A Pinata in a Pine Tree by Pat Mora

It is almost my favorite time of the year and to celebrate I thought I would include this book based on "The Twelve Days of Christmas" ...but with a twist!

Suggested Grade Level: K-5

Summary: This story is a variation of the well-known Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas. However, the book replaces the partridges and other traditional gifts with pinatas, burritos bailando, and more!  

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book is a great choice to include in your classroom around the holidays! It can be used in a number of ways. Including counting, pronunciation, using context clues and making predictions. This really is a wonderful book for kids of all ages! Here is a link to another blog I found, that goes into this book more in depth.

Available in  English, Spanish

 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Antonio's Card: La Tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto Gonzalez

Suggested Grade Level: 1-3

Summary: Antonio is a boy who loves words. He is amazed by all the things we can express because of words. When Mother's Day comes, Antonio wants to write to his mother and her partner Leslie. However, Antonio is teased by his classmates. 

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book is a great choice to include in your classroom. It can be used to discuss how different family structures may be, and promote acceptance among students. The book could also be used as  a writing prompt, or around Mother's Day. Here is a link to a teacher's guide to this book.

Available in  English, Spanish

 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

My Grandparents and I: Mis Abuelos y Yo by Samuel Caraballo

Suggested Grade Level: K-2

Summary: This book not only is descriptive but has beautiful illustrations to support  the text! This tells the story of a boy and the role his grandparents play in his life. The text rhymes, and creates a very fun book that is great to read out loud. The book describes different things the boy and his grandparents to together, including going to the museum, and playing in the backyard. 

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book could be used in your class when discussing poetry, rhythm or verse. It also is a great opportunity to encourage students to write about their families, and things they do with their loved ones. 

Available in  English, Spanish

 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Senorita Gordita by Helen Ketteman; Illustrated by Will Terry

This is a great story to include in a lesson or in your classroom! I used this with my first grade student and she loved it. The illustrations are beautiful and the writing style is so fun and creative.

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Summary: This book is a fun twist to the classic gingerbread story. Senorita Gordita is made and jumps off the frying pan and runs away! She continues to run as she encounters a number of animals that want to eat her in the desert. She yells to the animals "You'll never catch me!"and with a "flip, and a skip, and a zip-zoom-zip" she gets away! 

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book could be used in your class when learning about different animals, food, sequencing, retelling, or discussing folklores/fairytales. This truly is  a book that can be used in many different ways!

Available in  English, Spanish

and more.
 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Lucy's Family Tree by Karen Halvorsen Schreck

Suggested Grade Level: 3-6

Summary: Lucy doesn't want to do an school assignment of creating a family tree. Lucy didn't want others to know that she was adopted from Mexico. However, Lucy learns that every family is different and that is something to celebrate. 

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book could be used in your class when discussing families, types of families and family trees/heritage. 

Available in  English, Spanish

 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell; Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Suggested Grade Level: K-2

Summary: A duck lives on a farm with a very lazy farmer! While the farmer lays in bed, the duck does all of the work. One day, the other animals decide to help. 

Connections: How would you include this text in your classroom? This book could be used in your class when learning about farms, literacy concepts and more!

Available in  English, Spanish

also Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, and more.
 Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! by Pat Mora

This book include breathtaking illustrations and captivating Haiku poems! Really a great find for your classroom, for all ages. 

Suggested Grade Level: K-5 (Reading level: 3)

Summary: This book is a collection of Haiku poems about fourteen foods native to the Americas including cranberries, pears, blueberries, papayas and more. The pages describe the food's history  origin and interesting facts while celebrating it's diversity of food languages and cultures in the Americas.

Connections: This book really is a great find- and there are many things you can do with it in your classroom! I included a number of links that describe lessons you can plan, using this book!

• Teacher's Guide
• Lesson plans and more resources 
• Blog Post with Craft Ideas

Available in  English, Spanish
Click here to find this book on Amazon!

I Love Saturdays y Domingos by Alma Flor Ada

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Summary: In this story, the girl visits her grandparents and experiences two cultures. She spends her weekends  with her grandma and grandpa as well as her abuelita and abuelito. On Saturdays she visits her grandma and grandpa who have European-American heritage. On Domingos, she visits her abuelito y abuelita, who are Mexican-American. 

