Benita and the Night Creatures by Mariana Llanos and Cocoretto
Are you afraid of the the night creatures?
The Picture Book of the Week is Benita and the Night Creatures or Benita y las criaturas nocturnas, written by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Cocoretto. While it doesn’t have a lot of Spanish words, it is bicultural as is references Peruvian folklore. Plus it is available in both English and Spanish.
Will be released September 2023, just in time for Halloween.
About the Book:
Benita is a young girl who likes to read in bed before she goes to sleep. One night, while she is engrossed in her book, Cuco, a Peruvian night creature shows up and tries to scare her, but Benita just shushes him. Cuco enlisted help from another night creature and then another night creature, but nothing seems to scare Benita. Will they ever be able to scare Benita or will she and her book save the day?
ISBN-13 : 979-8888590027
Watch the book trailer here:
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Are you afraid of night creatures? Draw the night creature you are most afraid of?
Español:
Tu le tienes miedo a las criaturas nocturnas. Haz un dibujo de la criatura que mas te espanta.
I would love to see your drawings. If you want to share, send your drawings to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Writing!
I’m Hungry/¡Tengo hambre! by Angela Dominguez
What are you hungry for?
The Picture Book of the Week is I’m Hungry/¡Tengo hambre!, a Spanish-English Bilingual picture book written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.
About the Book:
Blue bird and T-rex are friends, so when T-rex complains that he is hungry, blue bird does what any friend would do: he tries to find T-rex something to eat. A banana? No. A fish? No. A salad? Nope. T-rex doesn’t know what he wants to eat until something occurs to him. What do you think it is?
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
What are you hungry for? Create a menu of all your favorite food using the page in the link.
Español:
¿De que tienes hambre? Crea un menu de todos tus platillos favoritos usando el documento en el enlace.
I would love to read your menus. If you would like to share, please send your menus to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Writing!
I Need a Hug/Necesito un abrazo by Aaron Blabey
Whether your child is already bilingual or is learning a language (or you are learning a new language), this June, we are celebrating bilingual books with a bilingual book featured each week.
Have a great summer!
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Would you give porcupine a hug?
The Picture Book of the Week is I Need a Hug/Necesito un abrazo, written and illustrated by Aaron Blabey.
About the Book:
Porcupine needs a hug. He isn’t picky. He’ll take a hug from anyone, but everyone keeps running away from him — rabbit, moose, bear, even snake. What could possibly by wrong? What are they all afraid of? Will Porcupine ever get his hug? Would YOU hug him?
Writing Prompt for Kids/Tema de escritura para niños:
English:
Click on the link below, print out porcupine, and give him a hug. If you dare!
Español:
Haz clic en el enlace de abajo, imprime al puercoespín, y abrázalo. ¡Si te atreves!
Happy Writing!
Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant by Maria Girón
Have you ever forgotten something? Something big?
The Picture Book of the Week is Arthur and the Forgetful Elephant, written and illustrated by Maria Girón.
About the Book:
Arthur, a young boy, thinks it is raining, until he looks up. Towering above him is an elephant who has forgotten everything…who he is…where he lives. Arthur decides to help the elephant by taking him on a day of play and adventure.
Will the elephant ever recover his memories? Will playing with Arthur help?
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Think about something you have forgotten – doing your homework, feeding you pet, doing your chores. Write about what made you remember and why.
Español:
Piensa en una vez que se te olvido algo – hacer tu tarea, darle de comer a tu mascota, hacer to quehaceres. Escribe sobre que te hizo recordar y porque.
I would love to read your stories. If you would like to, please send your stories to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Writing!
Am I small?/Io sono piccola? by Phillipp Winterberg and Nadja Wichmann
Are you big or small? Compared to what?
The Picture Book of the Week is Am I small?/Io sono piccola?, written by Phillipp Winterberg and illustrated by Nadja Wichmann.
About the Book:
This week’s picture book is in English and Italian, but it has been translated into more than 200 languages since its publication in 2013. It is a story that will resonate with kids from 0 to 100. The story follows Tamia, the main character, as she questions her size compared to other creatures, and ultimately, the world and space. In the end, the answer to Tamia’s question, Io sono piccola? or Am I small?, is perfect.
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Think about your size compared to the world around you. Are you big or small? Create a drawing of yourself and the thing you compared yourself with?
