alphabet, a lovely watercolor painting illustrates a noun: my favorites are the very hard-to-find chameleon and the x-rayed hands playing an x-rayed xylophone. Underneath the picture, the noun is shown in English, Spanish, French and German, with a pronunciation guide throughtfully underneath. What makes this so interesting is that the words have been carefully chosen to show the similarities between the languages: jaguar and kiwi, for example, are exactly the same word in all four (except that they are capitalized in German.) Other nouns, such as the beginning word ark, have more differences but are still recognizably related: arca, arche, Arche. This book has so much to offer, I'm stunned it's out of print. * (3 & up)

Postcards from Washington D.C./Postales desde Washington D.C. written and illustrated by Laura Crawford. Raven Tree Press, 2008 (0-9795477-0-9) $16.95

Part of the series, "Traveling With Anna," this is a partially bilingual book (English/Spanish) that uses a postcard-to-friends format to describe places of interest in Washington D.C. An eye-catching design mixes formal photos of the sites with casual pen & ink and watercolor pictures of the friendly Anna, who smiles with bookworm glee at the Library of Congress (even though nothing can be checked out,) and gazes soberly at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, putting some flowers under her uncle's name. Each section includes a "postcard" from Anna, enthusiastically describing her trip, plus a few additional facts as text.

Anna's postcards are engaging, giving interesting information that will appeal to kids, such as a description of a ritual in Arlington National Cemetery: "A guard marched 21 steps, clicked his heels, faced the tomb, waited 21 seconds, and marched back." After visiting the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, she writes: "Money isn't made of paper. It is really linen and cotton. That's why it doesn't get ruined in the washing machine!"

Postcards from Washington D.C. isn't completely successful as a bilingual book, because only the additional text is offered in Spanish; the postcards themselves, the best part, are only given in English. It's still an excellent resource for English speakers planning a family trip to D.C., for kids interested in other places, or for classroom reading. (6-10)

Fairy Trails by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by Mercedes McDonald. Bloomsbury, 2005 (1-58234-927-4) $16.95

Yes! Si! This clever book is just about perfect for English speakers like me who want to share Spanish with children. Not bilingual in the usual sense, it describes how Miguel and Maria, "on one summer dia, left home to go visit their auntie--their tia." The rhymes and the smartly incorporated Spanish words continue throughout the story, in which the two children meet some oddly familiar folks, such as a housemaid holding a glass slipper, three hungry bears, and an unpleasant character named Humpty Huevo.

The humor, offbeat references, and careful rhymes make this book readily entertaining to both readers and listeners, who will find themselves painlessly learning new vocabulary. In an especially thoughtful touch, a glossary and pronunciation guide are included before the story, so readers can familiarize themselves with strange words beforehand.

I wish the text was better served by the pictures, which have excitingly textured backgrounds, but use an overly flat, formal style for the human characters, who look more like porcelain dolls than people. Nonetheless, this book is fina. (3 & up)

Oh No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Putnam, 2003 (0-399-34-93-4) $14.99

Elya again very cleverly incorporates Spanish into an entertaining, rhyming story in English. This time, a little girl discovers an urgent need for un bano while driving with her parents. After much driving around (Going past a fountain--la fuente--naturally causes the poor girl to cry "Hurry Papa, Mas rapidamente!"--finally she can go and all is well--but what about all that limonada she has for lunch...? Karas' quirky people are a nice match for this silly story; I especially like the suggestions of madly shaking legs as they pass la fuente. (3-6)

Say Hola to Spanish by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by Loretta Lopez. Scholastic, 1998 (1-880-00064-4) $7.95 pb

Since reviewing Fairy Trails (see above), I've discovered that Elya has written a number of books incorporating Spanish into an English text. This one is less sophisticated than Fairy Trails, but also fun and clever. Instead of a story, the rhyming text introduces various Spanish words: "Your hair is your pelo, your nose is nariz. Your grandmother's pelo is probably gris." The illustrations are pedestrian, but do have fun touches that readers will enjoy, like the shark, dog and alligator reading revistas as they wait for a check-up at the dentista. (3 & up)

Also available: Say Hola to Spanish at the Circus.

My Big Book of Spanish Words written and illustrated by Rebecca Emberley. Little, Brown, 2008 (978-0-316-11803-3) $8.99 board

A typical word book, this one stands out a bit in the crowd because of the vibrancy of its illustrations. Each oversized page features common childhood words in English and Spanish, in categories like "My Colors/Mis colores" and "My room/Mi cuarto." The names of the items are given in thin letters in English and fatter letters in the same color in Spanish, an eye-catching design touch. Cut-paper pictures of the items are simple and easily recognizable, but the bright colors, vivid small details and casual looking layout give them verve. I especially liked the animals page, which features a demure looking cat, a slightly suspicious dog and a pig happily flopped on its bottom. (6 months-3)

My Food/Mi Comida written and illustrated by Rebecca Emberley. Little, Brown, 2002 (0-316-17718-0) $5.95 board book

I was so glad to get this book, because now I can get rid of our similar, but decidedly inferior, Let's Eat/Vamos a Comer. This English/Spanish word book keeps things simple, showing one food item per page; the text is merely the English and Spanish names of the item (including, I'm glad to see, the definite articles for each Spanish noun.) The cut-paper illustrations are bold and direct against white backgrounds, although a few of the foods, such as broccoli/el brecol, aren't easily recognizable. Although I wish there was a pronunciation guide, this is an accessible introduction to basic words in English and Spanish. (9 months-2)

Also available: My Clothes/Mi Ropa and My Animals/Mis Animales.

