Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Fiesta!
Isabel Schon is a respected children's literature expert. The following are her favorite books about celebrations.
¡Feliz cumpleaños Vivi! (Happy Birthday Vivi!)
Vivi Cochinita is a very shy pig. She is so shy that on her birthday, she doesn't dare invite anyone. But when she goes to bed that night, she dreams about all the fun others are having and wakes up to a wonderful surprise.
¡Qué montón de tamales! (Too Many Tamales)
For their family's Christmas celebration, María's mother makes lots of tamales. But while María is helping out, she tries on her mother's ring and loses it in the dough. Without telling the adults, María and her young relatives try to find it – by eating all the tamales!
¡Qué sorpresa de cumpleaños! (Birthday Swap)
Lori is a Mexican-American girl who lives in a town near the border. Every summer, all the relatives from both sides of the border gather at her aunt's house in Mexico to celebrate the birthday of Lori's older sister. This time, however, Lori gets a big surprise.
¡Viva! Una piñata! (Hooray, A Piñata!)
For her upcoming birthday party, Clara chooses a colorful dog piñata. But as the party nears, she adopts the dog as her special pet. Clara's friend, Sansón, finds a way to save the dog and still break a piñata full of candy.
Carnaval
Share the five days of Carnaval revelry — beginning with the lengthy preparations in Olinda, a northeastern Brazilian city. The book features stunning photographs and crisp text, handsomely formatted.
La Boda: A Mexican Wedding Celebration
Maria looks to her grandmother to explain the rituals and traditions she observes at her first wedding. Their conversation, sprinkled with Spanish words, is carried by the evocative illustrations that depict this Zapotec Indian wedding celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. A helpful Spanish glossary and an introduction to Zapotec culture and religion are included.
La Nochebuena South of the Border
In this bilingual version of "The Night Before Christmas," Santa Claus is Papá Noel and his reindeer are eight burros pulling a cart.
La procesión de Naty (Naty's Parade)
This book is set in Oaxaca, Mexico, during the fun and excitement of a traditional music and dance festival. The main character, Naty, joins the celebration in a giant mouse costume, but later gets separated from her father.
Mi primer libro de fiestas. (My First Party Book)
This large book has excellent color photographs and simple, easy-to-follow instructions to help you throw fun children's parties.
Rafi and Rosi: Carnival!
It's time for Carnival! Three short stories in this Easy Reader present the adventures shared by Rafi and Rosi, charming and mischievous young tree frogs who are brother and sister, and live in Puerto Rico. The stories include young Rosi dressing up in "Queen for a Day," as well as Rafi's "magical" periscope, used to watch the Carnival parade. Children and adults alike will enjoy the amusing experiences of these two siblings, as well as the cheerful and colorful illustrations. Spanish version also available.
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