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.
Hispanic Heritage: Favorite Foods
From tamales to bean soup, these stories celebrate favorite foods from Latino/Latin American cultures, as well as the time spent with loved ones cooking for special meals!
¡Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué Rico!
Celebrate the native foods of the Americas — peanuts, blueberries, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more — through haiku poetry and stunning artwork. A perfect selection for April, celebrating El día de los niños/El día de los libros (a reading celebration created by Pat Mora) and National Poetry Month!
Bean Soup/Sopa de frijoles
Product Description: This delightful poem teaches readers young and old how to make a heartwarming, tummy-filling black bean soup, from gathering the beans, onions, and garlic to taking little pebbles out of the beans to letting them simmer till the luscious smell indicates it's time for supper. Jorge Argueta's vivid poetic voice and Rafael Yockteng's vibrant illustrations make preparing this healthy and delicious Latino favorite an exciting, almost magical experience.
Build a Burrito: A Counting Book in English and Spanish
Bold graphic numerals and shaped pages to count in English and Spanish make this book a great way to reinforce multiple basic concepts! David Diaz's signature art is an indispensable ingredient, adding flavor to a burrito bursting with fun.
Delicious Hullabaloo
On a starry night, a group of lizards and their friends gather for music, food, and fun — a delicious hullabaloo! Whether it's the mangos, cerezas dules (sweet cherries), or the sassy salsa, everyone is sure to find a treat that they enjoy in this delightful poem illustrated with colorful, whimsical depictions of a desert setting.
Grandma's Chocolate
Sabrina is excited about the special gifts that her grandma has brought back from her visit to Mexico. As they play with the ribbons, clothes, and music makers, Abuelita explains each item’s role in their cultural heritage.
How Nanita Learned To Make Flan
In their tiny Mexican village, Nanita's cobbler father works so hard that he has no time to smile, much less make Nanita a pair of new shoes. Nanita decides to take on the task herself, fashioning multicolored shoes out of leather scraps. The magic shoes lead her to the desert, but soon she is forced to become the servant of a cruel ranchero, who loves to eat flan. Nanita becomes an expert flan chef — but will she ever find her way home? An engaging addition to units on traditional Mexican foods and magical realism.
Let's Eat!/¡A comer!
A Hispanic family's preparation for dinner is presented in easy words in both Spanish and English. Warm illustrations depict an affectionate family enjoying their daily routine. This is the first book in Pat Mora's My Family/Mi Familia series, a four-book collection of easy-read bilingual books.
Meat Pies
A Caribbean boy makes empanadas with his grandmother in this story written for beginning readers. Labeled ingredients and kitchen tools provide additional vocabulary for discussion. Spanish version available. A lesson plan guide is included on the Lee and Low website.
Salsa Stories
When Carmen Teresa receives a blank journal on New Year's Day, she begins filling it with tales and memories from her loved ones. Finding that food is the common thread, the journal becomes a cookbook of stories, infused with Latin American flavor. Gentle lessons are conveyed along the way in this lovely book. Available in Spanish and English versions.
Seven Cookies
A Mexican American girl and her grandfather have just finished baking cookies, and everyone in the family wants one. Follow along as the girl shares the cookies one by one! Spanish version available. A lesson plan is included on the Lee and Low website.
The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería
Monica enjoys spending time at her grandparents' bakery not only because of sweet treats but because they have a special relationship. The story, told in both Spanish and English, is imbued with details about Mexican traditions.
The First Tortilla: A Bilingual Story
Jade's village is running out of water. When a small blue hummingbird tells Jade that she most go to the Mountain Spirit to ask for rain, she is afraid to make the journey alone — but she knows that it may be her village's only hope. Based on an ancient Mexican legend, Rudolf Anaya has created a memorable story to introduce young readers to the importance of corn — and tortillas — as Mexican food staples.
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!
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Just a short note to say, Felicitaciones, on your Colorín Colorado. What a wonderful resource!
~ Higinio M.
