• Bebé Goes Shopping by Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by Steven Salerno. (2006) Ages 3-7
  When Bebé accompanies Mama to the supermercado, an errand turns into an adventure! Spanish words appear throughout, and while there is a glossary, most meanings are clear from context.
• Cactus Soup by Eric A. Kimmel, illus. by Phil Huling. (2004) Ages 4-8
  A retelling of the stone soup story set in Mexico, with a cactus thorn playing the role of the stone. Spanish food words like tamale and chorizo are defined in a glossary.
• Juan Bobo Goes to Work by Marisa Montes, illus. by Joe Cepeda. (2000) Ages 4-8
  The Puerto Rican folk character Juan Bobo is notorious for his foolishness. When he goes out to find a job, he can’t keep track of his earnings. A glossary with pronunciation defines not only words, but also phrases such as ¿Me puede dar trabajo?
• Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book by Yuyi Morales. (2003) Ages 4-8
  In this traditional tale, the skeleton Señor Calavera visits at Grandma Beetle on her birthday. He is ready to take her to the next life, but she asks him to wait while she finishes her chores. After helping her keep track of her birthday preparations, he decides to stay for the party instead.
• Let’s Eat! by Ana Zamorano, illus. by Julie Vivas. (1996) Ages 4-8
  Each day, Antonio’s Mamá tries to get everyone to sit down together to eat, but someone is always busy elsewhere. Mamá’s refrain, each time she finds out about an absence, is “Ay, qué pena! What a pity!” Finally, the family comes together to celebrate the arrival of baby Rosa.
• Love and Roast Chicken by Barbara Knutson. (2004) Ages 4-8
  In this trickster tale from the Andes Mountains, Cuy, a clever guinea pig, manages to escape three times from a hungry fox. The glossary includes both Spanish and Quechua words.
• Mañana, Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by Ethan Long. (2004) Ages 4-8
  This adaptation of the Little Red Hen is set in Mexico. As an iguana plans a fiesta, her desert animal friends promise to help, but make excuses to put the work off until mañana.
• Oh, No, Gotta Go! by Susan Middleton Elya, illus. by G. Brian Karas. (2003) Ages 2-6
  A familiar family scenario: a little girl realizes at the beginning of a long car ride that she’s forgotten to use the bathroom. All the stores are cerradas, because today is domingo. When her parents finally find un baño, they must cut to the front of a long line...con permiso!

*Born to Read recommends sharing a variety of multilingual books with young children to stimulate interest in other languages. While a growing number of excellent children’s books are fully bilingual, this list is limited to books in English that incorporate a smattering of Spanish words or phrases.

You can download the booklist as a pdf.