Thursday, November 13, 2014

‘Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Thong - ESSENTIAL

Thong, Roseanne Greenfield ‘Twas Nochebuena: A Christmas story in English and Spanish, illustrated by Sara Palacios.  PICTURE BOOK.  Viking (Penguin), 2014.  $17.  Content: G.  

On Christmas Eve, a young Spanish girl introduces us to the many traditions that her family and neighbors observe.  Thong integrates the key Spanish words on each page into a seamless poem that never loses its flow.  She uses just enough of the traditional poem to shape a narrative that is only about the girl’s culture and not just a pale copy of the original.  

Palacios’ illustrations bring just the right touch of traditional culture to the eyes.  Any elementary level teacher should add this to their Christmas collection - just take a minute to make sure you know how to pronounce the words.  A glossary is included in the back, in case you can’t pick up on the definitions, but I think the context clues may be plenty.  Love it.  

Pre-K, EL (K-3), GIFT  - ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

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