This month’s reading list is brought to you by the Springdale Public Library. The library is now renting books by appointment only. They are offering online story times in English and Spanish, craft tutorials, S.T.E.A.M. videos and more, posted every weekday on their Facebook page.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month there will be many events, including a bilingual drawing class by Latin book illustrator Taina Almodovar. For more information, visit www.springdalelibrary.org or call 479‑750‑8180.
Don Quixote (Board book)
Author: Jennifer Adams
Age: Baby to 2 years
This book is a really good way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. Don Quixote is the protagonist of the novel with the same name by Miguel de Cervantes, a classical book from Spanish literature. Opposing panels in each two-page spread give a word and a corresponding image, doing references to the classic story. One in English, the other Spanish. everything is translated, including little talk bubbles. Bilingual book.
Evita/Opposites-Opuestos
(Board book)
Author: Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein
Age: Baby to 2 years
Eva Peron’s legacy has inspired many around the world. Better known as Evita, her story started in a small town in Argentina and continued as she used her position as First Lady to fight for women and the working class. With this book children will learn about opposite couplings and their first English and Spanish words, while introducing them to the life of an extraordinary woman. Bilingual book.
I Don’t Want Curly Hair /
“No quiero el cabello rizado” (Picture Book)
Author: Laura Ellen Anderson
Age: Baby-5 years
This book talks about a girl who doesn’t like her curly hair. She goes around talking by herself and thinking why is so terrible to have curly hair and dreaming with to have a straight one. Happen that in the middle of the story appears a girl with straight hair talking about it would be fantastic if she could have curly hair. Both look each other and concluded they are being silly trying to get something that don’t have and not taking advantage about to be different. This book is available in English and in Spanish.
Sing With Me/ Canta conmigo (Picture book)
Author: Jose Luis Orozco
Age: Baby-6 years
Find here 6 classic songs in English and Spanish. For example the wheels on the bus, the Eensy, Weensy spider and twinkle twinkle little star. Bilingual book.
Salsa Lullaby (Picture Book)
Author: Jen Arena
Age: Baby–PreK
When nighttime falls, it’s time for baby to go to sleep. In this household, that means it’s also time for mama, papa, and baby to baila/dance, canta/sing, salta/jump, and more all the way to bedtime!
My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Picture Book)
Author: Isabel Quintero
Age: PreK–2nd grade
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she’s always known in this celebration of the love between a father and daughter, and of a vibrant immigrant neighborhood.
Alma and How She Got Her Name (Picture Book)
Author: Juana Martinez-Neal
Age: Pre-K–2nd grade
What’s in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from. As she hears the story, Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela starts to think her name might be a perfect fit after all—and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell.
Tomas and the Library Lady (Picture Book)
Author: Pat Mora
Age: PreK–2nd Grade
Tomas, the son of migrant workers, spends his summer following crops north from Texas to Iowa, spending long hard days in the field. At night they listen to Grandfather’s stories until Tomas knows them all by heart. When Grandfather tells Tomas that there are more stories in the library, a whole new world is opened for a young reader. Mora’s inspirational story suggests all that libraries—and education—can make possible.
Carmela Full of Wishes (Picture Book)
Author: Matt de la Peña
Age: PreK-2nd grade
Carmela, finally old enough to run errands with her brother, tries to think of the perfect wish, while his wish seems to be that she stayed home in this ode to family, to dreamers, and to finding hope in the most unexpected places.
ONE is a Piñata. A Book of Numbers (Picture book)
Author: Roseanne Greenfield Thong
Age: 3-6 years
In this book children discover a fiesta of numbers in the world around them, all the way from one to ten. Also, they can learn some Spanish words from Latin culture. With rich, boisterous illustrations, a fun-to-read rhyming text, and an informative glossary, this vibrant book enumerates the joys of counting and the wonders that abound in every child’s day!
Just Ask! /¡Solo pregunta! (Picture book)
Author: Sonia Sotomayor
Age: 4-8 years
Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and award-winning artist Rafael Lopez create a kind and caring book about the differences that make each of us unique. This book is available in English and in Spanish.
Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña (Picture book)
Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Age: 4- 8 years
Do you know where is Galápagos Island? This book talks about Valentina, a girl who experiences the joy of growing up among the unique wildlife the Galápagos have to offer, because she is born there. Valentina spends her days observing the natural world around her. She greets sea lions splashing on the shore, scampers over lava rocks and swims with manta rays. But Valentina also understands the fragility of this wondrous world, and she makes a solemn promise to protect the islands and her animal friends. Bilingual book.
Islandborn (Picture Book)
Author: Junot Díaz
Age: K–3rd grade
Lola was just a baby when her family left the Island, so when she has to draw it for a school assignment, she asks her family, friends, and neighbors about their memories of her homeland…and in the process, comes up with a new way of understanding her own heritage.
