National Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino Americans’ history, culture, and contributions to the United States. It takes place from September 15 to October 15 each year. The month recognizes the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States, including their art, advocacy work, and traditional foods. It also honors the trailblazing individuals who fought for equity and progress in their communities. This week I’ll be sharing several children’s books from Hispanic authors. Click HERE to see all the books.
The Teeny Tiendas board book series is a bilingual series written in both English and Spanish that introduces young readers to special places in their community.
TEENY TIENDAS: THE FRUIT SHOP/LA FRUTERÍA
By: Lourdes Heuer
Illustrated by: Zara González Hoang
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Board Book
Mr. Manzano’s fruit shop is full of all kinds of delicious fruit. From loquats and figs to peaches and plums, there is a wide variety of fruit to choose from for the picnic. The illustrations show a shop full of fruit and various diverse customers loading up their baskets as well as even trying some fruit.
What makes this book special is that it is bilingual. Each sentence is written in English and then in Spanish. Children will learn the names of various fruits in Spanish and also see how sentences are written differently in English versus Spanish.
The other benefit of this book is that it exposes young children to all kinds of various fruit options. I doubt most children have tried a loquat or a fig. What about a guava? Reading this book and taking your child to the store to look for a star fruit or dragon fruit and then bringing it home to try helps expose your child to new and delicious fruit. They just might find a new favorite. Be sure to check out the other board book in the Teeny Tiendas series, THE FLOWER SHOP.
TEENY TIENDAS: THE FLOWER SHOP/LA FLORERÍA
By: Lourdes Heuer
Illustrated by: Zara González Hoang
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Board Book
Mrs. Rosario has the most beautiful flowers in her flower shop. With bilingual text, toddlers will learn the English and Spanish words for various flowers.
This book exposes young readers to various flowers with all kinds of colors. They will see bouquets of roses, hydrangeas, and hibiscus. The best part is the children are taking these bouquets to the local senior center. The end of the book shares an illustrated chart of all the flowers with both their Spanish and English names.
Aside from teaching your child English and Spanish words for flowers, this book encourages your child to want to share joy with others, including the senior citizens in your community. I encourage you to visit your own local florist and make a bouquet to gift to an elderly neighbor or drop off at a nursing home in your area. Be sure to check out the other board book in the Teeny Tiendas series, THE FRUIT SHOP.
Lourdes Heuer holds an MFA in Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an associate professor of English at Broward College in South Florida. She is the author of the picture book On This Airplane, illustrated by Sara Palacios, and Esme’s Birthday Conga Line, illustrated by Marissa Valdez. Lourdes is the child of Cuban refugees who fled to Spain in 1969 and lived above a city toy store until she was eight, when she moved to the United States. She now lives in Florida with her family.
Zara González Hoang is a children’s author and illustrator. She’s the creator of the picture book A New Kind of Wild and the illustrator of the picture books Thread of Love by Kabir Sehgal and Surishtha Sehgal and Mi Casa Is My Home by Laurenne Sala. Zara González Hoang lives with her family outside of Washington, DC.
To purchase a copy of TEENY TIENDAS: THE FRUIT SHOP, click HERE
To purchase a copy of TEENY TIENDAS: THE FLOWER SHOP, click HERE.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
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Posted Under bilingual books, board book, Book Review, Children's books, flowers, fruit, Hispanic, Hispanic Heritage Month