Thematic Reading List: 15 Bilingual Picture Books
Bilingual picture books provide a unique way for students to learn basic words and conversational phrases in other languages. The books listed below present simple words and phrases great for beginning bilingual learners. Please note that most of the books on this list are bilingual Spanish/English in response to the higher percentage of Spanish/English learners in American classrooms.
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Calabash Cat, and His Amazing Journey By: James Rumford A Calabash Cat, living in Africa, sets off to see where the world ends. The text is also repeated in Arabic. |
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The Day it Snowed Tortillas= El Dia que Nevaron Tortillas By: Joe Hayes Illustrated by: Antonio Castro Lopez This flip-book relates ten Spanish folktales in both English and Spanish. A pencil drawing accompanies each story. Though every story has a familiar feel, they all have a distinct Spanish flavor that makes them appealing. |
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El Gato Leo Comes to Play: a first Spanish story By: Opal Dunn Invites youngsters to learn Spanish by lifting the flaps to see the English translations of the words Leo, a cat who speaks only Spanish, says as he plays. |
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Gracias By: Pat Mora Illustrated by: John Parra A young multiracial boy celebrates family, friendship, and fun by telling about some of the everyday things for which he is thankful. |
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Hurry home, hedgehog!: a bilingual book of sounds By: Belle Yang Featuring side-by-side text in English and Mandarin Chinese, a bilingual celebration of the natural world combines illustrations with concept-reinforcing sound words describing a little hedgehog’s exploration of his surroundings. |
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Let Me Help! By: Alma Flor Ada Illustrated by: Angela Dominguez A pet parrot tries to help his human family prepare for the Cinco de Mayo festivities in San Antonio, Texas. |
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Lupa Vargas and Her Super Best Friend By: A Costales Illustrated by: Alexandra Artigas Lupe and Ana are best friends. After playing games, they have a disagreement and they must determine how to fix it. |
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Maya’s Blanket By: Monica Brown Illustrated by: David Diaz When a little girl’s cherished baby blanket becomes old and worn, it is made into a dress, and over the years it is made into even smaller and smaller items, eventually ending up as a bookmark and inspiring the creation of a book. |
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Minutka the bilingual dog By: Anna Mycek-Wodecki In both English and Chinese, a little black-and-white dog describes her life with a bilingual family and all the things she can do, including shake her paw and run in circles. |
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My Name is Celia: the life of Celia Cruz By: Monica Brown Illustrated by: Rafael Lopez This is the debut title in Rising Moon’s “Luna Rising” series of bilingual Latino storybook-biography series for young readers and tells the story of Cuban songstress/Salsa Queen Celia Cruz. |
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Quinito’s Neighborhood= El Vecindario de Quinito By: Ina Cumpiano Illustrated by: Jose Ramirez Quinito describes the members of his family and some of the people in his neighborhood and what they do, from his mother the carpenter and his father the nurse to his teacher and his wife, the school crossing guard. |
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Say Something, Perico By: Trudy Harris Illustrated by: Cecilia Rebora Perico is a Spanish-speaking parrot who lives in a pet store, and although he works very hard to earn a new home, buyers keep returning him until the bird, now bilingual, finds the perfect owner. Includes Spanish glossary and pronunciation guide. |
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Sora and the cloud = Sora to kumo By: Felicia Hoshino Illustrated by: Akiko Hisa A young boy climbs up a tree and into a waiting cloud, which takes him on a whirling adventure in the sky. |
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The Storyteller’s Candle By: Lucia M. Gonzalez Illustrated by: Lulu Delacre During the early days of the Great Depression, New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpre, introduces the public library to immigrants living in El Barrio and hosts the neighborhood’s first Three Kings’ Day fiesta. |
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The Upside Down Boy By: Juan Felipe Herrera Illustrated by: Elizabeth G. Omez The author recalls the year when his farm worker parents settled down in the city so that he could go to school for the first time. |