Favorite Spanish Books For Toddlers & Preschoolers

Chris and I are trying to raise Katy speaking both English and Spanish.  For Chris, who grew up speaking both English and Spanish, the task of raising a bilingual child is neither foreign nor particularly difficult.  For me, who did not grow-up speaking Spanish, this task is a much bigger challenge, especially because I am Katy's primary care taker.

My efforts to raise Katy speaking Spanish have pushed me to practice the language like nothing else.  I have forced myself to transition from speaking predominantly English to speaking predominantly Spanish with Katy.  I read websites dedicated to raising bilingual children.  I watch corny videos of Spanish nursery rhymes over and over and over so that eventually I can sing them to Katy without stumbling.

About a year ago, I started reading to Katy in Spanish thanks to the awesome selection of Spanish books at our local library.  For 30 or 40 minutes every two weeks, I sit on the library floor next to colorful bins filled with books and I pick books for reasons I never expected: "Oh, this book introduces some great new vocabulary, repeats a tough verb tense, and introduces an interesting writing style."  "This book is great because it touches on a subject we encountered recently but I didn't feel very comfortable communicating about in the Spanish language."  "That book is cute but the writing is too simple and repeats Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and concepts in books we already own."  These are the things I focus on after having sorted through books to find ones with pictures or subjects that will also hold Katy's attention.

Reading while mom looks for books.

More reading at the library while mom looks for more books.

Over the past several months, I have discovered some really great Spanish books, so many that I am having a hard time keeping track of them.  My goal with this post is to create a running log of books that Katy and I have enjoyed in our quest to master Spanish together. Perhaps this list will be useful for other parents like me, parents who are attempting to raise children to speak a language they themselves are still mastering.

*These books are for those ready to move beyond simple baby books that introduce simple text, pictures, and concepts. 

1. Perros, Perros/Dogs Dogs, by Ginger Foglesong Guy.   Easy but strategic text, awesome pictures (awesome!), and a fun little story.  We've spent hours (HOURS) reading this one.

2. Sopa de Zanahoria, by John Segal.  A nice variety of vocabulary, a unique illustration style, and a fun surprise at the end.  This book sparked Katy's first interest in seeds, or semillas.

3. Let's Eat/A Comer, by Pat Mora.  Easy text with a heartfelt story about the fullness of family centered around one of the most common things families do together: enjoy a good meal.  This book also teaches Hispanic culture.

4. El Gran Granero Rojo, by Margaret Wise Brown and Felicia Bond.  Lovely illustrations and text that is fun to read while introducing some good verbs for animal sounds and not just the animal sounds themselves.

5. El Pastel Esta Tan Arriba, by Sussanne Straber.  Adorable pictures with an adorable story.

6.  La Gallina Hambrienta, by Richard Waring.  A funny, funny story.

7.  Salta, Ranita, Salta, by Robert Kalan.  The building and repetitive nature of the text makes for good practice mastering past tense verbs.

8.  Choco Encuentro una Mama, by Keiko Kasza.  Such a sweet little story!

9. La Vaca Que Decia Oink, by Bernard Most.  Funny story, interesting illustrations, and a hidden message about the beauty of being bilingual.

10. De la Cabeza a los Pies, by Eric Carle.  A fun book to act out, master your animals, and learn some new and very useful verbs.

11.  Eres Tu Mi Mama?, By P.D. Eastman.  An English classic in Spanish that actually works because the English version does not rely on difficult to translate rhyme and rhythm.

12.  La Oca Boba, By Petr Horacek.  A fun little story, a cute ending, and some good vocabulary mixed throughout.

13.  Biblioburro, by Jeanette Winter.  Very colorful and detailed pictures and true story about sharing books in Columbia via a donkey library.  This book also teaches Hispanic culture.

14.  Ana Cultiva Manzanas, by Monica Wellington.  A lesson about an apple farmer and pages filled with colorful pictures.  The pictures are so detailed, but the detail is done a level that a toddler can appreciate.   

15.  Por Favor, Senor Panda, by Steve Anthony.  There's something about the simple text and illustrations in this book that captivates my toddler.  Learning to say please is also a good lesson. 

16.  Pio Peep, by Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy, and Alice Schertle.  This book contains traditional nursery rhymes and songs, and it comes with a CD containing a few of the songs sung in both English and Spanish in a traditional style.  I do not recommend this book for someone looking for accurate English translations because the translations emphasize rhyme and rhythm over accurate translations.  Also, I really wish the CD contained more songs.  I still recommend this book, however, because it is a great (really great!) place to start learning nursery rhymes and toddler songs.  

 Here is a reading of the book with the songs featured on the CD: 

A great album to listen to along with this book is De Colores and Other Latin American Folk Songs for Children by Jose Luis-Orozco because it contains many of the songs featured in Pio Peep but not included on the CD that comes with Pio Peep.  

Update 5/2017: I found a like-new copy of this book last month at a local thrift store for $3! It made my day and then some!

