Bilingual Books

Kathleen Contreras follows up her debut picture book Braids/Trencitas with a loving portrait of family and Mexican culture. In Sweet Memories/Dulces recuerdos, a young boy and his grandfather share memories and their love of paletas, the delicious...

Estela is thrilled when the instructor asks her to participate in the salsa exercise class at the community center. When she returns to dance another day, she is told no children could participate. She takes a lesson from her social studies class and...

When Curious George visits the library, you know mayhem cannot be far behind!

Based on the author's own family story, this bilingual book describes the ingenuity one little Mexican American girl uses to create a room of her own from what was once a storage closet.

Nobody will let Perico the parrot help with the preparations for the Cinco de Mayo celebration in San Antonio. His cries of 'Let me help' are met with 'go away.' The determined bird finds a way to help and be part of the big fiesta.

In this traditional Cuban folk tale set in Miami's Little Havana, a very bossy rooster gets his beak dirty on the way to his uncle's wedding. When he demands that his friends clean it and they refuse, he learns an important lesson about asking first. The...

Mama Alma explains the importance of remembering people who have passed away to her granddaughter Bella and tells her what she should do to celebrate her life after she has died. Pat Mora uses this story to imagine how the Day of the Dead traditions...

Every day, thousands of farm workers harvested the food that ended up on kitchen tables all over the country. But at the end of the day, when the workers sat down to eat, there were only beans on their tables. Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez teamed up;...

It is 1896. Cuba has fought three Wars for independence and still is not free. People have been rounded up in concentration camps with too little food and too much illness. Rosa is a nurse, but she dares not go to the camps. She turns hidden caves into...

Everybody loves a birthday party, and there's a lot to enjoy at Papa Luis' fiesta! The children excitedly count the candy that will fill the piñata. The nieces bring the candles for the birthday cake that Mama Marta baked. Family and friends begin to...

As she strolls through her barrio, a young girl introduces readers to the frozen, fruit-flavored treat that thrills Mexican and Mexican American children. Create a masterpiece, make tough choices (strawberry or coconut?), or cool off on a hot summer's...

Young René is from El Salvador, and he doesn't understand why his name has to be different in the United States. When he writes Colato, he sees his paternal grandparents, René and Amelia. When he writes Laínez, he sees his maternal grandparents, Angela...

Amada Irma Pérez tells of her family's journey from México to the U.S. On the journey and upon arrival, she takes solace in her journal which reminds her that she is the same person no matter where she lives. A portrait of family togetherness and...

This bilingual story shows the importance of family and of reading, while also emphasizing the rewards of passing along cultural traditions. Beautiful illustrations portray the moving story of Bela and her grandma, who love to tell stories, braid hair,...

This beautifully illustrated book helps us celebrate Children's Day and Book Day. Children will let their imaginations run wild as they envision where books can take them. They'll feel motivated and encouraged to pick up a great book and travel to far...

Make a cradle for a baby. Use it as a superhero's cape. warm yourself on a cool night. There are so many things you can do with a rebozo. Through the eyes of a young girl, readers are introduced to the traditional shawl found in many Mexican and Mexican...

In this wonderful, bilingual tribute to grandmothers, José has to make some changes when his grandmother moves in, but he realizes how much happiness and life she breathes into his home. The warmth of this tale radiates in both languages.

Spanish and English readers alike will enjoy learning about the traditional Latin American celebration of Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. A young girl celebrates her grandfather's spirit by creating an altar and adorning it with his favorite...

This colorful bilingual book shows the joy of eating together as a family. Short and sweet, it emphasizes the priceless value of being together.

This remarkable volume is filled with favorite nursery rhymes from all over the Spanish-speaking world, along with whimsical, rhyming English language versions for each. Children will love these catchy verses in both languages.

With no more than one or two words per page, this beautifully illustrated book captures the emotion of taking an airplane to visit Grandma in another country. The touching message works wonderfully in both the Spanish and the English text.

This colorful book shows the day in the life of a baby turtle. It is a great choice for any unit on the ocean.

This well-illustrated edition captures the drama of the Latin American legend of a young mother so distraught by her husband's rejection of her that she drowns her offspring in the river. Realizing what she has done, she tries to save them, but it’s too...

Award-winning poet Juan Felipe Herrera has written a lyrical account of the year his migrant family settled down so that he could go to school. Vividly illustrated, the story adeptly conveys the emotions of a boy who feels out of place upon entering a...

Follow two children as they celebrate their ancestors on this vibrant holiday. They offer marigolds, sugar skulls, and special bread, and make delicious foods. By spreading marigold petals, they guide the dead home to join the festivities. Finally, after...

Completing their series of seasonal poems, Alarcón and Gonzalez pay tribute to winter with Northern California as their setting. From Mission Dolores to the Sierra Nevada, with its great sequoias, and Las posadas, this delightful collection explores...

In this whimsical and touching collection of 20 poems in English and Spanish, readers will find tomatoes that laugh, chiles that explode, and tortillas that applaud the sun. With vibrant illustrations as lyrical and expressive as the poems themselves,...

A poetic celebration of fall in Los Angeles--the city of angels--this book of bilingual poetry by an award-winning team invites the reader to appreciate the simple pleasures of everyday life: a visit to an outdoor market, the arrival of the ice cream...

In this autobiographical picture book, a little boy named René moves to the United States from El Salvador. He is embarrassed to learn that in English his name is a girl's name, even though it is spelled differently. His classmates laugh at him until...

Count along in Spanish and English as each one of the ten puppies disappears from the pages...it's a bilingual bonanza! The book features colorful and playful illustrations by artist Ulises Wensell.

After a string of tragedies in El Salvador, Beto and his mother obtain visas to come to the United States, but his father must stay behind. Beto longs for his father to come join them. With the help of an exceptional letter and some influential people,...

Monchi is a sensitive young boy who enjoys writing poems and telling stories, yet when he is approached by a member of a local gang, he feels pressured to join. A tragic event and the support of a loving uncle make him realize that gang life is not for...

A young newcomer to the United States shares her thoughts and feelings about her new home in comparison to her native country. Although it takes time to adjust to certain things, once she and her mom can get their own apartment, her new country begins to...

Henry is so excited about starting kindergarten that he almost forgets to brush his teeth, but when he first arrives at school, it seems strange and scary. This fun, upbeat book explains everything that goes on in kindergarten and helps kids adapt to...

This beautiful, soothing work describes a young girl's journey of discovery as she experiences the treasures of the ocean through each of her five senses.

Gilbert and Monica live above their grandparents' bakery where the scent of freshly baked bread greets them each morning. This brightly illustrated story depicts the warmth of a special family as they work together to prepare bread for the feast of the...

With simple verse and sun-drenched paintings, this touching book honors the life of farm workers and celebrates the fields and orchards where they work.

Through heartfelt poems in both English and Spanish, Jorge poignantly conveys his feeling about his life as a newly arrived Mexican immigrant in the United States. Trying to fit in at school yet still hold on to his family heritage, Jorge describes his...

Long ago in ancient Mexico, the sun disappeared. The animals abandoned hope after a desperate search--all except for the brave lizard who would not give up until she brought back light and warmth to everyone.

This carefully crafted collection, richly illustrated with exuberant collages, contains 25 songs. Some of the selections are well known, such as Los pollitos and La piñata, and others are more current favorites. Spanish and English lyrics are presented...