Luisa LaFleur | The Children’s Book Review
From color-themed board books, Spanish translations, enchanting illustrations, and zany interactions with crazy animals, here is a list of beautiful bilingual books (Spanish and English) for young readers.
Red Rojo, Blue Azul, Yellow Amarillo and Green Verde
Written by Meritxell Martí
Illustrated by Xavier Salomó
What to expect: Color-themed board books, Spanish translations
Red Rojo, Blue Azul, Yellow Amarillo and Green Verde are a series of four board books aimed at the very youngest readers. Each book provides one word per page in English with its Spanish translation and pronunciation guide. Each double-page spread includes an illustration in the book’s theme color that provides ample opportunity to explore further and ask questions. Each illustration also provides a visual clue that leads to the next illustration allowing the reader to draw links from one page to another and to create a story.
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Ages 0-3 | Publisher: Gibbs Smith
All the Colors/De Colores
Written by Susie Jaramillo
What to expect: Bilingual board books with enchanting illustrations
All the Colors/De Colores is an ingenious flipbook that provides readers with a traditional Mexican nursery rhyme in Spanish on one side and translated into English when the book is flipped to the other side. The illustrations are bright and cheery and perfectly fit with the lyrical text. The final pages of each side feature flaps with the names of colors in English and in Spanish.
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Ages 0-3 | Publisher: Encantos | 978-1945635366
Pin Pon
Written by Susie Jaramillo
What to expect: Bilingual board books with enchanting illustrations
Pin Pon is the story of a little cardboard boy that has been used for generations to teach children manners and personal hygiene. Using the same flip book methods as All the Colors, the story is laid out in Spanish with flaps that include names or phrases in Spanish on one side and then, once the book is flipped over, the same story and phrases in English. The clever concept allows readers to enjoy the full story in the language of their choice and then flip the book over to see the translated version. The flaps add an additional fun activity for the youngest readers.
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Ages 0-3 | Publisher: Encantos | 978-1945635373
First 100 Words
Written by Susie Jaramillo
What to expect: Bilingual board books with enchanting illustrations
First 100 Words provides easy-reader words in English and Spanish, organized by theme. Covering such areas as school, sports, and nature, the illustrations show colorful characters engaged in the activities that pertain to the particular theme. The structure allows for the weaving of stories around the items and characters on each page, building vocabulary in both English and Spanish.
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Ages 0-3 | Publisher: Encantos | 978-1945635298
Letters A to Z
Written by Susie Jaramillo
What to expect: Bilingual board books with enchanting illustrations
Letters A to Z is the fourth of the Canticos series of books, continuing with the concept of building vocabulary and fluidity with both Spanish and English. The pages include words for each letter, one in English and one in Spanish. Accompanied by colorful illustrations of animals, this book is a clever companion to the First 100 Words book as it also allows readers to weave new and interesting stories based on the illustrations on each page.
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Ages 0-3 | Publisher: Encantos | 978-1945635335
Lonely Planet Kids First Words: Spanish
Illustrated by Andy Mansfield and Sebastien Iwohn
What to expect: Bilingual book series with simple, classic illustrations
Two great compilations from Lonely Planet Kids round out our list of bilingual books for the youngest readers. Available in a board book format and a larger, soft cover format, First Words Spanish provides easy to read words in English and Spanish, with classic illustrations. In both formats, each page includes one word and its illustration. The simple layout and design are perfect for pre-verbal children to begin to associate words with items and encourage language development. A must have for those seeking to familiarize babies and young children with Spanish words while also building their English vocabulary.
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Ages 0-5 | Publisher: Lonley Planet Global | 978-1788682473
The Fabulous Lost and Found and the Little Mouse Who Spoke Spanish
Written by Mark Pallis
What to expect: Bilingual exchanges, zany interactions and clever animals
In The Fabulous Lost and Found and the Mouse Who Spoke Spanish, author Mark Pallis introduces readers to a lovely pair of frogs that run a most interesting lost and found. Within the tiny walls of their establishment, they have found a home for objects ranging from keys to cheese to umbrellas—and everything in between. One day, a young mouse enters to look for a lost item, but she speaks Spanish and Mr. and Mrs. Frog speak English. Although they don’t understand what the little mouse is saying, they can tell that she is distraught at the loss of her beloved item. They do their very best to communicate—and eventually find the missing item. Sprinkled with Spanish words and dialogue throughout the text, readers will be able to infer meanings with the help of the colorful illustrations and the guide at the end of the book. Cleverly told, the Fabulous Lost and Found and the Mouse Who Spoke Spanish makes for a lovely read-aloud story about fostering communication and understanding, especially when there is a language barrier.
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Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Neu Westend Press| 978-1913595074
Header image illustration from Red Rojo written by Meritxell Martí and illustrated by Xavier Salomó.
Beautiful Bilingual Books for Young Readers: Spanish and English was curated by Luisa LaFleur. Discover more books like these titles by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Bilingual Picture Books, Board Books, and Spanish Books.
