a leer - story time in spanish

I'm not the only one getting some reading done around here! Despite her newfound propensity for crawling at top speed, every once and awhile I can get my little monkey to sit still for a story. Her language skills are developing rapidly, so it's important for her to hear the repetition and rhythm of the Spanish language in book form. (That way I know she is hearing more than just ¿tienes hambre? and ¿estás cansada?) In fact, in a month or two, her brain will be able to distinguish English phonemes from Spanish ones. After all, she's been hearing both languages since she was in the womb (good thing I ran a target language classroom as a Spanish teacher!)

Each book we read contributes new vocabulary (for both of us), verb tenses, and bright pictures. Most of the Spanish children's books we have right now are translated from popular English ones. As the weather gets warmer and we make more trips to the library, I hope to find a few more authentic resources for us to read together.

In our current rotation are:
Buenas Noches Gorila - Peggy Rathmann 
{The story of a zookeeper who puts all the animals to bed, but that sneaky gorilla goes and frees them all from their cages.}
¿Cómo Estás Pequeño Panda? - Marie Helene-Delval
{Little panda gets his tricycle stolen from another bear and goes through an emotional roller coaster. I love that this book teaches feelings, because babies and toddlers need help labeling their emotions.}
Frida - Jonah Winter
{This book has absolutely stunning illustrations by a young Spanish artist, Ana Juan. I love the story of Frida Kahlo simplified for children. Pippa won't understand this story for awhile, but she can definitely enjoy the beautiful pictures!}
Buenas Noches Luna - Margaret Wise Brown
{The Spanish version of Goodnight Moon. A great pre-nap or bedtime routine book.}
¿Eres Mi Mama? - P.D. Eastman 
{Are you my mother? We have the board book for babies and toddlers - the shortened version of the story we all know and love! I even learned a new vocabulary word: el nido - nest}
Siempre Te Querré - Robert Munsch
{The sweet story of the mother and her baby boy - I'll Love You Forever. We also have this book in French and English - Pippa will get to know it well!}
Quiero a Mi Mamá Porque... - Laurel Porter-Gaylord
{I love my mom because... Needless to say I love this book because it is basically telling Pippa how awesome I am, so...}

As she gets older, I hope to add to our Spanish book collection. One of my favorite websites and bilingual resources, Spanglish Baby has some wonderful and authentic book recommendations that I will be referring to for future purchases or library trips.

Now if I can just get Pippa to sit still long enough to finish an entire story...