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Latino Read-Aloud Stories
Parents, grandparents, babysitters or anyone eager to spend quality time with children will find this book, the newest in the popular Read-Aloud series, an educational and enjoyable way to entertain kids. All the stories are related in both English and Spanish making them accessible to multilingual or ESL kids. The most exciting and charming Latino legends, characters and real-life heroes come to life in these tales, carefully selected to be read aloud in ten minutes or less. Biographies of famous latinos and excerpts from famous novelists will give children of all backgrounds an understanding of the Latino culture. Reading aloud is a great way to introduce the wonderful world of literature to young ones before they can read for themselves.
- GenresChildrens
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 11, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 26, 2022
The first sections of the book are interesting and definitely are stories one could read aloud to children.
The section with tales from history is where stars plummet. Sentences like "As the Spaniards traveled the new world they came into contact with many different cultures." and "The 1st province to rise up in revolt was Texas. The people of Texas revolted in the most extreme way: they declared Texas' independence from Mexico." or "Isabel became a tough leader. She focused on unifying the country." are all such gross understatements that they are actually misstatements. If these stories are intended for very young children, one could think that the words are being gentled for their consumption? The collection of people represented in the history section is interesting. The authors attempt to provide multiple sides of complex stories and events, while not putting forth their own agenda. Good. But the text is a classic example of a story from which the strength, the power, and the depth have been smoothed to nothing. It is so comfortable - like the false reality of drugs that poison.
The final section of the book was confusing. The rest of the book seems aimed at young children (6 to 7). The excerpts from modern writers - what is the target audience? High school? Adults? Good selections! But how do they fit with the other stories?
Parts of this book are excellent, parts good, and the history section had me sputtering in indignation and disbelief as facts were stated so elegantly that a genocide sounded like an unfortunate misunderstanding, all from the best of motives.
Between the history section and what appears to be a strange mixture of target audiences, I will have to decide if this is a book to throw away instead of donating.
The section with tales from history is where stars plummet. Sentences like "As the Spaniards traveled the new world they came into contact with many different cultures." and "The 1st province to rise up in revolt was Texas. The people of Texas revolted in the most extreme way: they declared Texas' independence from Mexico." or "Isabel became a tough leader. She focused on unifying the country." are all such gross understatements that they are actually misstatements. If these stories are intended for very young children, one could think that the words are being gentled for their consumption? The collection of people represented in the history section is interesting. The authors attempt to provide multiple sides of complex stories and events, while not putting forth their own agenda. Good. But the text is a classic example of a story from which the strength, the power, and the depth have been smoothed to nothing. It is so comfortable - like the false reality of drugs that poison.
The final section of the book was confusing. The rest of the book seems aimed at young children (6 to 7). The excerpts from modern writers - what is the target audience? High school? Adults? Good selections! But how do they fit with the other stories?
Parts of this book are excellent, parts good, and the history section had me sputtering in indignation and disbelief as facts were stated so elegantly that a genocide sounded like an unfortunate misunderstanding, all from the best of motives.
Between the history section and what appears to be a strange mixture of target audiences, I will have to decide if this is a book to throw away instead of donating.
October 8, 2013
I enjoyed reading each of the stories in this compilation of Latino stories. There is a wide variety of Latin countries represented; Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rio, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Nicaragua, Colombia, Chile and Spain. I think this is an excellent reader for those who love language and it's translations. To be able to read how each of the stories is told in English and in Spanish makes this a good read. The stories are varied from folktales to cultural tales, to tales of the history of the people and countries represented. There are also poems which show the lyrical nuances of the spanish language. It was interesting reading stories that were not as similar to American Folktales as I would have thought. Some of the tales similar to Aesop's Fables were interesting to read since they are so familiar in American writings. One tale, The Sparrow and the Hare is entertaining and has good advice: "Do not make fun of another's misfortune, you could one day find yourself in a similar situation". Overall this book had a nice variety of stories.
November 3, 2008
A few good stories. John the Silly Boy stands out among the other "meh...okays". We'll see how these do at U.I.L. So far, 6th place from a beginner who'd only read it a few times. *crosses fingers*
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews