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Marimba: Animales from a to Z
After the visitors have left the zoo and the animals have settled down for the night, a mischievous monkey starts a ting-tong rhythm on the marimba and slowly the animals awaken. Lions and llamas samba and cougars and coyotes conga as all the animals join in the fun to create a rollicking fiesta. Infused with Mexican American flavor, ?MARIMBA! is a unique alphabet book that also introduces the concept of cognates--words in different languages that are similar. Young Spanish speakers will be delighted to find they are already familiar with twenty-six words in English, and English speakers with find they already know some Spanish. Author's note, pronunciation guide, rebus dictionary.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2006
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Pat Mora
86 books97 followersPat Mora (born 1942) is a female Mexican-American author and poet. Pat Mora was born in El Paso, Texas. She is married and has 3 grown children.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 27, 2024
Great book that teaches you the names of animals in Spanish. Read this book with my friends 5 year old son and we had a great time trying to remember all the names. Books like this really are a great way to try to learn a new language; always nice to have a study partner!
October 14, 2015
Title: Marimba! Animales from A to Z
Author: Pat Mora
Illustrator: Doug Cushman
Genre: Alphabet Book
Theme(s): Alphabet, community coming together
Opening line/sentence: “Once a year, the singing monkey croons the keepers to sleep at the zoo.”
Brief Book Summary: This is a bilingual alphabet book where animals at the zoo come together once a year when the zookeepers fall asleep. The book teaches children their alphabet by using a different animal for each letter on every page. Each animal in the story does something else when the zookeepers are asleep. At the end, all of the animals come together to sing and dance before the zookeepers wake up.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Susie Wilde- This book marks a celebration that takes place when once a year, the singing monkey croons the keepers to sleep at the zoo and the ting-tong of the marimba wake all animals on cue. Thus begins a raucous alphabetic romp as English and Spanish languages intertwine to celebrate play where bears dance la bamba, mariachi manaties mambo, and otters and ocelots make pies. Mora, who has always shown a profound bilingual passion for words, incorporates both in a rich and satisfying rhythmic dance that embraced food, dance, and song into a fiesta that will excite any young child. She differentiates language only through italicizing Spanish words, but many are familiar in both languages and she proves they flow together. She also includes a translation, pronunciation guide at book’s end, as well as an intelligent and sensitive author’s note that lets you see the genius of her conception. Doug Cushman’s art is bright and colorful and will of course speak to listeners of all languages.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Claudia Mills- In this rollicking, bilingual alphabet book, all the animals in the zoo, from burros to zebues, stage an all-night wild and wonderful party, singing and dancing (conga, tango, hula, cha-cha, and samba) to marimba’s ting-tong beat. Best of all, when the warning comes that keepers are waking up to spoil the fun, the keepers themselves join in the infectious celebration. In an author’s note at the end of the book, Mora describes her intention for the book as presenting twenty-six cognates, so that Spanish speakers would discover that they are already familiar with twenty-six words in English, and vice versa. On a first reading, before encountering the author’s note, it is unclear why certain words are selected for italics: why burros, but not bears? Why coyotes, but not cougars? Moreover, it is doubtful that many readers would come to the book already familiar with nutrias, ocelots, quetzals, wapitis, and zebus. That quibble aside, the more animals, or animals, the merrier, and Cushman’s lively art depicts them all with zest and zeal.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these reviews showed a very similar view towards this alphabet book and I agree with both of them. One difference between the two reviews were that Wilde liked that the Spanish words were in italics so it was easy to see which were the Spanish words, but Mills was confused why those words were italicized until she read the authors note. I agree with Wilde and I was able to catch on quickly and see that those were the Spanish words, and in fact this is what helped me learn some new words! Besides that, I agree with both authors that the authors note at the end was very helpful to see Mora’s point of view and why she did what she did throughout the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This is another book that children will love because of the characterization of the animals. Each animal is brought to life at the end of the book when they are all dancing and singing together. The tone of the book will make children laugh because they will feel mysterious as all the animals are gathering together. I also liked the style of the writing in this book because I liked that the Spanish words were italicized because it makes it easier for children especially to recognize which words are Spanish and what they mean in English.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Since this is an alphabet book I would use it in my elementary classroom when the students are learning or just practicing the alphabet. The book is colorful and funny so children would be interested in reading it and they would be practicing their alphabet at the same time. The book also gives children names of different animals that start with each letter to help them learn. I also liked how Mora was able to use both languages in the book for students to learn as well.