Pinata! written and illustrated by Rebecca Emberley. Little, Brown, 2004 (0-316-17412-2) $14.95.

Emberley has created many bilingual books but she's probably never had such a perfect subject matter for her mixed media collage illustrations. Her rainbow striped pinata practically bursts from the page and most of the goodies that go inside look tantalizingly tangible. Text in English and Spanish describes the different fun things that go inside the pinata; a short history, instructions for making the pinata and a little quiz on the names of the items are also included. (3-6)

Can You Count Ten Toes? by Lezlie Evans. Illustrated by Denis Roche. Houghton Mifflin, 1999; 2004 (0-618-49487-1) $5.95 pb

I would have to like this book no matter what, because it has that all-too-rare and wonderful thing: a pronunciation guide after each word! Luckily, that's not all there is to like. A short rhyming text introduces a different language per page, with various items to count from one to ten in that language; uncrowded illustrations show a cat-person enjoying around-the-world adventures with a group of children. A continent map at the end shows the parts of the world where each language is spoken, including 20 countries for Spanish and 26 for French. An enjoyable book for fans of both language and counting. (3-8)

Can You Greet the Whole Wide World? by Lezlie Evans. Illustrated by Denis Roche. Houghton Mifflin, 2006 (978-0618-56327-2) $16.00

This companion to Can You Count Ten Toes? (see above) follows a cat-kid on his first day at school. Short rhymes introduce each new situation he encounters and the phrase required--"good morning," "what's your name?" and so on--and the phrase is then given in 12 languages, with a pronunication guide after each one. Again, a color-coded map at the end shows where the different languages are spoken, an intriguing visual which could potentially spark some interesting discussions. Chunky, simply-lined illustrations have a somewhat flat affect but are attractively bright. (4-8)

My School/Mi Escuela by Ginger Foglesong Guy. Illustrated by Vivi Escriva. Rayo/Harpercollins, 2006 (0-06-079101-2) $12.99

This simple Spanish-English word book stands out among its genre for its full-page illustrations. A multicultural group of Ninos/Children (and unusually, one in which white children aren't the majority) go though their day at school, reading Libros/Books, drawing with Pinturas/Paints and enjoying Recreo/Recess together. Instead of the usual one word=one small illustration, each spread shows a long scene filled with children having fun, and the muted colors and soft shading give a cozy look that is very attractive. (2-5)

The Moon is La Luna by Jay M. Harris. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Houghton Mifflin, 2007 (978-0-618-64645-6) $15.00

I always appreciate the cleverness of books that integrate Spanish words into an English text, but the short verses in this book go one or two step beyond the usual, working pronunciation and jokes based on it into the mix as well. Here's one of my favorites:

In Espanol, papá means "dad."
("paPA" is how it is said.)
But papa (said "POP-a") doesn't mean "dad,"
It means "potato" instead.
So watch how you say it,
Unless you would like
a Potato to tuck you in bed.

Aside from an occasional scansion glitch, this is a natural for reading aloud, but the short verses, familiar words, silly jokes and clean, light design make it approachable for beginning readers as well. (It's a shame the cover makes it look so much like a book for toddlers; I hope that won't put older readers off.) Overall, this is a happy marriage of information and humor. A Spanish sounds pronunciation guide and a glossary are included. (4-8)

Tito the Firefighter by Tim Hoppey. Illustrated by Kimberly Hoffman. Raven Tree, 2004 (0-9724973-1) $16.95

Eight year old Tito, who lives in East Harlem, is bilingual: "I speak two languages, ingles and espanol." This comes in very handy one day, when he sees his firefighter friend Richie trying to understand a man who only speaks Spanish. Tito translates: there may be a fire! And so Tito gets to ride with the bomberos in el camino de bomberos. And even though it turns out to have just been a cooking accident, he'll always remember getting to be a bombero for a day.

