Reading to children is one of the most rewarding parts of being a librarian.  It is exciting to get the opportunity to read to a new group of children in the community.  The one drawback is reading to an unknown audience.  You can customize a storytime to a group you already know but otherwise, you must rely on the advice of the person arranging the storytime. One way to get around this is to make a point of reading material that is sure to be a hit with any audience.   

Choosing the right books becomes even more of a challenge when reading to a bilingual English and Spanish audience.  While there is a great demand for bilingual books in the United States, many of the books published are not suitable for reading aloud to a young audience in both languages in a traditional storytime setting.  Many excellent bilingual books for an older audience are published by Children's Book Press, Cinco Punto Press and Arte Publico.  However, options for a younger audience are limited.  We need more books with fewer words, attractive illustrations, and stories that appeal to a young audience. 

The good news is that more and more books are being published, and here are ten of my favorite titles, in no particular order:

No, no and no!/No, no y no! by Mireille d'Allance, is one of my favorite books to read aloud.  I discovered it when Editorial Corimbo published it in Spanish from its original French and was thrilled when they published it in this bilingual version.  It tells the story of Octavio who says "no" to everything all day long on the first day of school, making the story universal to all children. 

Children can also relate to Lone Morton's I'm Too Big/Soy Demasiado Grande.  Part of the "I Can Read Spanish" series published by Barron's, in this story an elephant and giraffe envy each other's physical differences.  The illustrations depict the giraffe having the elephant's physical attributes and vice versa.  I've successfully read this book to older audiences learning Spanish who have laughed hysterically at the artist's renderings.

Some of the advantages of reading bilingual books are that you only have to find one copy of a book; one copy makes two languages readily available, giving the reader more flexibility to use one or both languages; and it lightens your load because you only have to carry one book instead of two.  That's why I was so happy when Greenwillow Books offered a bilingual version of the classic Freight Train/Tren de Carga by Donald Crews.  It's a Caldecott honor book and teaches primary colors — but most importantly, it is about trains.  Trains are always a hit, so you cannot go wrong with this one!

Bilingual books published in the United States tend to reflect the Latino experience in the United States. Latino children see themselves in these books and the grown-ups who bring them to storytime want them to keep their heritage and traditions alive, as well as their language.  These books also serve as ambassadors to those unfamiliar with non-Latino readers.  One of the books that does this so effectively is Carmen Lomas Garza's Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia.  Each two-page entry includes a painting of Garza's childhood and short bilingual stories explaining her Chicano famliy's activities.  Use one or two of these stories in your storytime to illustrate a tradition, holiday, or activity.

Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English by the prolific author Alma Flor Ada is by definition an alphabet book, but is a tribute to working in the fields.  A collection of poems, it includes Cesar Chavez, individual fruits and vegetables, and other Latino symbols.  Use the poem under the letter "O" for "Orgullo" or "Pride" as a chant with your audience.  Have them repeat each verse of the poem after you read it.

Books are good conversation starters.  People can be different and yet very similar.  In Nancy Maria Grande Tabor's Somos Un Arco Iris/We Are a Rainbow, we learn that people in both the United States and in Latino countries think there is an animal on the moon ‰¥ă they just think it's a different one.  Written for a young audience, this book conveys that the more we talk to each other, the more we learn about each other, and together, we are a rainbow.

Poetry and family are major parts of Latino culture and Francisco X. Alarcon's Angels Ride Bikes and Other Fall Poems/Los Angeles Andan en Bicicleta y Otros Poemas de Otò±o incorporates both.  In the Fall entry of his 4-part season books of poems illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez, Alaracon focuses on his childhood, his family, and their lives in Los Angeles. 

There is so much diversity in Latino culture and sometimes that diversity can be reflected in one family such as in Sandra Cisneros' Hairs/Pelitos.  This picture book shows how each person in one child's family is unique.

Groundwood Books has been a leader in providing high quality children's books. In Jorge Lujan's Rooster/Gallo, we are not only treated to the work of a great poet but a finely illustrated picture book with minimal text.  This is one book that can be read bilingually without a problem!

Pat Mora's Uno, Dos, Tres/One, Two, Three uses rhyming text to count to ten in English and Spanish.  The artwork shows two sisters buying birthday presents for their mother.  One of the things I like about this particular book is that is does include code-switching or Spanglish.  For those of us who are bilingual in the United States, using both languages in our daily lives can be very natural which is why I appreciate books such as this one which do reflect this method of communication.

There are other books that could have been part of this list, so make sure to check to see what else each author has written, what each publisher has published, and see if there are more books in the series.  This is just a starting point.

Good luck in telling stories bilingually!

posted: September 2006