How Do You Say? / ¿Cómo Se Dice? (Spanish bilingual)

by Angela Dominguez

Hello! ¡Hola! Some people speak Spanish. Some people speak English. Although we may not speak the same language, some things, like friendship, are universal!

Follow two young giraffes as they meet, celebrate, and become friends. This bilingual tale will have readers eager to meet new friends and amigos.

Genres: Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Animals, Storytime, Friendship, Childrens, Language

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2016

About the author

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia.

She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. She recently illustrated Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s newest picture book, Just Help! How to Build a Better World. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013.

Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both.

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple text, but paired with the illustrations, expresses a lovely story of two friends who speak different languages but enjoy the same things, including each other.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally adorable and perfect for toddlers!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming!! Told in pairs of words (English and Spanish) by a pair of giraffes who meet and become friends.

[Emily Small]

A great simple book that would well for a bilingual story time.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect first independent reading book for some of my bilingual learners!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two giraffes meet, and though one speaks English and the other speaks Spanish, they become friends! One or two words per page repeated in English and Spanish as a conversation makes this a winner for kids just learning one or the other language.

[Sarah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for English or Spanish speaking caregivers who want to start introducing their children to a new language.

[Sim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spanish learning ✨

[Abigail Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, this book is a simple text, that explicitly states simple everyday words in both English and Spanish. At a deeper glance, you realize is a simple, yet cute story about two friend giraffes that speak different languages, but have many things in common.

This fantasy book is a wonderful book for young ages and contains basic everyday words, both English and Spanish. This book is very simple, although, its simplicity is refreshing when considering it through a very specific lens. It is a wonderful book for those readers who are just learning one of the two languages. The words used in this book (happy, friends, hello, nap, food) are words that children will often hear at home and are words that students can easily understand and relate to.

This is a bilingual book, that has two languages (Spanish and English) that are equally represented. There is one word or saying on each page in English, with its Spanish counterpart on the following page. The words are placed on a stark white background which helps to read them easily and will help for beginning readers. The text is large and bolded and very easy to read. The illustrations are simple, bright, and goofy. I caught myself laughing out loud at many of the goofy illustrations of these funny friend giraffes.

There are many aspects of this book that I enjoyed, although, I feel the need to point out the lack of backmatter with this book. As a reader, I am not fluent in Spanish. The words translated in this book are very basic everyday words that I have heard and are able to pronounce, so unlike other bilingual books I have read, I didn’t feel the need to be supplied with resources to pronounce the words in this book. I must say, this will not be the case for all readers or teachers or parents that would like to use this book in an academic setting. Additionally, after reading bilingual books like such, I always look to see information on translation which I didn’t receive after reading this book.

Overall, I think this is a great book for very young readers. I would say Preschool or kindergarten. I think it is a great resource for teachers or parents to have for children who are bilingual, or for children that are learning English or Spanish as a second language.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description:
"The story of two giraffes - one English-speaking and one Spanish-speaking - that overcome the language barrier to forge a friendship"--.

School Library Journal:
PreS-Gr 1—Young children will delight in the antics of two endearing giraffes in this bilingual picture book . This work makes ample use of white space to help readers focus on the plot, and each page presents just one word or short phrase, first in English and then in Spanish, with a word shared by both on one spread. Initially, an English- and a Spanish-speaking giraffe meander unknowingly toward each other as they eat. "Oooh," says one. "Aaah," declares the other. "Food!" exclaims one, and " --Ruth Quiroa (Reviewed 08/01/2016) (School Library Journal, vol 62, issue 8, p70)

