Blogs
Mark your calendars: CBP Turns 35
Children's Book Press turns 35 this year and we're planning big things for the fall. Not one but two events to celebrate our books, our many wonderful authors and artists, and, of course, YOU, our community of supporters. So save the dates, mark your calendars, and check back often as we unfold more exciting details about these programs.
Celebrating Mothers
In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday, we're highlighting a very special book that celebrates mothers and families of all sorts. Antonio's Card / La tarjeta de Antonio is about a boy with same-gender parents. In the story, young Antonio wants to make a beutiful card for his mother and her partner, Leslie. But when his classmates make fun of Leslie, Antonio must choose whether—or how—to express himself and his love for his family.
When the book was published in 2004. Kirkus Reviews called it "...a first of its kind and a worthy leader." It was also Finalist in the 2005 Lamda Literary Awards. We also developed a free Teacher's Guide to help educators and their students discuss the ideas this book inspires.
So what inspired the story? Here's what the author, Rigoberto Gonzalez, had to say:
"The fact is that the nuclear family (dad, mom, kids) is only one way to define what a family is. Many of us who experienced childhood in a slightly different type of household have always known this. I myself grew up in an extended family: uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. And when the family shrunk, it was only my two grandparents and me for many years. In either case, we were no more and no less a family. Like any other family unit we had happy times and unhappy ones as well. One of my female cousins found a partner in another woman and together they raised two wonderful boys. This family knew of others like them, not all of them were gay parents, but in every instance the couple was made up of two loving people. And sometimes, a child grows up with only one parent. This too is a reality and this also is a family. I wrote Antonio’s Card as a way to honor those families who are a little different, but no less loving and special than my own."
As we honor the special women in our lives, let's remember that, above all, love makes a family.
LET ME HELP reviewed in Kirkus
Here's another great review of Let Me Help! / ¡Quiero ayudar! from the April 15th issue of Kirkus Reviews. Thanks for making the book sound like such a fun read-aloud, especially with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner!
"Like a young child eager to help, Perico, the parrot, is excited about the upcoming Cinco de Mayo preparations and repeatedly cries, 'Let me help! / ¡Quiero ayudar!'—a phrase learned from his family’s youngest child, Martita. So whatever the activity—as Abuela and Tía Lupe make tamales, Elena and mother fashion paper flowers, Lupita and Carmen prepare for the folklórico dance, Antonio and Francisco practice their mariachi piece and Don Martín bakes pan dulce—Perico’s offer to help is either ignored or actively rebuffed by the very busy family. What can a parrot really do to help? Once the celebration begins, Perico flies across the city watching the festivities, and when his family’s extravagantly decorated barge loses its top-most decoration as it passes under the bridge, Perico perches on top with wings spread wide to replace the fallen flowers as the barge continues elegantly down the river. Domínguez’s vigorous paint strokes in bold aquas, greens and blues that stand out against the dusty backdrop vibrantly complement this bilingually told story about the Latino fiesta. (Picture book. 4-6)"
Alma Flor Ada on helping our children grow up bilingually
We came across the following blog entry in LatinBabyBookClub.com, one of our favorite blogs for parents raising bilingual kids, and we've decided to repost it here. It's a piece written by our very own Alma Flor Ada, author of our new book, Let Me Help! / ¡Quiero ayudar! In this post, Alma Flor talks about the advantages of raising your kids bilingually, the problems that arise, and the solutions she offers.
From LatinBabyBookClub.com, posted Sunday, April 25, 2010
Latino parents are frequently concerned about their children's language development. They want to make sure that their children learn to speak English very well. It is a valid concern, and everyone wishing the wellbeing of Latino children want them to learn English well.
The problem is that there is a popular misconception that children will learn English better if they are encouraged, or allowed, to use only English even when the parent's language may be Spanish. This is not so.
When a child has a well developed first language, in this case, Spanish, they will learn better the second language, in this case, English. All the skills they have acquired in the first language will transfer to the second one.
Parents will be able to develop better the language they know best. If that language is Spanish, that is the language they should model for their children.
A child who learns to speak two languages will have many more opportunities than a monolingual child. But important as the opportunities offered by knowing two languages, there are more powerful reasons to encourage a child to grow up bilingually.
If the primary language of parents, grandparents, or caregivers is Spanish the children who can only speak English will be deprived of the very valuable cultural and human enrichment that they could receive in Spanish. And this is a loss that cannot be overestimated.
Many parents emphasize English, disregarding Spanish, considering that in this way their children will be better able to compete and succeed in an English-speaking world. What is very unfortunate is that they fail to realize that the World is becoming less and less monolingual, and that many English-speaking parents are choosing to ensure that their children become bilingual. Thus, someday Latinos may find themselves not being in a good competitive situation not because they do not know English, but because they know only English, when others, who had no Latino heritage, have become fluent two languages.
