The following is a sponsored book post in collaboration with Candlewick en español! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Did you know that Candlewick Press has a line of Spanish-language children's books?
There are some really fantastic titles included, such as Schomburg: El hombre que creó una biblioteca, Imagina, Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre, and Llegar a Ser Pedro just to name a few.
They have a new Instagram account for just the Spanish language books called Candlewick en español - I encourage you to follow them to learn about new releases and a few that have been around a while, but you might not have known about.
Candlewick sent me two titles with which I was not familiar, and they are both absolutely lovely. Read more about them below...
This post contains affiliate links.
Ventanas by Julia Denos
You may be familiar with the original English version, Windows (aff). This story centers around a young boy who is taking his dog for a walk through his neighborhood on a fall evening. It describes the things he sees along the street, as well as the glimpses he gets of people in their homes. As the windows around him light up like "faroles de papel" (paper lanterns), he sees dancing, hugging, cooking, people eating dinner, doing yoga, and more.
What I love best is the sense of comfort and serenity that goes along with reading this book. Maybe we don't all live in this neighborhood, but perhaps we have in the past or know people who do. Maybe it's the neighborhood you wish you lived in or one that you'd like to visit.
I also like the sense of community that it reflects - something that we all long to have and which we strive to nurture in our children.
Here's a peek at the inside...
We frequently talk in our Hispanic & Bilingual Homeschoolers group about Spanish books that aren't just poor translations of English titles. That's definitely not the case with this story. It's translated by the amazing Puerto Rican poet and children's book author, Georgina Lázaro.
La selva de Zonia by Juana Martinez-Neal
This book is a remarkably beautiful story that highlights an indigenous culture and nature. It follows a young girl, Zonia, who represents the largest group of indigenous people - the Asháninka - that live in the Peruvian Amazon. Zonia spends each morning responding to the rainforest's call. Her interactions with native wildlife are lovingly depicted on each page. Until one day, she discovers something that she's never seen before...
An absolutely gorgeous book visually, Martinez-Neal's illustrations include species not commonly seen in children's books, such as coatis, cock-of-the-rocks, pink dolphins, and even a red-tailed boa.
What's even more creative and meaningful is the background of the illustrations. It was one of the first things I noticed, and I wondered if the author had used some sort of handmade paper because you can see small marks and creases. You know what? It turns out that she used actual banana bark paper handmade by women from the Amazon. Absolutely amazing. Download the press kit to learn more about the background of the story and to see some incredible pictures. I can't help but think that the original illustrations (in book form?) are an invaluable work of art.
In the back of the book, the author also includes the entire story written in Asháninka. What a wonderful resource to share with children! There's also a description of the Asháninka people, facts about the Amazon, threats to the Amazon, snapshots of the animals in the story (with their scientific names), and a list of links to learn more.
Here's an interview with the author...
I found the video on her website, which is also FULL of GREAT resources!! There's an excellent teacher's guide that you may download for free, and tons of links to extend the learning.
The Giveaway
Candlewick has kindly offered to giveaway two copies of each title to MommyMaestra readers for a total of 4 winners! In my opinion, these are must-have additions to your home libraries.