Español:
Piensa en tu tamaño comparado con el mundo a tu alrededor. ¿Eres grande or pequeño/a? Crea un dibujo de ti y del objeto con el que te comparaste.
I would love to see your drawings. If you would like to share, please send your drawings to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Drawing!
Being a Cat: A Tail of Curiosity by Maria Gianferrari and Pete Oswald
Where has your curiosity taken you?
The Picture Book of the Week is Being a Cat: A Tail of Curiosity, written by Maria Gianferrari (mariagianferrari.com) and illustrated by Pete Oswald (peteoswald.com).
About the Book:
Being a Cat is all about being curious like a cat. From being happy or excited, smelling the flowers, or noticing things, cats always express themselves in a way that is unique to, well, cats. Follow along as the orange tabby goes through its day chasing butterflies and enjoying cardboard boxes. Then, think about a day in the life of your own pet.
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
How do you express your curiosity? How does you pet express their curiosity? Choose either yourself or your pet and write about all of the adventures your curiosity takes you on.
Español:
¿Como expresas tu curiosidad? ¿Tu mascota como expresa su curiosidad? Escoje a ti mismo/a o a tu mascota y escribe sobre todas las aventuras que realizas debido a tu curiosidad.
Happy Writing!
Heart String by Brooke Boynton-Hughes
Who are you connected to?
The Picture Book of the Week is Heart String, written and illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes, author of Brave Molly (an empowering book for kids).
About the Book:
Heart String doesn’t have a traditional plot, for example, a problem and a solution. Instead, it presents a concept that teaches kids about our connections with the people we love and even with strangers. It illustrates this concept using strings, or “heart strings” that link each person’s heart to another person’s heart. The strings in the illustrations communicate concretely how everyone in the world is tied together and, hopefully, why we should care for each other.
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Whose heart is your heart connected to? Think about the people you encounter every day. Write about your “heart string”.
Español:
¿A que corazón esta conectado tu corazón? Piensa en la personas con quien to encientas todos los días. Escribe sobre “la cuerda de tu corazón”.
Happy writing!
The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by Brad Montague and Kristi Montague
Do you have an untold story?
The Picture Book of the Week is The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination, written by Brad Montague and illustrated by Brad Montague and Kristi Montague.
About the Book:
Sparky is a figment for the Fantastic Bureau of Imagination. Sparky works diligently to make sure all of the Bureau’s ingoing and outgoing mail is sorted and delivered. In his free time, Sparky also writes poems, but he doesn’t share them with anyone. One day, a crisis happens and the bureau and Sparky and his poems might be the only way to save them. Can Sparky’s untold stories save the Bureau?
Watch the book trailer below:
Writing Prompt for Kids:
English:
Do you have a poem, a story, or a drawing that you haven’t shown anyone. Help someone in your life join the Fantastic Bureau of Imagination by sharing your untold story.
Spanish:
¿Tienes un poema, un cuento, o un dibujo que nunca le haz enseñado a nadie? Ayuda a alguien en tu vida a unirse con el Departamento Fantástico de la Imaginación compartiendo tu historia nunca contada.
I would love to see your poem, stories, or drawings. If you would like to share, send your work to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Writing
Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina and Angela Dominguez
Have you ever had to learn to communicate with someone you love who speaks a different language?
The Picture Book of the Week is Mango, Abuela, and Me, written by Meg Medina and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.
About the Book:
Mango, Abuela, and Me is about a little girl named Mia and her grandmother. The grandmother comes to live with Mia’s family and even shares a room with Mia. The problem is that Abuela doesn’t speak much English and Mia doesn’t speak much Spanish. One day, while shopping with her mom, Mia spots a parrot and convinces her mom to buy the parrot for Abuela. Will the parrot, Mango, help Mia and her grandmother learn to communicate?
Watch an interview with the illustrator, Angela Dominguez.
Writing Exercise for Kids:
English:
Do you speak a second language? Write a letter to a loved one in your second language. Tell them how much you love spending time with them.
Español:
¿Hablas otro idioma aparte del tuyo? Escribele una carta a un ser querido en tu segundo idioma. Diles cuanto te encanta pasar el tiempo con ellos.
I would love to read your stories. If you would like to share, please have a parent send your story to contact@alicia-salazar.com.
Happy Writing!