Human beings are extraordinarily able to survive limitations, but, given a choice, two feet make life easier than one, two hands, easier than one. Why would it be difficult to realize that two languages will provide twice as many opportunities than one?
My own life has been enriched by bilingualism. I did not have the good fortune of growing up bilingual, and had to go the long route of learning English when already almost an adult. Yet, knowing two languages has given me great opportunities --for work, for professional enrichment, for traveling, for developing friendships and relationships, for growing in understanding of other human beings. If I were to single out the most valuable tool in my life it would be knowing two languages, and when I have recently published my life memoirs I have called it Vivir en dos idiomas or "living in two languages" to acknowledge the significance of my two languages in my long and rich life.
I chose to bring up my own four children speaking Spanish. It was the only language used at home. They learned English in school not only without difficulty, but rather with the added support of knowing well another language. Today all four are very successful professionals in different areas --each and everyone has benefited from being bilingual.
Latino children have a most rich cultural heritage that they will never be able to fully enjoy unless they know Spanish well. Let's not deprive out children from this rightful heritage, let's give them the power of two languages, the joy of bilingualism, the opportunity to do twice as much good unto others.
Feel free to visit me at: http://www.almaflorada.com/ where you can always leave me a message.
Alma Flor Ada, Professor Emerita at the University of San Francisco, has devoted her life to advocacy for peace by promoting a pedagogy oriented to personal realization and social justice. A former Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard University and Fulbright Research Scholar she is an internationally reknown speaker in issues of bilingualism and multicultural education.
Alma Flor is the author of numerous children’s books of poetry, narrative, folklore, personal memoirs and non fiction. Her books have received prestigious awards; among many: Christopher Medal (The Gold Coin), Pura Belpré Medal (Under the Royal Palms), Once Upon a World (Gathering the Sun), Parents’ Choice Honor (Dear Peter Rabbit), NCSS and CBC Notable Book (My Name is María Isabel), Junior Library Guild (Tales Our Abuelitas Told). She is also the author of a book of memoirs, Vivir en dos idiomas, two novels for adults, En clave de sol and A pesar del amor, and several professional books for educators, including A Magical Encounter: Latino Children’s Literature in the Classroom, as well as a wealth of educational materials. Her work, in collaboration with F. Isabel Campoy in promoting authorship in students, teachers, and parents is the content of their book Authors in the Classroom: A Transformative Education Process. Alma Flor Ada has been awarded the American Education Research Association [AERA] Hispanic Issues Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary and Postsecondary Education and the California Association for Bilingual Education [CABE] Life Long Award.
Download the LET ME HELP book widget!
Thanks to illustrator Angela Domínguez (and friends) for creating the first ever widget for a Children's Book Press book!
To download the book widget for our new Spring book, Let Me Help! / ¡Quiero ayudar, simply follow these instructions:
1. Click on this Link: http://andillustrations.com/widget-snippet.html
2. Copy the HTML from the box
National Poetry Month is here! Check out our free classroom resources.
In honor of National Poetry Month in April, we bring you a haiku:
A month of poems
We would love to share with you
And teacher’s guides too!
Well, if that doesn't excite you, we hope these books will!
We're proud to highlight some amazing award-winning poetry books for children. With extensive Teacher's Guides and other free resources, you'll have plenty of ways to engage children with poetry all month long. Here’s a list of our favorite poetry titles:
- Angels Ride Bikes
- Animal Poems of the Iguazú
- From the Bellybutton of the Moon
- Grandma and Me at the Flea
- i see the rhythm
- Iguanas in the Snow
- Laughing Tomatoes
- A Movie in My Pillow
- Tan to Tamarind
- Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon
To help educators assist children in exploring these books we have created the following additional resources which are available here for download:
Multicultural voices on your iPod: Download your favorite CBP books on Audible.com
We are very excited to announce that over a dozen of our favorite titles are now available as audio books on Audible.com and the iTunes Store. In an age when an increasing number of children are becoming engrossed in the digital world, this partnership gives us the chance to expose even more children to the postive, identity-affirming, multicultural stories that Children’s Book Press has always been so proud to produce.
With iPods, TV, video games and the Internet, there are a lot of things competing for the attention of children these days. Unfortunately, some kids are becoming computer and technology literate without adequately developing their basic literacy skills. New technologies and gadgets are always going to be exciting, but it’s important for us as parents, educators and publishers to ensure that children still practice the fundamental skills that will serve them their entire lives: reading, critical thinking, writing, and drawing.
These downloadable audio books offer the opportunity for children and parents to engage with our titles in exciting new ways. For our bilingual titles, we offer single-language versions as well as bilingual versions. This gives children an unprecedented opportunity to hear a story in Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and Tagalog, in addition to English.
We strongly recommend listening to our audio books together with children while simultaneously looking at the book. Press pause often to check that they’re following the story and ask them about their thoughts or feelings about what takes place. You can ask them to predict what will happen next, to write a different ending or to think about how they would have acted if they were one of the characters. When they’ve finished the book you can help them write a review and post it on the iTunes store, so they can see their words made public. For more ideas, read Listening and Learning Together on Audible.com.
