Revel in shelves full of playthings as this warm, bilingual board book series continues, introducing the youngest of readers to the community around them.
Welcome to Mr. Alegra’s toy store. Bienvenido a la juguetería del Señor Alegra.
Step into Mr. Alegra’s store and just try not to smile at all the different toys he sells, from scooters and kites to bubbles and balls. Learn their names in both English and Spanish, then pick one to donate to the toy drive and spread some joy! Will you choose some cuddly plushies/peluches? Chalk and clay/tiza y arcilla for creativity? Or some puzzles/rompecabezas for a little challenge? They all look like fun! In this bright, bilingual series of board books from Lourdes Heuer and Zara González Hoang, readers are invited to stop at a different teeny tienda in every book—and celebrate with the vibrant, diverse community that frequents it.
How many ways are there to say mother? A bilingual child investigates in this joyful picture-book exploration from the creators of My Mother’s Tongues.
“Thank you, Amma,” says the child as her mother praises a birdhouse she’s making with her friend Angelina. With two languages spoken at home, English and Malayalam (the most common language in Kerala, India, where her parents and grandparents were born), Amma is a word the child uses for her Indian-American mom. But Angelina, whose family is from Mexico City, says that her mother is called Mamá. And there are so many other names for mother! Thea’s mother is Greek and known as Mana. Francisco’s family is from Brazil, where moms answer to Mãe. Aliya is fluent in Arabic, whose word for mother is Umma. . . . With just a peek at the many ways to say mother among the world’s thousands of languages, the author and illustrator behind My Mother’s Tongues have fashioned another love letter to family bonds and heritage, another salute to multilingualism for a world that grows smaller and more connected day by day.
