Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday!
Before anything else, I need to announce the winner of Hanh Bui’s beautiful Ánh’s New Word: A Story About Learning a New Language from a couple weeks ago!
And the winner is. . .
Maria Marshall!
Congratulations, Maria! I know you will love it! Please email me so Hanh and I can get your book to you!
This week, my two-year-old granddaughter was telling me about her 18-month-old friend who is being raised bilingual – her mom only speaks English to her, and her dad only speaks Spanish to her. (Okay, my granddaughter told me about her friend – my daughter told me the rest 😊) Another child I know is less than 6 months old but is already having books read in both English and Spanish so that they will be able to communicate comfortably with all their grandparents, some of who speak only English, and some of whom speak only Spanish. We may have to go back more than one generation to find it, but many of us have more than one “language of our family”, and it’s an important part of who we are.
I read this book a while ago, but since the topic was on my mind, I thought I’d share it today! 😊
Title: Spanish Is The Language Of My Family
Written By: Michael Genhart
Illustrated By: John Parra
Publisher: Neal Porter Books, July 11, 2023, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: cultural and linguistic heritage, working hard to achieve a goal, societal change
text copyright Michael Genhart 2023, illustration copyright John Parra 2023, Neal Porter Books
Opening:
“Every year at my school there is a spelling bee in Spanish.
I’m the first in my class to sign up because Spanish is the
language of my family.
Es la lengua de mi familia.”
text copyright Michael Genhart 2023, illustration copyright John Parra 2023, Neal Porter Books
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “An intergenerational story of family ties, cultural pride, and spelling bee victory following a young boy who bonds with his beloved abuela over a love of Spanish.“
text copyright Michael Genhart 2023, illustration copyright John Parra 2023, Neal Porter Books
Links To Resources: the back of the book has a wealth of resources including A Note From The Author, information about the National Spanish Spelling Bee, Prohibiting Speaking Spanish in Public Schools, El Dia De Los Ninos/El Dia De Los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), and the Spanish alphabet; Everyday Easy Spanish Activities for Kids; what is the language of YOUR family? Does your family speak more than one language? Do you?
text copyright Michael Genhart 2023, illustration copyright John Parra 2023, Neal Porter Books
Why I Like This Book: On the surface, this book is about a spelling bee – working hard to practice and learn and then competing – but it encompasses so much more! The spelling bee is in Spanish, and Spanish is the language of the young, first-person narrator’s family. The close and loving relationship between the boy and his abuela (grandmother) is beautifully shown as she helps him learn Spanish spelling and tells him about her own experiences as a girl when speaking Spanish was not allowed in public schools and children were punished for it if they were caught. The boy works even harder, embracing his heritage and wanting to make his family proud. The art is bright and appealing, filled with language details, and used to convey nuances of the story. I love the water faucet where the water coming out looks like tears, and the way the word “practico” (practice) is pictured as a mountain with the boy climbing it, showing that is hard work. There is a ton of interesting and illuminating information in the back matter as well. A great read that may encourage kids to learn about the language of their families.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Susanna, what interesting collage images. This sounds like an amazing book and I am excited to find it. Thanks.
This is a very interesting book. I will definitely check it out. Thank you for sharing.
Can’t wait to check this book out! Portuguese/Spanish/English are the languages of my grandson’s family – I chuckled when you recounted the conversation with your granddaughter. My grandson is a similar age, but adds Portuguese words into the mix. When he picks a Brazilian picture book for me to read, it gets very interesting!
What a wonderful book to teach important concepts!
There are so many amazing layers and teachable moments in this beautiful book! Congratulations, Michael and John. Thanks for sharing the book and interview, Susanna!
What a perfect picture book for today! I love the story line – and the illustrations are fun to explore. Thanks for sharing it.
Wow, this sounds like a great book! I love the combination of a Spanish spelling bee and the struggles faced by speaking a heart language in a 2nd language location. Both a good read and a challenging read! Thanks, Susanna.
I’ve read this book, Susanna, and I agree! It’s terrific! I love the intergenerational bonding, as well as the themes of working toward a goal and taking pride in one’s culture. So many layers!
This looks like an amazing book. Intergenerational stories always spark my interest! Thanks for sharing it! Looking forward to reading it!