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Mama Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury

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Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy, acclaimed authors and scholars of Latino literature, have spent years culling popular and beloved lullabies, jump-rope songs, riddles, proverbs, and more from all over the Spanish-speaking world. The result is the most comprehensive bilingual folklore collection available in this country.

Full of charm and humor, rich with the diversity of Latino cultures, this one-of-a-kind treasury is the perfect introduction to Latino folklore for English speakers, and a trove of familiar favorites for Spanish speakers.

The collection includes: Lullabies, Proverbs, Finger plays, Riddles, Lap games, Tall tales and never-ending stories, Sayings for various occasions, A ballad, Nursery rhymes, Songs, Jump-rope songs, Birthday songs,
Song games, Christmas carols.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

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About the author

F. Isabel Campoy

203 books22 followers
F. ISABEL CAMPOY is the author of numerous children’s books in the areas of poetry, theatre, stories, biographies, and art. As a researcher she has published extensively bringing to the curriculum an awareness of the richness of the Hispanic culture. She is an educator specialized in the area of literacy and home school interaction, topics on which she lecturers nationally. An internationally recognized scholar devoted to the study of language acquisition, a field in which she started publishing in l973 after obtaining her degree in English Philology from Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain; and post graduate work in Reading University in England, and UCLA in the United States.

Her many accolades include ALA Notables, the San Francisco Library Award, the Reading the World Award from the University of San Francisco, the NABE Ramón Santiago Award, the International Latino Children’s Book Award, and nine Junior Library Guild selections. She is a member of the North American Academy of Spanish Language.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Kathryn.
272 reviews
May 31, 2021
This is a fantastic collection of Latino nursery rhymes, songs, and poems compiled by the great Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. Each section of the book contains an introduction of the importance of the element to Latino culture and it's easy to see a connection to our own as, of course, we share some of the same rhymes. The illustrations by Maribel Suarez are wonderful as well. I forgot I even owned this book as it was packed away with my elementary books. I plan to use it with my middle school students to record themselves on Flipgrid.
831 reviews
October 3, 2017
Good job with the translation! This would make a great gift for new mothers who speak Spanish (even those who don't as there are English translations. Note that some words are changed to keep the rhyme and/or rhyme.
Profile Image for Nicole Lamb.
40 reviews
November 20, 2012
Picture Book Critique #18

Mama Goose: A Latino Nursery Treasury
By: Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy

1. Picture Book Genre: Mother Goose

2. Brief Summary: Mama Goose creates a bilingual literary world in which students get the joys of both Spanish and English masterpieces that include lullabies, proverbs, nursery rhymes, songs and a plethora of other literary pieces. Beginning with a brief overview of Spanish heritage, language and a brief description of the book itself Mama Goose continues to provide page after page of excellent and fun nursery rhymes that are displayed in both Spanish and English. The bright illustrations and vibrant contents provide students with over a hundred pages of finger games, lap games, popular sayings, song and jump rope games, riddles, tall tales, ballads and Christmas carols. There is truly no end to the joy that students can find within the pages of this book while simultaneously learning Spanish or assisting Spanish-speaking students learning English!

3.
A. Area for comment: It is the combination of both Spanish and English that make Mama Goose not only educational but also enjoyable for students and teachers alike. Students can also enjoy a number of very specific sections to focus on a type of literary element that they specifically enjoy.
B. Professional Evaluation: Undoubtedly Mama Goose provides a plethora of opportunities for students to learn either Spanish or English and to reinforce the literary elements found within different types of tales, poems and nursery rhymes. Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy do an exceptional job at providing students with a number of opportunities to learn while also enjoying this bilingual masterpiece. Overall, this book is excellent in both its execution as well as its content!
C. Specific Example: It is the sheer number of different content areas that makes this book exceptional in its delivery – for instance, the book has specific sections that focus on the following: lullabies, finger games, lap games, sayings for various occasions, nursery rhymes, jump-rope songs, song games, proverbs, riddles, tall tales and never ending stories, a ballad, songs, birthday songs and Christmas carols. My personal favorite was the section on Sayings for Various Occasions such as the saying found on page 28 When Someone Finds Something which reads “I have found something I say it seven times. If no one claims it then it is mine!” This section is filled with adorable sayings that are fun and easy to read! Overall, there are a number of examples that highlight the great pieces found throughout each section in this book!

