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Monday, December 20, 2021

Book Review: Mis Cuentos Ecológicos

The following is a sponsored post with Nacho Books. All thoughts and opinions are the writer's own.

This review is one of a series of educational books in Spanish available from the new Nacho Books website. Find additional reviews in this series here

Stories about Caring for the Planet

Mis Cuentos Ecológicos is a hard-cover Spanish story book from Nacho Books that transports children to a magical world through nine short fairy tale-like stories that focus on the importance of taking care of the natural world. Each tale introduces how human actions harm nature and how personal decision making can make a difference in keeping animals and the environment clean and happy. 

Talking animals, walking trees, messages in the sky all implore humans to reverse their ways before nature is destroyed. The protagonists in each story realize the value of recycling, stopping deforestation, not using pesticides, keeping land and water clear of trash and reducing harmful pollution. 

The full-page illustrations are vibrant and full of emotion. Each page shows the contrast of emotional responses from animals and humans when the right and wrong decisions are made. 

It’s target audience is beginner and fluent Spanish speakers in K-2nd grade (5-8 years old). The stories present a clear right and wrong choice for the environment, and consequences for the wrong choices like littering, polluting, or not recycling are severe. They do not shy away from the stark reality that some human behaviors can have dire consequences. 


Animals, humans and mythical beings send clear messages about what the right choices should be and the stories always end with people realizing their errors and restoring the environment to what it was. It also presents the government and companies as being easily and quickly convinced of what needs to change and their being on board for immediate and dramatic action. 

The book presents several environmental issues as clear moral choices. Possible conversations that could develop from these stories could be about personal choices and systemic change and what role young people can play in taking care of the planet as well as who the power holders are, i.e. governments and companies. 

Click over to Nacho Books to order this and other titles to support your child’s emerging reading and listening comprehension in Spanish as well as their understanding of pressing environmental issues. 

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Monika Aldarondo is a former arts educator, and current photographer and creative shape-shifter with Puerto Rican roots. She posts about her bilingual home/un-schooling journey on Instagram @librolovinmama. Her photography and creative projects can be found at laancla.com.