New Bilingual Book for Children

Teach Your Children Spanish While They Learn About Zoo Animals

Jan 16, 2009 Mayra Calvani

Laughing Zebra Books opens its doors with a Spanish and English picture book that will teach children not only about language, but also about exotic animals.

Laughing Zebra, a division of J.O.Y. Publishing, is a new Puerto Rican press specializing in bilingual children's books.

A Plot That Young Children Can Relate To

The first book in the series, Zooprise Party/Fiesta Zoorpresa, is the story of Mori the Okapi. It's Mori's birthday today, but things aren't going very well. He feels sad because he thinks all his friends in the zoo have forgotten about his birthday. What he doesn't know is that not only they haven't forgotten, but they're planning a surprise party. Mori's best friends include a gerenuk and a king vulture, among others. Needless to say, the day ends well with a wonderful party and a very happy okapi.

A Book That Teaches and Entertains

Author Rebekha Delgado, a zoo keeper, uses an elementary tale and a kid-friendly approach to teaching children about language--English and Spanish--and about the special characteristics of certain uncommon, exotic animals. The computer-generated illustrations are simple and colorful, serving well the purpose of the book, which is to teach and entertain. Below each illustration, on the left side, is the English text, with its Spanish translation on the right side. The text itself is short with maybe two or three sentences at most. The book can be a read-aloud for younger kids or, in the case of older ones, they can read it for themselves.

Zooprise Party/Fiesta Zoorpresa is accompanied by an Activity Book filled with coloring pages, cross-word puzzles, follow the numbers, find the hidden words and other activities that will keep those young minds busy. Besides the Activity Book, there's also a Teacher's Guide composed of reading discussions, arts and crafts ideas, and games and answer sheets, making the teaching process easy for educators. At the end, there are also facts about okapis, gerenuks, king vultures, and about how to become a zoo keeper.

All three books are available for $20.70. For more information, visit the publisher's website. The publisher has a mascot, Zebee the Zebra, that keeps a blog with the latest news about their books.

The Importance of a Second Language

Now more than ever, in this competitive world we live in, parents and educators are encouraged to teach children a second language, and everyone knows that kids are able to absorb a new language best at an early age. This new series of books is one that teachers will find helpful and practical in a classroom environment. For parents in a bilingual, English and Spanish household, this is a most valuable type of book to introduce young minds to a new language.

The copyright of the article New Bilingual Book for Children in Children’s Books is owned by Mayra Calvani. Permission to republish New Bilingual Book for Children in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Zooprise Party/Fiesta Zoorpresa

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Comments

Jan 20, 2009 6:09 AM

Guest :

Teaching children a second language is always a plus for them down the line. Truly enjoyed your article.

Jan 20, 2009 10:37 AM

Guest :

Good article. I know there is a great need for bilingual books. Congratulations to J.O.Y. Publishing.

Shari Lyle-Soffe

Jan 20, 2009 6:31 PM

Guest :

Mayra's insightful reviews are a great resource when searching for a good book. I've relied on her recommendations and am never disappointed when I follow them.

I went to college in Davis, California. The importance of learning another language was recognized by the educators. Half the day elementary classes were taught in Spanish and half in English.

Children leaving elementary school were bilingual. In high school they were required to take another language class. After high school children were trilingual.

J. Aday Kennedy
www.jadaykennedy.com

Apr 27, 2009 5:13 PM

Guest :

I visited this site to see what it was like. I found this article to be very well done and if I had children the age for this book, I would probably get it for them. I agree with the point Mayra Calvani makes about a second language. Anne K. Edwards

4 Comments