Connections: This book would be wonderful to use to discuss heritage and cultures. There are a number of lessons you could plan and incorporate this book in them! Here is a link to scholastic's website which created a "Teacher's Guide" to using this particular book! Click here for the link.

Available in  English, Spanish

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Bebé Goes Shopping by Susan Middleton Elyagm

I have seen this book many times at the Children's museum, library, classrooms etc. Finally picked it up!

Suggested Grade Level: K-2

Summary: A baby goes shipping with his mother, but the day results in chaos. The shopping trip is detailed int he story through rhyming and Spanish words. 

Connections:  This book makes something very ordinary, like shopping with your mother into an adventure! It could be used for a number of reasons in the classroom as it includes spanish vocabulary words, and rhyming. 

Available in English and Spanish

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Icy Watermelon/Sandia Fria by Mary Sue Galindo

Another great bilingual book about a close family... and delicious watermelon! 

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Summary: A family spends a Sunday enjoying all the blessings the have in life and eating Mama's ice-cold watermelon. Grandpa tells everyone the story of his father  and mother met and  how they grew watermelons. 

Connections: This could be used in a lesson in which students discuss family traditions.

Available in  English, Spanish

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Jill and the Beanstalk by Manju Gregory illustrated by David Anstead

I am a sucker for variations of classic tales! Especially when we see a strong girl who saves the day. This is another book that is available in a number of languages. The illustrations are fun and so is the writing! Check it out!

Suggested Grade Level: K-4

Summary: In this story, Jill has to save her family from an evil giant. Along the way Jill meets a number of characters from common nursery rhymes including Little Bo Peep. 

Connections:  Some of your students may be unfamiliar with nursery rhymes. This book could be used to introduce nursery rhymes. It could also be used to define setting, characters, plot, resolution and other story elements. Do you have any suggestions?

Available in English and Spanish

Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Farsi, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Panjabi, Polish, Portugese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Somali, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Buri and the Marrow by Henriette Barkow; Illustrated by Lizzie Finlay

Another great book that is available in multiple languages! This book is based on a famous Bengali story and is a great addition to a multicultural library.

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Summary: An old woman is walking through a forest to meet her daughter when she meets a fox, a tiger and a lion. All three want to eat the old woman, Buri but she tells them they will have to wait until she comes back when she's nice and fat! However, her daughter thinks of a plan to help save her mother but worries she won't outsmart the fox.

Connections: Another book that can be used in a lesson to learn about other cultures or folktales/fables. Any other ideas on how to include this book in a lesson?

Available in  English, Spanish
Albanian, Arabic,  Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Panjabi, Polish, Somali, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

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Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask "A Bilingual Cuento" Written and Illustrated by Xavier Garza

Really interesting book- the illustrations and the writing are great! I was excited to find this book and see codeswitching right there in the title!  Could be really interesting for some readers- and it even includes a brief history of Mexican wrestling inside. Another great find for your classroom. 

Suggested Grade Level: 2-5

Summary: Carlitos, Carlitos' father and his uncle go to Mexico City to see lucha libre which is professional wrestling. Wrestlers are either los rudos bad guys or los tecnicos the good guys. This book follows Carlitos through his time at the arena and watching El Cucuy, the Vampire, the Evil Caveman, the Masked Rooster, the Mighty Bull and his hero: the Man in the Silver Mask. The best part? The book hints of the true identity of the Man in the Silver Mask. The book hints that the true identity of the Man of the Silver Mask to be someone very close to Carlitos after all!

Connections: This book could also be used to learn a little bit about Mexican culture! You could also explore good vs evil with this book. I found a blog that discusses someways you can use this book in the classroom! Click here for the link! If you have any other ideas, comment below!

Available in  English and Spanish 

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

MaÑana, Iguana by Anne Whitford Paul

I found this book at the public library last week in the picture book section. I picked it out for the bilingual first grade student I work with in reading. It seems to be an adaptation from the Little Red Hen and can be very relatable for your student! I really enjoyed the codeswitching in the book and Spanish glossary. Super cute book, I recommend you check this one out!

Suggested Grade Level: K-2

Summary: Iguana is planning to have a fiesta. All of his friends including Gonejo the rabbit, Tortuga the tortoise and Gulebra the snake want to come but they don't want to help Iguana with the planning! 