4. Curriculum Connection: There is no question that it is important to have both Spanish and English books featured in the classroom library, especially if a classroom has students that are English Language Learners or are bilingual. The wonderful aspect of this book is that each rhyme, poem, saying or song is written in both Spanish and English which allows students to learn Spanish while also enabling Spanish speaking students to learn English. It would also be a great connection for students to also compare and contrast the different literary elements found in each section of the book. There is truly no end to the connections that can be made with this book in the classroom environment!
Profile Image for Terrance Franklin.
52 reviews
February 28, 2017
Mama Goose is a wholesome anthology of many poems that speak to hearts of children. This book contains many poems based on certain themes such as: lullabies, games,songs and more. Each has its own narrative and most poems are read in a very enjoyable to read rhyme scheme and, each fit their theme well, utilizing language that makes the reader feel connected to the themes. For example, "finger games"(p.11) has a poem about creating a game using your fingers, the one after is a about clapping your hands when your happy, and the third talks about using your hands playfully to help illustrate the story of a spider. The book has been translated in both English and Spanish but, even though I can't read the Spanish portion I can still see how this book can be very beneficial for teaching young children of either language fun activities through song and poetry.
Profile Image for Christi.
41 reviews2 followers
December 8, 2012
Genre: Mother Goose Picture book
Summary: This is a beautifully illustrated book of nursery rhymes, poems and lullabies. What makes it so great to me is that at the beginning of each section (lullabies, finger games, lap games, etc) it explains a bit about the Latin culture or the language and then it has the Spanish version of each entry in that section right beside the English version, even the table of contents is in Spanish and English both. Readers can compare and use the translation to learn a bit of one language or the other. The versatility in this book being used to help Spanish speaking children to learn English or vice versa makes this book valuable in a classroom or home and gives the reader a unique experience. I also enjoyed learning a bit about the culture as being a non-Latino, English native speaker many of these rhymes were new to me.
Critique:
A. Fluency and language acquisition
B. This book is great for teaching or learning fluency because of the natural flow and rhythm that poetry creates. Also, the bi-lingual pieces make it a useful aid in learning Spanish or English.
C. Esta niña linda This Beautiful Girl
Esta niña linda This beautiful girl,
Que nacio de noche Born in the night,
Quiere que la lleven Wants to ride
A pesear en coche. In a carriage bright.
Curriculum Connection: This book can be used in elementary classrooms to teach about poetry, different cultures and the differences between languages. It can also be used in Spanish classes at the middle and high school level to aid in language acquisition.
Profile Image for Mary Harris.
54 reviews
December 7, 2012
Citation: Mamá Goose A Latino Nursery Treasury, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy. (Hyperion Books for Children, 2004). 121p. Mother Goose
Genre: Picture Book – Mother Goose
Summary: This is a twist on the traditional mother goose nursery rhymes. They are Spanish nursery rhymes with the English translation right next to them.
A. One of the greatest aspects of this book is the rich colorful illustrations. The illustrations help enhance the book.
B. What I liked most about this book is that it is very versatile. It can be read by Spanish speaking children or it can be read by English speaking children who want to learn Spanish nursery rhymes. Again I thought Alma Flor Ada did an excellent job on this book.
C. For example, on page 14 there is a colorful illustration of fish to go along with the poem “Little Fish.”
Curriculum Connection: I think this book would be a great book to teach children about the days of the week and how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It can be used to read before bedtime. It could also be read when children are first learning English or Spanish.
25 reviews
February 17, 2014
This book was simply amazing! It has been called the "most comprehensive bilingual folklore collection available in the US." It features a large collection of lullabies, riddles, proverbs, traditional songs, poetry, nursery rhymes, and games that are written in both Spanish and English. The Spanish text is on one side, with the English translation on the other. This book did an excellent job combining two cultures into one uniform experience. This book can be used not only to teach Spanish speakers English, but English speakers Spanish using a relatable theme. This book would be wonderful in an elementary classroom with both ELL and native English speaking students to encourage immersion.
Profile Image for Libby.
1,448 reviews22 followers
April 29, 2013
Lovely treasury of songs and rhymes--a nice compliment to Schiller, Lara-Alecio, and Irby's Bilingual Book of Rhymes, Songs, Stories, and Fingerplays because it's a selection of Spanish rhymes that have been translated into English instead of vice versa.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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