Bilingual Spanish Picture Books for Children, Grades K-3

The books listed below are perfect for children, grades K-3, whose heritage emanates from any of the Spanish-speaking cultures of the Western Hemisphere or for any youngster looking for a really fun and vibrant picture book. The list below includes several bilingual materials as well as materials in English that incorporate the Spanish language, while accurately representing these cultures. Hispanics are often underrepresented in libraries and I believe it is important that we serve this growing population in public libraries across America. In addition to the bilingual materials listed below, the Naperville Public Library also has a growing number of Spanish children's books within our World Language Collection located in the Children's Department at each branch! Many libraries across the the U.S. are growing their bilingual collections too and these titles are ones that should definitely be included!

 Easy Fiction

Gonzalez, Maya Christina. My Colors, My World / Mis colores, mi mundo. San Fransisco: Children's Book Press, 2011. Print.

This imaginative picture book features a playful Latina girl, with her cleft chin, beauty mark, and wide, brown, almond-shaped eyes, who tries to find color and beauty in her childhood world of the California Mojave Desert. This bilingual, multicultural, color-concept story is perfect for any young Spanish-speaking girl looking for a beautifully illustrated story with a touch of magical realism.

  Mora, Pat. Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day / Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros. New York, NY: Rayo, 2009. Print.
In this bilingual English and Spanish picture book, children read aloud in various settings to celebrate ¡El dîa de los niños!/¡El dîa de los libros! (Children’s Day/Book Day). This vibrant story written by award-winning author, Pat Mora, features a happy assortment of multicultural children, adults, and friendly critters with facts about Mexico's annual celebration that encourages literacy among children.

Pérez, Amada Irma. My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito. San Francisco: Children's Book Press, 2000. Print.
This colorful story, translated in English and Spanish, is of a young Mexican American girl that feels very crowded in her home with 5 brothers and with the help of her family, the resourceful girl realizes her dream of having a space of her own to read and to think. This story depicts the family life and culture of many Mexican American children with its delightful story that is bound to be very relatable to children living in small spaces.

 

Tafolla, Carmen. What Can You Do With a Paleta? / ¿Qué Puedes Pacer Con Una Paleta?. Bilingual Edition. Berkeley, California: Tricycle Press, 2009. Print.
This award-winning bilingual picture book features a young Mexican American girl that celebrates the paleta, an icy fruit popsicle, and the many roles it plays in her lively barrio. This simultaneous dual-language edition presents a parallel Spanish translation that accompanies the English text while offering an appealing introduction to a yummy aspect of Latino culture.

J Nonfiction

Brown, Monica, and Raúl Colón. My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez = Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Flagstaff, Ariz.: Luna Rising, 2007. Print.
This story is an introduction to the life and work of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and describes how the things that surrounded him inspired his imagination and his desire to become a storyteller. This bilingual biographical picture book is a very interesting description of what childhood was like for the imaginative young boy growing up in Aracataca, Colombia.

 Emert, Phyllis Raybin. Sonia Sotomayor: a judge grows in the Bronx = Sonia Sotomayor: la juez que crecio en el Bronx. Detroit, MI: Lucent Books, 2011. Print.
A biography of the first Puerto Rican Supreme Court justice emphasizes how she overcame a childhood of poverty in the South Bronx through her own and her mother's hard work and determination.  The Spanish translation of this story makes the book accessible to Latino families, where Sotomayor’s story can inspire children of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds to work hard and pursue educational and professional success.

Morales, Yuyi. Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2003. Print.
Skeleton Senor Calavera arrives at Grandma Beetle's door, ready to take her to the next life, but after helping her count in English and Spanish as she makes her birthday preparations, he changes his mind. This story is the perfect introduction to counting in both English and in Spanish and is a spirited tribute to the rich traditions of Mexican culture, including the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead.

Picture Books for the Young Budding Artist

Is there a young budding artist in your life? Consider surprising them with one of these beautifully illustrated picture books for children in preschool through grade 3! They're all available at the Naperville Public Library!

 Art by Patrick McDonnell. Rhyming text describes how little Art makes passionate zigzags, "scribbles that squiggle," lots of dots and "the curliest cue." His creations, rendered in watercolor and crayon, become a neighborhood scene and the location of Art's dream. He awakens to find his artwork proudly displayed on the family refrigerator, "put there by Mother 'cause mother loves Art."

Danny's Drawing Book by Sue Heap. A snowy trip to the zoo with his friend Ettie prompts Danny to write an illustrated story with pencil sketches in his drawing book. Danny draws himself and Ettie into the story and suddenly the friends are on an exciting adventure with an elephant and an aardvark. This imaginative story is sure to inspire many children to write their own illustrated stories this winter!

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty. This adorable picture book features Jeremy and his unique illustration of a monster that comes to life! Suddenly, the blue, squiggly, horned monster demands that Jeremy draw him a whole assortment of objects. "Draw me a sandwich. I’m hungry!" "Draw me a telephone. Somebody might call," the monster exclaims. How will Jeremy ever get rid of this annoying monster?

Lily Brown's Paintings by Angela Johnson, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Lilly Brown loves spending time with her family, but when she begins painting, the stars visit sidewalk cafes, the trees wear hats and drink tea, the fruit at the market stand laughs out loud, and the wind carries stories across the ocean. Vivid watercolor illustrations celebrate children’s imaginations and depict the magic that the young girl finds in art.

A Day With No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch. A Day With No Crayons is a delightful children's picture book celebrating creativity. When young Liza draws on the white wall with crayons, her mother takes them away. With the crayons gone, all the color drains from Liza's world. What does the budding artist do? She squirts her toothpaste angrily and stomps through mud puddles. Through these acts, Liza inadvertently creates art—and eventually discovers color in the world around her.

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden. In this charming tales of modern artists, a cleverly named pig, Pigasso, and a colorful bull, Mootisse and Pigasso start out as neighbors but end up fueding when they start criticizing one another’s work. The painters end up with a colorful mess by ultimately building a fence between the two. Based loosely on the real-life relationship between Picasso and Matisse, this tale is a wonderful tribute to these exceptional talents and to the concept of accepting the ideas of others. This title is sure to be perfect for any young artist’s personal library.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. This riveting children’s picture book encourages children to view mistakes not as failures but opportunities. As the book states, "A torn piece of paper" (the cardboard is actually torn)… is just the beginning (of an alligator’s smile). Throughout this book, various spills and paint blobs are transformed into animals, a folded sheet of paper becomes a penguin’s head, and most notably, a panel with a hole in the center telescopes outward, accordion-style, to reveal a tiny creature way at the bottom. This inspirational book is sure to inspire children to take creative risks and not condemn their mistakes.

Recent research demonstrates a correlation between the arts and higher academic performance. In the report, "Learning, Arts and the Brain", seven universities presented several studies discussing how visual arts, music, and dance training and skill positively impact learning (The Dana Foundation, 2008). To encourage artistic expression among children, rouse their creative spirit by checking out one of the above illustrated picture books!