Author: Pat Mora
Illustrator: Doug Cushman
Genre: Alphabet Book
Theme(s): Alphabet, community coming together
Opening line/sentence: “Once a year, the singing monkey croons the keepers to sleep at the zoo.”
Brief Book Summary: This is a bilingual alphabet book where animals at the zoo come together once a year when the zookeepers fall asleep. The book teaches children their alphabet by using a different animal for each letter on every page. Each animal in the story does something else when the zookeepers are asleep. At the end, all of the animals come together to sing and dance before the zookeepers wake up.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Susie Wilde- This book marks a celebration that takes place when once a year, the singing monkey croons the keepers to sleep at the zoo and the ting-tong of the marimba wake all animals on cue. Thus begins a raucous alphabetic romp as English and Spanish languages intertwine to celebrate play where bears dance la bamba, mariachi manaties mambo, and otters and ocelots make pies. Mora, who has always shown a profound bilingual passion for words, incorporates both in a rich and satisfying rhythmic dance that embraced food, dance, and song into a fiesta that will excite any young child. She differentiates language only through italicizing Spanish words, but many are familiar in both languages and she proves they flow together. She also includes a translation, pronunciation guide at book’s end, as well as an intelligent and sensitive author’s note that lets you see the genius of her conception. Doug Cushman’s art is bright and colorful and will of course speak to listeners of all languages.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Claudia Mills- In this rollicking, bilingual alphabet book, all the animals in the zoo, from burros to zebues, stage an all-night wild and wonderful party, singing and dancing (conga, tango, hula, cha-cha, and samba) to marimba’s ting-tong beat. Best of all, when the warning comes that keepers are waking up to spoil the fun, the keepers themselves join in the infectious celebration. In an author’s note at the end of the book, Mora describes her intention for the book as presenting twenty-six cognates, so that Spanish speakers would discover that they are already familiar with twenty-six words in English, and vice versa. On a first reading, before encountering the author’s note, it is unclear why certain words are selected for italics: why burros, but not bears? Why coyotes, but not cougars? Moreover, it is doubtful that many readers would come to the book already familiar with nutrias, ocelots, quetzals, wapitis, and zebus. That quibble aside, the more animals, or animals, the merrier, and Cushman’s lively art depicts them all with zest and zeal.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both of these reviews showed a very similar view towards this alphabet book and I agree with both of them. One difference between the two reviews were that Wilde liked that the Spanish words were in italics so it was easy to see which were the Spanish words, but Mills was confused why those words were italicized until she read the authors note. I agree with Wilde and I was able to catch on quickly and see that those were the Spanish words, and in fact this is what helped me learn some new words! Besides that, I agree with both authors that the authors note at the end was very helpful to see Mora’s point of view and why she did what she did throughout the book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This is another book that children will love because of the characterization of the animals. Each animal is brought to life at the end of the book when they are all dancing and singing together. The tone of the book will make children laugh because they will feel mysterious as all the animals are gathering together. I also liked the style of the writing in this book because I liked that the Spanish words were italicized because it makes it easier for children especially to recognize which words are Spanish and what they mean in English.
Consideration of Instructional Application: Since this is an alphabet book I would use it in my elementary classroom when the students are learning or just practicing the alphabet. The book is colorful and funny so children would be interested in reading it and they would be practicing their alphabet at the same time. The book also gives children names of different animals that start with each letter to help them learn. I also liked how Mora was able to use both languages in the book for students to learn as well.
January 29, 2013
Most children at a young age really respond to stories about animals, this story takes it one step forward, and introduces Spanish ideas and words. The cover art really draws your attention, who doesn't like animals and especially animals that are dancing on the cover. The illustrations are really great, they add to the Spanish word even if you don't know what it is the translation means, it ties everything together. The colors were very vibrant and really draw the eye.
The story goes through the alphabet introducing a word or two of Spanish along the way, the illustrations help with the translation of the word. The text and the pictures really work well together. The story begins with sleeping zoo keepers, and goes through a party that all of the animals in the zoo attend, in the end the zoo keepers awaken and join the party.
The only problem with the Spanish words is that unless you have a knowledge of the Spanish language you may be pronouncing the words incorrectly. Introducing children to a foreign language helps them learn, they are better able to learn a foreign language at a young age.
I would probably read this book aloud to a second or third grade classroom. They have a more in-depth knowledge of more of the animals inside of a zoo. They would also be better able to understand and learn the Spanish words.
