HomeBooks in Spanish from Spanish-Speaking Countries by Isabel Sch

Books in Spanish from Spanish-Speaking Countries

by Isabel Schon

Gr. 6–8. This wonderful collection of tongue twisters, riddles, haiku, palindromes, humorous poems, and other language games will delight Spanish speakers (and Spanish learners) as they recite, answer, or recapitulate the inherent rhythmic patterns, sounds, and imagery of the Spanish language. Notwithstanding the tiny, flat black-and-white illustrations, the wordplay is fun and clever.

Naik, Anita. Drogas (Drugs). Tr. by Tiocha Bojórquez. 1999. 171p. illus. Mexico City: Editorial Diana, paper, $9.95 (968-13-3211-3).

Gr. 7–up. Naik answers basic questions about drugs in this straightforward, nonjudgmental book that explains the difference between legal and illegal drugs and discusses social pressures to use drugs, especially alcohol, tobacco, ecstasy, inhalants, and marijuana. Black-and-white cartoons clarify and underscore important issues. Although the names, telephone numbers, and addresses given are for organizations in the U.K. and Mexico, the book will still be of value to Spanish speakers in the U.S.

Rival, Michel. Los grandes inventos (Great Inventions). 2000. 335p. Barcelona: Larousse, $35.95 (84-8016-591-X).

Gr. 8–up. Arranged in chronological order, beginning with stone tools and continuing to the Internet, this describes 158 inventions that have had a significant impact on humanity. The easy-to-understand text, numerous color photos, charts, drawings, and sidebars, as well as an index of inventors, make this large-format book not only a useful resource but also an engrossing introduction to technological genius.

Gr. 5–8. In this smooth Spanish rendition of the third title in Harry’s epic, Harry enters his third year at the Colegio Hogwarts de Magia y Hechicería shortly after causing mean Tía Marge to inflate like a ghastly balloon and rise up to the ceiling. The occasional Peninsular Spanish conjugations will not discourage Spanish-speaking fans from the Americas to cheer as Harry faces villainous Sirius Black and the dreadful dementors.

Ages 4–8. Juan, a patient older sibling, struggles to get his imaginative younger sister, Tolola, to bed. But Tolola procrastinates, using tigers, lions, whales, and dancing dogs as excuses. As in the original English version, this exuberant Spanish rendition employs a variety of fonts and type sizes and is accompanied by humorous collages.

Curtis, Jamie Lee. Cuando yo era pequeña: Memorias de una niña de cuatro años (When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth). Tr. by Esther Rubio. 2001. 32p. illus. Barcelona: Ediciones Serres, $19.95 (84-95040-94-8).

Ages 3–6. Just as whimsical as the original 1993 English edition, this playful first-person Spanish rendition features a four-year-old heroine who has left her babyhood behind and is determined to tell how much she now knows: “¡Ahora sí que lo sé!” Humorous watercolors depict the contrasts between a baby who cries and eats only baby food and an energetic four-year-old. Spanish-speaking children ready to go to kindergarten will feel proud and reassured.

Luján, Jorge Elías. La gitana de las flores (The Gypsy of the Flowers). 2000. 30p. illus. Mexico City: Alfaguara/Santillana, paper, $8.95 (968-19-0748-5).

Gr. 1–3. A lively Gypsy dancer captivates a whole town with her joyous dancing. Even the angry king is attracted to the beautiful dancer, who he now wishes to marry. The snappy, rhyming text and the modernistic watercolor illustrations add an imaginative touch to a story that will have special appeal for dancers-to-be. The afterwords by the author and illustrator are too sophisticated for young children.

Núñez, Marisa. La cebra Camila (Camila, the Zebra). 2000. 26p. illus. Pontevedra, Spain: Kalandraka, $19.95 (84-95123-60-6).

Ages 5–7. Camila, a playful zebra, is eager to get rid of her tight clothes. As she rolls in the fields, she loses her black-and-white stripes. Fortunately, she meets a serpent, a snail, a rainbow, a spider, and a duck, who are happy to adorn her with new, colorful stripes. The whimsical, repetitive text and the fanciful double-page spreads make this a wonderful selection for reading aloud.

Sennell, Joles. El hermano rico y el hermano pobre (The Rich Brother and the Poor Brother). 2000. 24p. illus. Barcelona: La Galera, $15.95 (84-246-1985-4).

Gr. 3–5. Modernistic watercolors on the right-hand page face an easy-to-read text on the left in this traditional folktale from Latvia, in which a poor brother finally outsmarts his rich brother and enjoys a peaceful, happy life while the rich brother loses all his wealth.

Tullet, Hervé. El día y la noche (Day and Night). 2000. 136p. illus. Barcelona: Ediciones Destino, $21.95 (84-233-3236-5).

Gr. 1–3. On each double-page spread of this fine concept book, a succinct text and colorful artwork with a hole in the middle are used to present contrasting idea words: for example, suave (soft), accompanied by the picture of a teddy bear, is paired with punzante (prickle), shown with the picture of a green cactus. The eye-catching, cartoonlike illustrations and the inventive contrasts make this amusing book a good choice for helping children increase their vocabulary.

Isabel Schon is the director of the Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents (Centro Barahona para el Estudio de Libros Infantiles y Juveniles en Espanol), California State University–San Marcos.

(Booklist/April 15, 2002)