Connections: The book lists a number of things the Iguana has to do before the party. You could use this in a lesson about planning or responsibility. Great book for codeswitching and other literacy elements! Do you have any suggestions?

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Abuela's Weave/ El Tapiz de Abuela by Omar S. Castaneda; Illustrated by Enrique O. Sanchez

This book would be a wonderful addition to your classroom! Leaving Guatemala inspired the author, Omar S. Castaneda to write this book. Apparently, Castaneda wanted to give his own children an idea of what Guatemala is like through his writing.

Suggested Grade Level: 3-5

Summary: A Guatemalan girl learns about family tradition through her grandmother. Esperanza's Abuela is a very skillful weaver of traditional Mayan tapestries. This skill is something she has decided to share with her granddaughter and together they want to sell their tapestries at the market. However, Esperanza needs to sell the tapestries alone in the city. Not only does Esperanza become more independent but learns more about her family's traditions.  

Connections: Omar states that this book portrays the importance of family, responsibility and other aspects of life in the Mayan culture. This website may help you include this book in your classroom by integrating it in a lesson about family, traditions, Guatemala, accomplishing something, Mayan culture, selling goods or literacy concepts. 

Available in  English and Spanish 

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Click here for more information on how to include this book in your classroom at Leeandlow.com This website not only includes example questions to ask before, during and after the reading but ideas for ESL students and how to integrate this book in different subject areas.

The Giant Turnip by Henriette Barkow; illustrated by Richard Johnson

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Summary: In the city, the children in Miss Honeywood's classroom are up to something.. BIG! These children have grown the biggest turnip in the world. One problem: how do they get the turnip out of the ground? The students brainstorm ways to get the turnip out- but nothing works! What will do it? A Helicopter? A crane? Whatever the students do try- the turnip won't budge! In the end, the students learn that when they work together they can do anything. 

Connections: This book is said to be based on a traditional Russian story. This could be another example of a book to include in a lesson about traditional stories, cultures, appreciating cultural differences etc. This book could also be used to discuss the benefits of working together. Do you have any suggestions? Comment below!

Available in  English, Spanish, Abanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Fasi, French, German, Gujarati, Italian, Panjabi, Polish, Portugese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Somali,Tamil, Turkish, Urdu,  Yoruba 

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

More information here at Languagelizard.com

Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell A Lie by Joe Hayes

Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie is a book I found last year and could be very useful in planning a lesson or for read aloud. Not only are the illustrations beautiful but the story shows readers the importance of being honest. 

Suggested Grade Level: 3-5

Summary: A very rich man, Don Ignacio bets his beloved ranch and famous apple tree that his foreman, Juan Verdades cannot tell a lie. Juan is unaware of the bet but the other rancher and his daughter are doing everything they can to win. The daughter and Juan Verdades fall in love and Juan Verdades proves that he is an honest man. 

Connections: There are a number of themes that could be addressed in this particular book and a variety of ways to include it in your own classroom. Originally, I thought this story would be a great way to introduce students to the genre of folklores. You could also use this book to discuss literacy concepts including; characters, setting, solution etc. depending on the grade level as well as discussing the moral of the story. Do you have any ideas on how you would include this book in your classroom? Comment below!

Available in English & Spanish

Click here to find this book on Amazon!

Welcome

Welcome!

My name is Ry and I am a bilingual education major at Illinois State University. I have started this blog as a resource for pre-service and practicing teachers who have the opportunity to work with English Language Learners (ELLs) in today's classrooms.

The inspiration for this blog has come from an in-course honors assignment in my C&I 321: Bilingual/Bicultural Methods & Materials course.
When considering what I wanted to work on for this assignment, I decided I would like to spend my time making something others could use as a resource. As an avid reader, I have always been interested in children's literature. I plan to continue updating this blog with information about children's literature that may be helpful for your classroom. I hope to post exceptional bilingual/bicultural children's books and include information such as reading level, background knowledge, summaries etc.

While I will be including books on this blog as part of my honors assignment, I also hope that this blog will continue to be updated with your help. If you have any suggestions please contact me at rnfromk@gmail.com.

Thank you and happy blogging!