Told primarily in English, with embedded Spanish words, this exciting story may well inspire English-speaking children to want to be bilingual too. Hyper-realistic, computer-enhanced illustrations give lots of visual detail, though the super-clean and bright streets of the city seem improbable. (4-8)

Grandmother's Nursery Rhymes/Las Nanas de Abuelita complied by Nelly Palacio Jaramillo. Illustrated by Elivia. Henry Holt, 1994; 1996 (978-0-8050-4644-1) $7.95 pb

Whether you want to expose your kids to a bit of South American culture, try reading a little Spanish, or just enjoy some unfamiliar nursery rhymes, this collection of rhyming riddles and lullabies has something for you. Many of the rhymes are adivinanzas, riddles for which the answer is a letter or an object; I particularly like the riddles for the five vowels, subtly illustrated to suggest the shapes of the letters. (Though the answers are also right there, removing any real mystery.) These verses are short and sweet enough for English speakers to attempt the Spanish versions, but the translations also seem to do an excellent job of keeping the rhythm and sense of the originals; even a poem which is a play on young children's classic mispronunciation of Spanish numbers is entertaining in English:

Un,
dove,
treve,
catove,
quievete,
estaba la reina
sentada al bufete.

becomes

A one
is two,
a tree,
what for,
a fife
my sis,
the queen
did kiss.

Exuberant, sometimes slightly surreal watercolors of plump babies, loving parents and other happy people and animals cozily surround the text, giving the unfamiliar rhymes a comfortably familiar, nursery-rhyme feel. (2-6)

Come Out and Play written and illustrated by Diane Law. North-South, 2006 (978-0-7358-2060-9) $9.95

To a text that's merely the numbers from 1 to 10 in English, Spanish, German, French and Chinese, one boy starts a line of hand-holding children, finding other kids one by one from all around the world. From Alaska to the desert the line travels, picking up kids from their smiling parents, with interesting items to count on each page. In the final scene, all ten of the children play ball in a sunny field together. (One can only pity the poor fur-clad Inuit child.)

There's something uncomfortably reminscent of Disney's "It's a Small World" ride about this book, in the way the non-Western children and their families are all dressed in uber ethnic garb. (A French girl, of course, wears a beret.) Unfortunately, the clothing and scenery are the only clues to indicate where each child is from, and oddly, there isn't any particular relationship between the languages given and the children's nationalities. (Where is a Chinese-speaking child?) A better organized and more informative book is Can You Count Ten Toes? (see above.) Nonetheless, the very simplicity of this book has an appeal, as does the ever-growing line of happy children. The brightly colored, collage-style illustrations make them look a bit like paper-dolls and has me longing to pick them up and play with them. (2-6)

In the Leaves written and illustrated by Huy Voun Lee. Henry Holt, 2005 (0-8050-6764-7) $16.95

The lovely colors and familiar symbols of fall provide an atmospheric background for this story using Chinese characters. As Xiao Ming (pronounced Schow Ming) and his friends visit a farm, he takes the opportunity to show them how to write some of the characters he's learned--like grain and fire, which when put together mean autumn. The children discover that many of the characters actually look like the words they represent, and that they go together in interesting ways. Lee's illustrations make interesting use of cut-outs and stencils, giving the pictures a rich, textured look that goes well with the autumnal setting. For those who want to know more, boxes at the beginning and end of the story show the included characters with approximate Mandarin Chinese pronunciations. (4-8)

Rooster/Gallo by Jorge Lujan. Translated by Elisa Amado. Illustrated by Manuel Monroy.

A rooster begins and ends the day, opening its beak to bring up the sun, and eating the stars to clear the sky. An evocative text is paired with equally evocative illustrations, showing a night-blue rooster lit with stars. This mysterious little poem is short enough for even beginning Spanish speakers to read fairly easily, and quite lovely whether read in Spanish or English. (2 & up)

Un gato y un perro/A Cat and a Dog by Claire Masurel. Illustrated by Bob Kolar. North-South, 2003 (0-7358-1835-5) $13.95

A cat and a dog who fight like... well, cats and dogs, find they can help each other out one day when the cat's favorite toy falls into a pond and the dog's favorite toy gets stuck up a tree. Whimsical paintings give drolly ferocious expressions to the animated pair as they glare, jeer and scoff at each other: "Perro sucio!/Dirty dog!" "Gato perezoso!/Lazy cat!" This short tale is pretty easy to read, but best for readers with some prior knowledge of Spanish or English pronunciation. Also available in English only.

Opposites/Opuestos by Gladys Rose Mendoza. Illustrated by Dan McGeehan. Me & Mi Publishing, 2003 (0-9679748-6-0) $6.95 board

This simple word book of opposites is enlivened by cleverly planned illustrations. I particularly like the group of snakes in the "day/dia," who almost disappear, except for their gleaming eyes, in the "night/noche." A cat licks its lips over a "full/lleno" bowl, then tidily wipes his mouth on a napkin wwhen it's "empty/vacio." And an ant enjoys a comfy read "in/adentro," which some less fortunate ants are working hard "out/afuera." The vivid, even glowing, pictures are a touch too clunky and cutesy for my taste, but its other good points make me like it anyway. And unlike most bilingual books, a pronunciation guide at the end gives both Spanish and English pronunciations, making this book useful for Spanish speakers learning English as well. (2-4)

Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Henry Holt, 2006 (0-8050-7429-5) $16.95