¡Vámonos! Let's Go!

by Rene Colato Lainez

From their window on the bus, a girl and a boy see a fire truck that goes woo-ooo-ooo, also known as a camión de bomberos--uuuah uuuah uuuah. They see a train, an ambulance and an airplane too! With this rollicking adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus," young people can sing out the names of their favorite vehicles and the sounds they make -- in both English and Spanish.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, School, Storytime, Spanish Literature, Music, Transport

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

René Colato Laínez is the Salvadoran award winning author of I Am René, the Boy/ Soy René, el niño, Waiting for Papá/ Esperando a Papá, and Playing Lotería/ El juego de la lotería. His picture books have been honored by the Latino Book Award, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the California Collection for Elementary Readers, the Tejas Star Book Award Selection and the New Mexico Book Award. He was named “Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)” by latinostories.com. René is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.

His goal as a writer is to produce good multicultural children's literature; stories where minority children are portrayed in a positive way, where they can see themselves as heroes, and where they can dream and have hopes for the future. He wants to write authentic stories of Latin American children living in the United States.

Reviews

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another spin on the old classic Wheels on the Bus This time time story is written with bilingual text for a new fun twist. The kids will love making all the noises as the train engine goes choo, the truck horn goes honk, the motorcycle motor goes vroom, the ambulance siren goes nee naw, the fire truck alram goes woo-woo-woo, and tricylce horn goes toot and the airplane goes zoom! Such fun and 4 stars

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bilingual Childrens Picture Book. This book starts off with the familiar words of "Wheels on the Bus" but instead of more bus sounds, it goes into sounds of other forms of transportation. At the end it is revealed that all of the vehicles are actually part of a ride at a carnival/ amusement park. Cute way to reinforce transportation words as well as sounds (due to phonetic differences, sound effects are different in English and Spanish, ie vroom vroom vroom becomes burum bruum bruum). I plan to use this for my transportation-themed bilingual storytime.

[Bailie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is your typical Wheels on the Bus, but taken to a whole different level. This book has added diversity by adding a Spanish translation. I recommend this book for an education stand point with bringing diversity into the classroom.

[Zack Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic idea for a classroom children book. It is bilingual with English and Spanish text on every page. I only know a little bit of Spanish but I would still read this to my students because I can read Spanish. It would be helpful to both native english and Spanish speakers to hear lines from the other language and compare them. Will be a must have in my classroom.

[Alexis Speciale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because I was able to learn some spanish while reading. I did not know that sounds in spanish were spelled differently than in english.

[Jami Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bilingual version of the song “The Wheels on the Bus.” The book contains words in both Spanish and English. Children can read or sing along as they learn about different noises/actions made by different vehicles. This book teaches children about sounds of buses, trucks, airplanes, and motorcycles. This book is fun and exciting as children and adults reading it can make various noises.

This book is great for children learning both Spanish and English because the text is in both languages. It is also good for children learning languages because they are most likely familiar with this popular children’s song. This knowledge enables them to understand the text. The children can also sing along or the adults can teach the children the song in either language. This allows the children to interact with the text in an additional way, instead of just reading it. Another way to engage with this book is to have children act it out and be the different vehicles or parts of the vehicle. This enables the children to move around and have fun, which can increase their learning. The singing part that accompanies the book makes it particularly good for children who enjoy singing or dancing. A child that I work with is always excited to engage in dramatic play or dance around, so this book would be a great way to mix learning with his love of movement. A final aspect of this book that makes it good for language learners is that is contains repetition and has a pattern.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolicking oil over acrylic illustrations by Joe Cepeda are filled with motion, which is perfect for this bilingual adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus" which focuses on transportation. While children are being picked up by abus they see a train, trucks, motorcycles, and other forms of transportation, each of which makes a noise and creates a verse for the song. Each verse is also presented in Spanish. The children end up at a fair, where they see the trucks, planes, etc. repeated in the rides which suits the cumulative last verse of the song. The book is vibrant and accessible and includes a glossary, and the music for the song. I love inclusive books. The only problem is that the Spanish version of the song sometimes has to be very very forced to fit the tune. This is a pity because the idea is delightful. Is it a deal-breaker? No, but practice this before singing the book to children.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this bilingual adaptation of The Wheels on the Bus, two children on a bus cross paths with many city vehicles and learn their distinctive sounds in both English and Spanish. Some noises are quite similar; trains go choo choo choo in English and chucu chucu chu in Spanish. While some are less alike (the fire truck alarm in English goes woo-ooo-ooo compared to the Spanish uuuah uuuah uuuah), some are very different, including the truck’s horn (English honk honk honk and Spanish tut tuu tuu). This fun and lively book would make a great read-aloud for both English and Spanish speakers.

Original post on http://www.mackinvia-connext.com/2015...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lively oil over acrylic illustrations enable this engaging book, a bilingual version of the classic "The Wheels on the Bus" to be even more engaging for readers. Youngsters will find it hard to resist mimicking the sounds of the train engine, the ambulance siren, the fire truck alarm, and the swift airplane high above the bus carrying all those exuberant children. The verses, provided in English and Spanish, will provide a quick introduction to both languages while also providing something familiar for English language learners. A cautionary note: Do not share this book with youngsters unless you are prepared for a noisy response and requests for repeated readings.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this bilingual take on the classic children's song, a diverse cast of children make their way through town in a bright yellow school bus on their way to the park. Along the way, they encounter a variety of sights and sounds, from the engine of a train to the horn of a tricycle. The illustrations by Joe Cepeda are bright and charming. The text written by Rene Colato Lainez is lively, though at times it feels a bit tricky to fit the Spanish words into the rhythm of the song. A glossary of Spanish Words is included, though a pronunciation guide would have been helpful, as well as the sheet music for the song. Purchase where bilingual books are in demand.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect example of a sing-along classic with a twist. The bilingual format makes this one a stand-out. This will be a welcome addition for storytime, early childhood learning centers and bilingual readers everywhere.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bilingual Spanish-English adaptation of "The Wheels on the Bus."

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Song
Transportation
Cute take on Wheels on the Bus by introducing new vehicles

[Alex Heyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purpose: Bilingual

[Emily Tidwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vamonos! let’s go! This story is a variation of the Wheels on the Bus, which young children have heard at least once before approaching elementary school. While sitting on a yellow school bus, a girl and boy sees, a truck that honks, a motorcycle that goes vroom, an ambulance that goes nee naw nee, and airplane that goes zoom, and so many more as they go all over town. As they travel all over the town, they sing the Wheels on the Bus. I really enjoyed this beautiful and creative illustrations to go along with the words. I would like to have this book in my classroom for multiple reasons. One reason is because it adds to the variety of books that students can choose from. Another reason is because it can help English student learners as they can read the Spanish words, along with the English words above to gain knowledge of the overall meaning of words and the storyline. I love the illustrations filled with bright colors and different vehicles and the sounds that they make. Students learn and sing along in both Spanish and English.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I clumsily read this to a group of preschoolers in Spanish. It's great because there are noises that they can imitate.