17.  Senor Felipe's Alphabet Adventure, by Sharon Hawkins Vargas. Senor Felipe is a photographer whose assignment is to take pictures of things beginning with each letter in the Spanish alphabet.  This book is not in Spanish, but it is helpful if you are a native English speaker having a hard time thinking of words that start with each letter of the alphabet in Spanish.  In addition to the objects beginning with each letter that Senor Felipe photographs, the book contains an index with additional Spanish words for each letter and pictures of the indexed words that are then hidden in the pages of the book.  Also, the first page of the book contains a map that can be used after a few readings to map out Senor Felipe's alphabet adventure. So, even though this book is in English, it is easily translated (unlike most ABC books), the pictures are interactive on multiple levels, and it is helpful when transitioning from "A is for apple" to "A es de arbol," 

As a side note, this book began my continuing endeavor to figure out what letters are and what letters are not included in the Spanish alphabet.  Some books include W, Ll, Ch, and Rr, while others do not.  For example, Senor Felipe's Alphabet adventure includes Ch, and Ll, but not W or Rr.

18.  Amigos, by Michael Foreman.  The heartwarming story of a cat who feels sorry for his friend, a fish, who is stuck in a fish tank.  The book has lovely watercolor pictures and a well-written story with useful lines like, "Los ojos se le pusieron como platos."

19.  Mira Quien Toca Calipso, by Tony Langham.  A counting book with colorful, detailed yet simple pictures that capture the attention of both toddler and adult. The book introduces numbers, insects, musical instruments, and rhyme with  vocabulary not frequently encountered in toddler books (contagioso, cadencia, marimba, rasguear, etc).  The last two pages contain pictures of the instruments and the insects with brief information on each for learning purposes.  There is also a song that goes along with the story.  An all around great book.  It even inspired my toddler and I to spend an hour one morning drawing insects.

20.  What Can You Do with a Paleta/Que Puedes Hacer con una Paleta, by Carmen Tafolla. A bilingual book that introduces an important aspect of Hispanic culture, the paleta cart, as well as a couple of interesting words (terciopelo, tintineando).  

21.  Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald no Combina, by Monica Brown. A lesson on being unique. This book is still a bit long for my toddler, so I just read the lines from each page necessary to make the story flow.  I like the book, however, because Marisol McDonald is bilingual, and perhaps even biracial, and these elements are incorporated into the story. 

 

22.  Si le Haces Una Fiesta a Una Cerdita, by Laura Numeroff.  All of the books in this series are great in Spanish and English, but this one is my favorite.

23.  Osito, La Vieja Jirafa, y El Muro de Piedra, by Susanna Isern.  The story in this book is so sweet it made me cry...more than once.  It's a story about how simple, considerate acts can change someone's world and encourage that person (or animal in the case of the book) to do the same for others.

24.  El Zorrito, by Kate Banks.  A story about eager little ones to independence.  The pictures are lovely.  The text is full of imagery and subtle repetition.  Make sure you don't read this one when you're feeling particularly sappy about how quick your baby is growing up.

25.  No Como Todos, by Rob Biddulph.  A story about wanting to be the same and being different.  The illustrations make this book one you will read over and over and over.  

26.  Que Ordenado, by Emily Gravett.  A skunk who likes to clean a little too much, until he learns about the danger of extremes and the need for balance.  This book features fantastic illustrations to go along with the endearing story.  

27. Monstruo Rosa, by Olga de Dios Ruiz.  There are two books by the same author we read prior to this one (Pajaro Amarillo and Buscar).  Monstruo Rosa was by far our favorite.  An added bonus is that the characters from the other books appear in Monstruo Rosa.  It's a fun story with room for a lesson and very different but engaging illustrations.  

28.  El Dia que Los Crayones Regresaron a Casa, by Drew Daywalt.  Who doesn't love these books?  I think this one, the sequel to El Dia que Los Crayones Renunciaron, is by far a more enjoyable read.  Both are super creative, but this one takes the cake in my opinion.  

29.  Tienes un Pajaro en La Cabeza, by Mo Willems.  You can't go wrong with Piggie and Elephant books.  There are over 20 of them, but only a handful are translated into Spanish.  Tienes un Pajaro en la Cabeza is my favorite one that is translated into Spanish (a very close second is Hoy Voy a Volar).  The simple illustrations, humor, and heart warming friendship, and humor make these books fun for any age to read.  Someday I will own the complete set in English because these books are solid, as are most books by Mo Willems.  

30.  El Cambalache, by Jan Omerod. A good story for little ones who are making the big change from only child to big brother or big sister.  Detailed pictures and a bit of humor.  

31.  El Dia que se Comieron a Luis, by John Fardell.  We've read this book sooooo many times.  The pictures are great because there are lots of little surprises and clues hidden within them.  The story is repetitive enough to engage a young reader but not so repetitive that it bores an adult reader.  The strong, inventive female lead and the bond between brother and sister are added bonuses.