Of course, this also provides you the opportunity to experience more of our stories in more places. These audio books are affordable, they’re available instantly and convenient to listen to anywhere on your portable MP3 player.
Follow this link for a list of all the Children's Book Press titles available as audio downloads, or click one of the links below. (Read on...)
Counting down to Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2010 (with a special offer)
It's that time of year again. The cherry blossoms are in bloom and the sneezes keep a-comin'. We must be getting close to celebrating my favorite springtime festival, Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros.
For those who are not "in the know," Día ia an annual celebration promoting literacy for children of all liguistic and cultural backgrounds. What began as "Children's Day" in 1925 is now a nationwide event encouraging millions of children to grow a love of reading. (You can read more about the history of Día here.)
For those of you who are "in the know" and are already planning Día celebrations of your own, we've got something special for you. We're offering a 40% discount to schools, libraries, and other organizations who need books for their Día celebration. For details, click here.
In San Francisco, we are celebrating Día on April 25th at the San Francisco Main Library. This is the 11th year the event has taken place in the city, and we've got a snazzy new logo and poster for the occasion. (Click here to download our poster and bookmark.) As usual, there will be music, art activities, performances, and of course, a FREE book for every child in attendance. (Read on for event details.)
Advanced copies of LET ME HELP available today + An Interview with Angela Dominguez
As we mentioned in a previous post, Let Me Help! / ¡Quiero ayudar! is our newest release for Spring, and we couldn't be more excited about it. So we're offering our loyal website visitors (i.e. YOU) the chance to be one of the first people to own it. Starting today, we are making the book available (in advance of its publication date) exclusively on our website! Go ahead, add it to your cart.
For those of you hungry to know more about the book, below is an interview with illustrator Angela Domínguez. Angela was born in Mexico City and raised in Texas. Growing up, she loved to read and to draw. In 2007, she received her MFA in illustration from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, where she is now teaching a class on children's book illustration. Below, Angela shares some of her thoughts on working on Let Me Help!, which is her first ever picture book and second children's book, as well as some sketches.
And lasty, we have to plug Angela's book signing at CABE next week on March 10th. Actually, author Alma Flor Ada will be there as well, so it will be double the fun.
So Angela, take it away!
What motivated your artwork in this book?
I was inspired by Mexican Movie Posters and Toulouse Lautrec. I began with very tight character sketches. It was important for me to depict a wide range of Mexican faces and body types. As a Mexican who immigrated to the United States and grew up in Texas, I felt it was my duty to try to show a variety. Also, I always give my illustrations a sort of soundtrack. What inspired me this time was the James Bond theme music and Earth, Wind & Fire.
What would you like your artwork to communicate to children who read the story?
I’d like for children to understand that you never can predict what a person (or in this case a parrot) can do. I want the children to identify with Perico, who is good-natured, and has only the best intentions. Despite being told repeatedly that he is in the way, he remains true to himself and able to save the day. In addition, I want children to understand and enjoy the imagery associated with the Mexican American Holiday.
How did you create the illustrations for Let Me Help?
When I’m researching my characters, I spend a great deal of time at my local bookstores and libraries. I also spend countless hours drawing from life, and going outdoors for inspiration. I’m on the hunt trying to process what I think the character should look like. This stage can take quite awhile, but it is both necessary and exciting. When it came to the actual illustrations, I worked on a taupe surface and used acrylic, ink and watercolor. I did not use any specific models, but I did a ton of research. I have an older brother that still lives in Texas, and he took countless pictures of the San Antonio Riverwalk on my behalf.
What do you like about illustrating children’s books?
I love children’s books because you are presented with two challenges. First, you have to build an entire world where the characters and story are taking place. Second, you have to make the artwork look effortless. If you don’t address both challenges, the book does not look sincere and lacks that spark. Also, I love making artwork that is not pretentious, but instead approachable and enjoyable to everyone. There is nothing more rewarding than making someone laugh, smile, or feel inspired.
What would you say to children who like to draw and who are thinking about becoming an artist one day?
I recommend just to keep drawing everyday. If you can, try taking an after school course or attend a workshop. Learn as much as you can from museums, books, and classes. Be open to suggestions to your artwork, and understand that criticism is helpful. Being a successful artist has less to do with talent, and more with passion, practice, and perseverance.
TAN TO TAMARIND is named an honor book in the 2009 APA Awards for Literature
Congratulations to Malathi Michelle Iyengar and Jamel Akib, author and illustrator of Tan to Tamarind: Poems About the Color Brown. It was named an Honor Book in the Picture Book Category of the 2009 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. (Read the press release here.) The award is given annualy by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association. The awards promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The winners will each receive an award plaque at the APALA Award Ceremony on Sunday, June 27 during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. It's expected to be an exciting event because the APALA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