The ugly duckling/ “El patito feo” (Picture book/E-book)
Autor: Mercè Escardó i Bas
Age: Baby-12 years
Here’s the classic story of an ugly little duckling teased by the entire barnyard. Embarking on a journey of adventure and discovery, the poor little creature eventually makes a triumphant, heart-warming return to his home. This traditional story is about being friends with people who are different from you. The e-book Spanish version is available in TumbleBookLibrary.
Sofia Martinez: La Receta Secreta (Early Reader)
Author: Jacqueline Jules,
illustrated by Kim Smith
Age: Pre-K-2nd grade
Sofia loves to cook and is very excited to help her grandmother make rice pudding using her very secret recipe. Will a small mistake ruin the whole day? Or even worse, will it ruin the church dinner?
Campout – Carlos & Carmen Series (Reader)
Author: Kristen McDonald
Age: 2nd-3rd grade
The Garcias are spending the afternoon at the pool in the park. The twins are having fun in the shallow end until Carlos gets water in his eyes. Just when it seems like the fun will be over, Carmen figures out how to let everybody have a splashing good time.
Saraí Y La Feria Alrededor Del Mundo (Early Chapter Book)
Author: Saraí Gonzalez and Monica Brown
Age: 2nd-4th grade
When Sarai outgrows her bike, she worries she’ll never get to travel anywhere. But when Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary host their first Around the World fair, Sarai learns that with a little imagination you can go anywhere you want!
Owl Diaries/ Diario de una lechuza (Early Chapter Book)
Author: Rebecca Elliott
Age: 2nd-3rd grade
I just love Eva, her adventures and friends! This series is part of Scholastic’s early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. In book #5, it’s almost Warm Hearts Day! Everyone is busy making gifts for their loved ones. Eva LOVES crafting, so she creates all sorts of fun gifts and treats for her friends. She is excited to give out her homemade gifts at the big party at the Old Oak Tree. But then Eva realizes she forgot to make gifts for her family! Will she be able to make the gifts in time?
Luciana: Misión Submarina (Early Chapter Book)-Spanish Edition
Author: Erin Teagan
Age: 2nd-4th grade
Luciana is at the youth astronaut training camp. She hopes to be chosen to dive to an underwater habitat where real astronauts train for life in space. But when Luci accuses her diving partner of sabotage, no one believes her and her chances of making the diving team sink fast. Things hit rock bottom when Luci has an underwater crisis. Suddenly, making the dive team isn’t her biggest worry. She’ll have to conquer her fears if she ever wants to make it to Mars. If she can’t, will she have to kiss her dreams of becoming an astronaut good-bye?
Ghost Squad (Chapter Book)
Author: Claribel A. Ortega
Age: 2nd-6th grade
Ghosts are more than the family business for Lucely Luna. When Lucely and her best friend Syd cast a spell accidentally waking malicious spirits just before Halloween, the ghosts start wreaking havoc through their town of St. Augustine, Florida. They’ll need to join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother Babette and the tubby tabby Chunk to fight the ghosts head on and reverse the curse to save the town.
Stella Díaz Never Gives Up (Chapter Book)
Author: Angela Dominguez
Age: 2nd-6th grade
Stella gets a big surprise when her mom plans a trip to visit their family in Mexico! Stella loves marine animals, and she can’t wait to see the ocean for the first time … until she arrives and learns that the sea and its life forms are in danger due to pollution. Stella wants to save the ocean, but she knows she can’t do it alone. It’s going to take a lot of work and help from old and new friends to make a difference, but Stella Díaz never gives up!
Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble (Chapter Book)
Author: Anna Meriano
Age: 3rd-6th grade
Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival. Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake. Leo knows that she has magical ability as well and is more determined than ever to join the family business—even if she can’t let her mama and hermanas know about it yet. And when her best friend, Caroline, has a problem that needs solving, Leo has the perfect opportunity to try out her craft. It’s just one little spell, after all…what could possibly go wrong?
The Storm Runner (Chapter Book)
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Age: 4-8th grade
Zane Obispo spends his time exploring the sleeping volcano in his backyard. “The Beast,” the name he calls the volcano, is the only place he can escape to because the other kids make fun of him for his limp and walking with a cane. When a plane crashes and a girl named Brooks tells him the sleeping volcano is actually a prison housing the Mayan god of death, Zane can’t believe what he’s hearing. Especially when she tells him it’s related directly to his own fate. Magic is real, and Zane is at the center of prophecy that could destroy the world.
Mañanaland (Chapter Book)
Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Age: 4-8th grade
Maximiliano Córdoba loves the stories that Buelo tells him, especially about the mythical gatekeeper who guides brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow. Max would love to see tomorrow to know if he’s made the fútbol team, or ever meet his mother who disappeared when he was a baby. His Papá doesn’t talk about her much, but when he finds a network of guardians that lead people fleeing danger to safety, he goes on a journey to find answers on his own. Max will be going on a journey to find where his true heart lies.