Today’s selection begins Bilingual Corner. Every last Sunday of the month, I will feature a bilingual book in my Picture Book of the week blog. They might be bilingual English/Spanish, or they might be in English and another language. Be sure to read every week, but especially the week of the month!

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Have you ever wanted something that your parents did not approve of?

The Picture Book of the Week is La Princesa and the Pea, written by Susan Middleton Elya (susanelya.com) and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal (juanamartinezneal.com).

About the Book:

La Princesa and the Pea is a retelling of the classic children’s story, The Princess on the Pea, set in Peru. The story tells of a prince who fell in love with a girl that his mother did not approve of. In order to test her, his mother, the Queen, placed a tiny pea underneath twenty mattresses to test whether the girl was a princess. The illustrations vibrantly capture Peruvian culture, while the words add a twist to the story at the end. I loved this bilingual adaptation of the classic tale and kids will love it, too.

Watch an interview with Juana Martinez-Neal answering questions about her illustrations:

Writing Exercise for Kids:

English:

Have you ever wanted something really bad? Think about something you really, really wanted. Write about what you did to get it

Spanish:

¿Alguna vez haz deseado algo con todas tus fuerzas? Piensa en algo que haz deseado con todo to corazón. Escribe lo que hiciste para conseguirlo.

I would love to read your stories. If you would like to share, please send them to contact@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy writing!

 

It was a pleasure meeting Layla this week and an even greater pleasure presenting her with her prize, an HP Chromebook. I hope she enjoys using it!

Here is the invention she submitted with her entry:

I hope you are all having an exciting January.

Happy writing!

Everyone waits. What do you wait for? How do you wait?

The Picture Book of the Week is Waiting, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.

About the Book:

Waiting is the story of five toys, an owl, a pig, a bear, a puppy, and a rabbit. They sit on a windowsill, each of them waiting for something. Sometimes they get what they are waiting for, but mostly they wait. How do they pass the time? Are they bored?

Watch Kevin Henkes himself read his book aloud here:

Writing Exercise for Kids:

What are you waiting for? Think about what you are waiting for. It can be a big thing, like a vacation, or a little thing, like waiting for the rain to stop. Draw a picture of yourself waiting like the five toys in the story.

¿Qué esperas tu? Piensa en algo que estas esperando. Puede ser algo grande como unas vacaciones, o puede ser algo pequeño, como esperar que deje de llover. Haz un dibujo de ti mismo/a esperando como los cinco juguetes del cuento

I would love to see your pictures. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

And for the final STEAM picture book parade and writing prompt entry before I go on holiday, we have…

Have you ever built a a fort? Who did you build it with? Did it have members?

The Picture Book of the Week is Let’s Build by Sue Fliess and Miki Sakamoto.

About the Book:

Let’s Build is about a young boy who wants to build a fort and a dad who makes his dream come true. I don’t write rhyme, but I love reading rhyme and this book does not disappoint. In a lively, action-packed story, the boy and his father draw plans, buy supplies, and build, build build. If you have a young child who loves to build, this is a perfect book to read to him/her.

Watch the book trailer:

Writing Exercise For Kids:

Experiences are part of being a writer. Build a miniature clubhouse with sticks, popsicle sticks, or whatever materials you have at home. Lay the floor, raise the wall, hoist the beam. Have fun!

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

 

Here is the next installment of the STEAM picture book parade…

Do you have a big dream? Do you have a plan to make it real?

The Picture Book of the Week is Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket, written by Sue Fliess and illustrated by Annabel Tempest.

About the Book:

Sadie Sprocket has a dream–to fly to Mars in a rocket. In fact, she doesn’t just have a dream, she has a plan. She draws a map, gathers a crew, builds a ship and…off they go. At first things go exactly as planned, but then there is a glitch. Does Sadie have what it takes to complete the mission?

Watch the book trailer here

Writing Exercise for kids:

Sadie has a big dream. Think about your big dream. Write out a plan to make it real.

Sadie Sprocket Builds A Rocket Writing Prompt_ENG_SPA

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.

Happy Writing!

Have you ever thought about how a seesaw works?

The Picture Book of the Week is Just a Little Bit, written by Ann Tompert and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

About the Book:

In this book, Elephant and Mouse want to play on the seesaw. Elepant sits on one end and it sinks all the way to the ground. Mouse gets on the other end and…nothing happens. The seesaw doesn’t budge. What do they need? Help? Along come more animals and more. They join mouse on his side, but the seesaw won’t budge, until…

Explore how kids can use this story for math here:

Writing Exercise:

Math is hidden in all kinds of daily activities. Think about a time you used math in your everyday life — like measuring milk or figuring out what size shoe you wear, or playing Jenga. Write a story about how a character used math to solve a problem

Just A Little Bit Writing Prompt SPA & ENG

I would love to hear your stories. If you are willing to share, please send stories to stories@alicia-salazar.com.