ESPAÑOL: Durante esta semana en
Bilingual Brains vamos a dedicar nuestras entradas al tema de la lectura. Hoy queremos
compartir con vosotros algunos de nuestros libros favoritos que tratan el tema
del multilingüismo y multiculturalismo. Son libros para niños llenos de
ilustraciones que se pueden leer en familia y en las clases con el objetivo de
concienciar y enseñar a los niños aspectos generales del mundo de las culturas
y los idiomas así como aspectos y tradiciones de culturas específicas, como la
mejicana, la rusa o la japonesa. Esperamos que os animéis a leer estoy libros y
nos escribáis recomendándonos otros títulos similares. ¡Entre todos podemos
construir nuestra propia biblioteca multilingüe Bilingual Brains!
ENGLISH: This week in Bilingual Brains we are going to share with you posts about books and reading. Today we bring a list of our favorite books in the topic of multilingualism and multiculturalism. These books are full of pictures, and they are written for children. You can read them at class with your students or at home with your kids, so they learn some general aspects from the world of cultures and languages and they acquire specific knowledge about diverse cultures: Mexican, Russian, Japanese, etc. We hope you read the books we present you and you comment telling us yours own favorite titles.
ENGLISH: This week in Bilingual Brains we are going to share with you posts about books and reading. Today we bring a list of our favorite books in the topic of multilingualism and multiculturalism. These books are full of pictures, and they are written for children. You can read them at class with your students or at home with your kids, so they learn some general aspects from the world of cultures and languages and they acquire specific knowledge about diverse cultures: Mexican, Russian, Japanese, etc. We hope you read the books we present you and you comment telling us yours own favorite titles.
1. Las Posadas, una celebración
hispánica de Navidad / Las Posadas, a Bilingual Celebration for Christmas. Por/By: Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith & Lawrence.
Este libro, escrito en inglés,
nos muestra a través de sus fotografías cómo se prepara y tiene lugar la
celebración de Las Posadas en una comunidad de Nuevo Méjico. El libro nos
enseña cuáles son las comidas, el arte y la música asociadas a esta festividad.
This book explores though pictures the
preparations for the celebration of the festivity of Las Posadas taking place
within a Hispanic community in New Mexico. It includes the food, folk art, and
music associated with the holiday.
2. La colcha de los recuerdos/ The
keeping quilt. Por/By: Patricia Polacco.

This book tells us the story of Anna’s mom, who
moved from Russia to the United States. She started crocheting a
quilt to help her family remember how was life in Russia. The quilt has passed
from one generation to another, making Anna’s family remember their antecessors,
their culture and stories.
3. Me encantan los Saturdays y los
domingos / I Love Saturdays y domingos. Por/By: Alma Flor Ada.
The main character of this book is a girl who lives in the United States and whose grandparents are of (or from or another way to say it?) different nationalities. On Saturdays she visits her paternal grandparents and talks to them in English, while on Sundays she visits her maternal Mexican grandparents and talks to them in Spanish. This books shows the differences between the two cultures and points one thing they have in common: the love they share for their children.
4. N is for Navidad / La N es de Navidad. Por/By: Susan Middleton Elya & Merry Banks.

Join a joyous Latino celebration of Christmas
from A to Z (ángel to zapatos), enjoying the sights and symbols of the holiday.
The book features a bilingual poem in English and Spanish and includes explanations
and Spanish holiday words.
5. El tulipán arcoiris / The Rainbow Tulip. Por/By: Pat Mora.

Stella and her brothers speak Spanish at home
but English at school. When Stella has to prepare the school's celebration of May
Day, she finds a way to honor her Mexican background by wearing a special skirt
different from the other girls' skirts. Stella, like many children, can take
pride in being part of two cultures.
6. Tree of Cranes. Por/By: Allen Say.

The narrator recalls his first Christmas in
Japan and why his mother decorated a tree with a thousand paper cranes as she
relives her holidays in California. With this book we discover how to celebrate
a holiday in two cultures.