Dominika’s Comments (group member since Jun 24, 2019)

Dominika’s comments from the Multicultural Library EDGTE 480 group.

Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come! Preparate, Kindergarten, Alla voy!
By Nancy Carlson

The book is about a little mouse Henry’s first day of kindergarten. It is in both English (on top of the page) and Spanish (on the bottom of the page). It depicts a great sequence of events and routine (getting up, getting dressed, and eating breakfast, ect.) and a detailed day of first day of school. It helps decrease anxiety that many students get on that first day of school. It also gives an overview of what the school in America is like. The book can be read simultaneously to English and Spanish speaking students. The book can be used for discussion of routine, events sequence, and comparing and contrasting the school in the US with schools in students’ native countries.

Ana cultiva manzanas. Apple Farmer Annie
By Monica Wellington

The book is written in both Spanish and English. The Spanish letters are of large print and the English words are smaller print underneath the Spanish words. It can be read to both English and Spanish speakers at the same time. The book depicts Annie an apple farmer who grows apples. After the apples are done, Annie makes several things from the apples such as apple cider, cookies, and apple sauce. She also takes the most beautiful apples and takes them to the big city to the market to sell. Many EL students come from villages. Many of them were farmers or grew their own food in small batches. After reading this story, different recipes can be discussed from the native countries. The recipes can include an apple as an ingredient or not. The main character also goes to the big city to the market just like many of the students moved to the US to big cities from little villages.

Bear about Town. Oso en la ciudad
By Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter

The book is written in both English and Spanish. It talks about a bear and the places he goes on different days of the week. This book is great to teach days of the week and well as the places and shops around town. After reading this book, the students can be prompted to discuss what they do during the week and on the weekend. The story can be read to English and Spanish speakers simultaneously.

Three Friends. Tres Amigos
By Maria Cristina Brusca and Tona Wilson

This is a counting book. It has very little words. The book is both in Spanish and English with Spanish on top of the page and English on the bottom. It starts out with simple phrases counting certain things and then it builds on those simple phrases adding verbs and making the phrases simple full sentences.
It is a great book to learn how to count and how to form simple sentences.

Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! Janitor Strike in L.A.
By Diana Cohn

The story is both in English and Spanish. The book is about Mexican immigrant family but it also mentions other Latino nations such as El Salvador and Nicaragua. The main character is Carlitos. He lives with his mom and grandma. Carlitos’ father is dead. Grandma needs medication and mom works at night cleaning office buildings. She is not getting paid enough to provide for the family so she does some extra work on the weekend. The genitors decide to go on strike. Ultimately they win better pay and benefits. It is a more serious topic, so I would not recommend this book for kindergarteners, but I think the 2-3 graders would understand. It depicts many struggles that the immigrant families are so familiar with. Many ELs can relate to this story. If you dig a little deeper, you can talk about the suffering of women and at the same time the empowerment that everything is possible if we fight together.

Mi escuela. My School
By George Ancona

Christopher describes his school in both Spanish (on top of the page) and English (on the bottom). He was born in US but his parents come from El Salvador and from Guatemala. Christopher talks about what they do in school. He describes everything in order. Then, he describes the Halloween parade that happens in school in the fall. He also describes lunch and recess. The book also has a small dictionary in the back. It is a great book for older elementary students. Christopher is in fifth grade. After reading this book, students can discuss event order, can talk about their daily routine in school and compare and contrast what the school looked like in the native country and what it looks like in US.

My Name Is Jorge. On Both Sides of the River. Poems in English and Spanish
By Jane Medina

The book is a selection of easy to read poems in Spanish that are translated into English. Some of the poems are silly, but some have a lesson at the end. This is a great book to be read while covering the poetry unit in the classroom. It can be read in both Spanish and English at the same time.

Confetti. Poems for Children
By Pat Mora

The poems are in English. There are a number of Spanish words embedded into the poems. There are also words that are specific to the Latino culture such as tortillas and cornfields. The poems are in English and have many Spanish words in them. This would not be recommended for a beginner EL but for someone in the intermediate level.