The story goes through the alphabet introducing a word or two of Spanish along the way, the illustrations help with the translation of the word. The text and the pictures really work well together. The story begins with sleeping zoo keepers, and goes through a party that all of the animals in the zoo attend, in the end the zoo keepers awaken and join the party.
The only problem with the Spanish words is that unless you have a knowledge of the Spanish language you may be pronouncing the words incorrectly. Introducing children to a foreign language helps them learn, they are better able to learn a foreign language at a young age.
I would probably read this book aloud to a second or third grade classroom. They have a more in-depth knowledge of more of the animals inside of a zoo. They would also be better able to understand and learn the Spanish words.
September 13, 2012
Marimba! Animales from A to Z by Pat Mora is a book with a fiesta inside of it! I love how this book incorporates both Spanish and English. When I got this book from the library I didn't realize it had the animals in Spanish. But I think it is excellent for children to be familiar with another language besides their native one. I think knowing Spanish is important because it's one of the most popular languages today in the US. It is a great book that goes through each letter of the alphabet and describes what animals begin with all 26 letters. I love the pictures and how interactive they are. They are very colorful and are child appropriate. I think the age for this book is kindergarten through second grade. I especially like the translation and pronunciation guide in the back of the book that can help a non-native Spanish speaker understand and get the accents right of the Spanish language. I would definitely use this book in my classroom and have my students learn a little bit of Spanish while learning the alphabet.
February 10, 2015
¡MARIMBA! Animales from A to Z is a picture book written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Goug Cushman. It is a short story of a zoo, where animals dance during the night once a year. In each page appears animals which name start with alphabet letters, but it is a bilingual book at list one animal is written in Spanish with each letter. For example, with B: bobcats, bears and BURROS, or with T: tigers and TUCANES.
It is a very practical book for teachers to teach a bit of Spanish; in the last page of the book there are all the translations of Spanish words.
The pictures are so nice, each page it is colorful and bright. So I think that these can get children concentrate on the book finding all the animals that teacher is saying. The cover follows the story and all the text that it is written too (is the same type of letter), so this finish up the book perfectly.
Sum upping, it is a exceptionally nice and useful picture book to have a good time reading a book with children and at the same time to learn a bit of Spanish.
It is a very practical book for teachers to teach a bit of Spanish; in the last page of the book there are all the translations of Spanish words.
The pictures are so nice, each page it is colorful and bright. So I think that these can get children concentrate on the book finding all the animals that teacher is saying. The cover follows the story and all the text that it is written too (is the same type of letter), so this finish up the book perfectly.
Sum upping, it is a exceptionally nice and useful picture book to have a good time reading a book with children and at the same time to learn a bit of Spanish.
November 3, 2012
A fun zoo fiesta adventure listing animals A to Z in both the Spanish and English language. Once a year, a zoo monkey plays the zoo keepers a soft lullaby with is marimba. As they sleep, the monkey wakes up the zoo animals to join in on the singing and dancing to the marimba tune. Bobcats and bears dance la bamba, flamencos practice flamenco, iguanas practice the cha-cha, koalas serve enchiladas, and the quail and quetzales sell ice-cold lemonade. A worldly read for young children to learn animals names with a twist of Latin culture.
February 15, 2016
This book was a lot of fun with colorful illustrations of zoo animals dancing at night while the zookeepers sleep. It is in Spanish & English.... with alliterative words and names of animals to illustrate each letter of the alphabet.
I added some words & sounds when I read this book to keep up the interest in the story, not because the story is lacking, but my group is very not into listening...they prefer to be actively engaged: hence the dancing theme!
I added some words & sounds when I read this book to keep up the interest in the story, not because the story is lacking, but my group is very not into listening...they prefer to be actively engaged: hence the dancing theme!
February 18, 2011
I liked all the colors, animals (or animales), and rhymes. I also was impressed they could find an animal or instrument for each letter of the American alphabet in Spanish. There is a slight story in here, but mainly it's fun to see the colored letters and the animal names in Spanish. Most of the book is in English, though.
September 30, 2016
I enjoyed this alphabet book. However, I think the Spanish in the book might get confusing for young readers. Some young readers may not know what they are reading is Spanish. I do like how the author added a comment to every letter and not just writing the letter on every page.
January 14, 2010
Multicultural book on learning the alphabet! (Also in Spanish). Cute story with great illustrations!
April 13, 2011
This book is so fun! The words are playful. I found myself dancing to the ting-tong beat! My kids grinned the whole way through.