Genre:
Bilingual materials; Picture books for children

Themes:
Making new friends

Writing Style:
Minimal text

Character:
Anthropomorphic

Tone:
Feel-good

Subjects:
Communication
Friendship
Giraffes
Language and language

Reactions:
This book has minimal text---every page is one word and the illustrations do more the speaking. I recommend this book for introducing Spanish words to children, especially good for Bilingual storytime.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this simple bilingual book, two giraffes somehow surmount the language barrier to become friends even though one speaks English and one speaks Spanish. The text's simplicity allows young readers to explore both languages as the two animals get to know each other, and then settle down for a nice nap that shows snoring sounds the same, whatever the language. The illustrations, created with pencil and tissue paper and then digitally colorized, are simple but visually appealing. This one would be a great introduction to learning Spanish or English in an easy way while also charming youngsters into getting past their nervousness about meeting someone new or getting to know someone who seems or sounds a little bit different. As I have always found, patience with others--or patience from others toward me--goes a long way.

[Margaret]

Two outstanding titles in 2016, both written and illustrated by Latina women, are bilingual. Both women are recipients of multiple Pura Belpre Honor awards for their work. The first 2016 title, How Do You Say? Como se dice? (Henry Holt And Company, November 8, 2016) by Angela Dominguez explores a growing friendship between two individuals who do not speak the same language. It presents simple words and phrases as they share a day together.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Logan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be a great informative book to add to my class library. The watercolor style of the illustration created an upbeat feeling that made the book enjoyable. It does not have a plot to it and I cannot think of any lesson plan that could go with it. I do however think it could be a great story to include for it could appeal to both English learning students and students who already know the language. It may help a student learn how to say things that would help them in class.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable, easy bilingual book. I love it because of its simplicity -- it can be expanded on, or talked about in both English and Spanish, or can be read word for word if you're not as familiar with Spanish words. The giraffe friends are adorable, and I definitely want to use this in a storytime at work at some point.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fabulous illustrations! The "story" is sets of phrases in English and Spanish in turn. There wasn't quite enough story for my tastes, but it could be a really nice book for introducing VERY simple phrases and words or for a bilingual child. The best part is certainly the illustrations as they breathe all life into the book.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

bilingual storytime 9/2019 (babies, toddlers and up)
Another short and sweet bilingual book (great for wigglier crowds) with friendly, appealing illustrations and sparse text--basic words and short phrases in English and Spanish. A quick read-through in advance is helpful (so that you can be prepared to make the snoring sound when you get to the last page (zzzzz... zzzzz)

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two delightful giraffes meet at an eating tree. They charmingly mirror each other with one speaking English and the other Spanish. Different languages don't stand in the way of their friendship as they play throughout the day. reviewer 5.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple picture book with one word per page as 2 giraffes -English speaker on the left, Spanish speaker on the right find that they have a lot in common and can even be friends, despite their language difference. Fabulous for use in a bilingual storytime: Friends? Amigos? In unison: "OK!"

[Teresa Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures with one giraffe speaking in English, one speaking in Spanish. I wish there would have been more words or phrases. It is very simple ('happy'/'feliz') and there are only 9 English/Spanish words or phrases taught. It is only a tiny introduction and could have been more.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, simple picture book that introduces some common Spanish words, and a few that are in common between English and Spanish.

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple bilingual picture book about two giraffes, one speaking Spanish and the other speaking English, who together speak the universal language of friendship. A wonderful story to share with preschool students to introduce them to Spanish and the art of making new friends.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, simple bilingual book where two giraffes share the same words in both Spanish and English and celebrate becoming friends with one another. Would work for babies or toddlers.

Themes: Friends, Animals, Party

[Crissell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the illustrations of the book and how it translate the simplest words in a fun way like party is fiesta and the illustrations represent that. With this book children can learn different animals and 2 different languages.

[Amanda B · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a great bilingual book to read with very young children, pick this one up!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet bilingual story with simple vocabulary and very cute giraffes.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two giraffes find they have a lot in common even though they speak different languages. In one word sentences the giraffes say the same thing in both spanish and english.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta. :)

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the illustrations but wished more variety of words were used.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheerful, simple bilingual exchange between giraffes.

[Michaela Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The illustrations were absolutely adorable and it taught me some fun words in Spanish that I didn't know.