We’ve gathered a list of picture books for Spanish-speaking little ones! These great titles are also perfect for any young readers who may be learning Spanish and have been looking for engaging reads that can also boost language learning skills!
Sobre los mamíferos
Una guía para niños
Written by Cathryn Sill
Illustrated by John Sill
This addition to the acclaimed About… series offers young readers a first glimpse into the diverse and natural world of mammals. Educator and author Cathryn Sill uses simple, easy-to-understand language to teach children about mammals, and illustrator John Sill introduces readers to the huge variety of mammals with beautifully detailed and realistic paintings. An afterword provides details on the animals featured and inspires readers to learn more.
Sobre los pájaros
Una guía para niños
Written by Cathryn Sill
Illustrated by John Sill
This beginner’s guide offers a first glimpse into the natural world of birds. In this addition to the About… series, author Cathryn Sill teaches children what birds are, what they do, and how they live. Noted wildlife illustrator John Sill uses beautifully detailed, realistic paintings to introduce readers to the diverse and natural world of birds. An afterword provides further details on the featured birds and inspires young readers to learn more.
14 vacas para América
Written by Carmen Agra Deedy,
in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez
In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon the American men, women, and children, and he is there to accept it. This gift of 14 cows is as unexpected as it is extraordinary, and it offers a soft light of hope and friendship for the heartsick American nation. With the stunning paintings of Thomas Gonzalez, master storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy hits all the right notes in this elegant story of generosity that crosses boundaries, nations, and cultures.
Un colchón de plumas para Ágata
Un cuento de alas para niños
Written by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Laura L. Seeley
When children approach Agatha wanting to know the source of the beautiful fabrics in her weaving shop, she always recites a simple verse.
Everything comes from something,
Nothing comes from nothing.
Just like paper comes from trees,
And glass comes from sand,
An answer comes from a question.
All you have to do is ask.
Perhaps Agatha forgets her own advice, for one night her pleasant sleep is disrupted by six cranky, cold, naked geese who want to discuss the source of the feathers keeping Agatha so warm in her brand new feather bed. In a delightfully surprising ending, Agatha arrives at a solution that benefits them all.
La gallinita de la pradera
Written by Jackie Mims Hopkins
Illustrated by Henry Cole
When Mary McBlicken the prairie chicken is sure a stampede’s a comin’! She hurries to the ranch, gathering up her friends along the way. Before the fine feathered and furry folks get to their destination, they encounter a coyote who says he knows a shortcut. Should they trust him? Will they find Cowboy Stan and Red Dog Dan in time? And where is that rumbling coming from anyway?
Jackie Mims Hopkins brings readers a hilarious, prairie-style rendition of a well-loved tale. Henry Cole’s energetic illustrations perfectly complement the hilarity and will have readers laughing out loud.
Martina una cucarachita muy linda
Un cuento cubano
Written by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Michael Austin
Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn’t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That’s where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her something really useful: un consejo increíble, some shocking advice. At first, Martina is skeptical of her Abuela’s unorthodox suggestion, but when suitor after suitor fails the Coffee Test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can ever find true love. Soon, only the gardener Pérez, a tiny brown mouse, is left. But what will happen when Martina offers him café cubano?
Miguel y su valiente caballero
El Joven Cervantes sueña a don Quijote
Written by Margarita Engle
Illustrated by Raúl Colón
Translated by Teresa Mlawer and Georgina Lázaro
This fictionalized first-person biography in verse of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra follows the early years of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel. The son of a gambling, vagabond barber-surgeon, Miguel looks to his own imagination for an escape from his family’s troubles and finds comfort in his colorful daydreams. Even at a time when access to books is limited and imaginative books are considered evil, Miguel longs to tell stories of his own. When Miguel is nineteen, four of his poems are published, launching the career of one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.