
A few months ago I had the great opportunity to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. My visit was brief since I was intentionally looking for booths that carried Spanish books (not that I do not love books written in English, but I feel that I can find them really easily). So before my trip, I googled the festival, mapped out where I wanted to go and VOILA! I was ready.
I spent quite a long time at LA Libreria’s Booth. They had an amazing selection of high quality books written in Spanish (not translated) so I was beyond excited. Here is the thing, when I purchase a book, I do so not only taking into account how well written it is or the story line (if fiction), but also how I could take it to my classroom and use it RIGHT AWAY!
My First Pick* – Niños de América
Author: Francisca Palacios
Illustrator: Carmen Cardemil
Format: Softcover
Ages: 6+
ISBN: 978-956-8209-50-6
CLICK HERE if you are interested in buying the book (not available at Amazon)
We teach children to make connections and how to relate to books in different ways. Well, picking this book was so easy because it got me! I am Ecuadorian and there are not many books out there that pin-point something special about my country (we are very tiny). When I read about Amado and his day in Manta, I was hooked. Amado is eating ‘verde rallado con mani y pescado’ (green plantains with fish and peanuts) WHAT? If someone is able to capture this small detail, then you know they have made their research.
I love Manta and while I am not from there (I am from a tiny town in Ecuador called Milagro) I felt immediately connected to the brief story.
There is no doubt you will feel the same if you pick this book and read it for yourself – especially if your country is featured there. The book only left me wondering why not all countries of Latin America or Central America were featured – other than that this book is a keeper for me.
*The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own. I have not been compensated by anyone including the publisher or any other distribution channels.
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