August 3, 2016
This is another semi-bilingual book, although the only words in Spanish are nouns and the occasional exclamation. Other parts of speech and grammar are exclusively in English. For this reason I would say that this book is designed for teachers and/or parents of English-speakers who for whatever reason want their kids to be exposed to Spanish, but maybe not actually yet become proficient in Spanish.
It is about a zoo after dark that just turns into a wild wild party and is organized alphabetically. On almost every page there is an animal in English and an animal in Spanish that starts with the letter of that page. Another good thing this book does is color-codes the different languages. That is say that the words for the animals in Spanish are a different color than the rest of the text and the same color on each page. I don't think this book should be read by monolingual English speakers, but rather a shared-reading led by a bilingual teacher/parent/adult would be preferred. I say this because I see little value in English speakers learning the spelling but not the pronunciation of animal words in Spanish.
It is about a zoo after dark that just turns into a wild wild party and is organized alphabetically. On almost every page there is an animal in English and an animal in Spanish that starts with the letter of that page. Another good thing this book does is color-codes the different languages. That is say that the words for the animals in Spanish are a different color than the rest of the text and the same color on each page. I don't think this book should be read by monolingual English speakers, but rather a shared-reading led by a bilingual teacher/parent/adult would be preferred. I say this because I see little value in English speakers learning the spelling but not the pronunciation of animal words in Spanish.
April 27, 2011
Focusing less on Latino culture and more on the Spanish language and vocabulary, Marimba takes young readers to the zoo and, running through the entire Spanish alphabet, identifies animals and objects associated with each letter. Perfect for first introductions into the additional letters included in the Spanish alphabet, this book provides an English phonetic pronunciation guide to all Spanish words used in the narrative. Illustrations by Doug Cushman allow readers to associate new Spanish terms with pictures of the animals and instruments depicted within the picture book. Overall, this book is most appropriate for a beginning learner of the Spanish language
April 26, 2010
Pandas juggle papayas
in the peccaries' parade.
Scurrying quails and quetzales
sell ice-cold lemonade.
in the peccaries' parade.
Scurrying quails and quetzales
sell ice-cold lemonade.
October 25, 2017
Super fun!
October 19, 2019
Such a delightful book! Dancing through the ABCs we meet both animals and animales! I was very thankful for the pronunciation key at the end of the book!
January 18, 2020
Cute way to introduce animal vocabulary in Spanish.
December 6, 2022
Picture book. This book is an alphabet book of animals, sprinkled with Spanish words for some of them. There's a party at the zoo while the zookeeper sleeps, and the animales from the bobcats, bears, and burros to the zebras and zebúes are joining in. Fun lively illustrations, great vocabulary, and a pronunciation guide at the end for the Spanish words.
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February 1, 2024this might be another one of my faviorite books i read this week. this book is a little diffrent then the Apple Pie ABC's because this once matches each letter of the alphabet with an animals, each letter has a diffrent animal in spanish. I think this would be a great book to read to ELL students or if most of the class are spansih speakers then theyll enjoy listening to this book.
May 15, 2022
This book is not bilingual, but is bicultural in Spanish & English. It has good equality of males & females. I like the lively verse. It's fun to see the adults join in at the end!
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September 24, 2022This would be fun but you would need to be aware about how to pronounce the words correctly. I also think it would be a fun activity to compare the spelling of the words in Spanish and English.
November 30, 2022
Letters were stylized and a little hard to read.
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March 14, 2018Learning the alphabet with illustrations of animals and music has never been so much fun. The author Pat Mora and illustrator Doug Cushman created the book called, Marimba Animales from A to Z. This bilingual book incorporates Latin culture, bilingual words, and descriptions of animals. The story takes place at a zoo with different animals with names starting with the assigned letter creating movements and realistic sounds. This story is exciting, catchy and creative as the word choices and images are welcoming. Two strengths of the book would be the accuracy of the pictures for the animals and the color selection. The images look inviting and introduce distinct animals that some children might not have been introduced to yet. One area of improvement would be the layout of the sentences. Some pages have the sentences broken apart into two sections and this might cause a distraction or disconnection to the words for the readers. In addition, this book is recommended to young children in grades K-2 as they learn about the alphabet and animals in class. Lastly, this would be an applicable read-aloud book, but for a full lesson, this book would not be sufficient.
October 17, 2012
Pat Mora tries to showcase words that are similar in Spanish and English by the choices of animals that she uses in the text. This was a clumky book, I thought to read. The illustrations and premise were cute though, so I could see children enjoing it.
June 11, 2010
the alphabet with a Latin flair
January 6, 2015
This is a cute rhyming story with a nice blend of English and Spanish.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews