The Moon is La Luna: Silly Rhymes in English & Spanish is a delightful introduction to poetry and Spanish for little ears. It was also one of the many wonderful books submitted to the Cybils Awards this year. Some samples:
Grande is big.
Pequeño is small.
And nada is nothing at all.
The sea is el mar.
To float is flotar.
If you miss the boat,
You won't get too far
If you try to float
'Cross the sea in your car.
Written by Jay M. Harris and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, the poems engage readers in word play while the amusing illustrations demonstrate what could happen if you used the wrong word. For example:
In Español, papá means "dad."
("paPA" is how it is said.)
But papá (said "POP-a") doesn't mean "dad."
It means "potato" instead.
So watch how you say it,
Unless you would like
A potato to tuck you in bed.
The idea of being tucked into bed by a giant potato sends little ones into gales of laughter. Introducing inventive word play when children are highly attuned to rhyme is a wonderful way to train their ears to listen to the differences between English and Spanish. I highly recommend this book to "little" ears of all ages.
The Poetry Friday Round-up is at The Simple and the Ordinary today.
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By: Annie,
on 3/7/2008
Blog: Crazy For Kids Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Annie,
on 3/7/2008
Blog: Crazy For Kids Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Poetry Friday, silly rhymes, Spanish and English, silly rhymes, Spanish and English, Add a tag
3 Comments on Poetry Friday: The Moon is La Luna, last added: 3/10/2008
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What a great book for teaching a bit of Spanish - and an enjoyment for poetry at the same time!
Two wonderful poems for the young childen. A great way to introduce them to Spanish and poetry.
I absolutely agree and will be looking for more silly rhymes from this author in the future.