Tortillas and Lullabies/Tortillas y cancioncitas: Bilingual English-Spanish

by Lynn Reiser, Corazones Valientes (Illustrator)

A little girl basks in the everyday love of her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother in this bilingual (English and Spanish) and multigenerational picture book celebration. “A vibrantly illustrated, bilingual picture book that captures the rhythms of life.”— Kirkus Reviews Illustrated by “Corazones Valientes,” six women artists from Costa Rica working together, this book celebrates four generations of women in one family. From great-grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter, each shows love in a traditional way—in cooking tortillas, doing laundry, and giving flowers—and through increasingly modern methods as the years pass. But one thing never changes: the lullaby they sing, and the love they all have for one another. Written in both English and Spanish, this is a tribute to families and everyday love. “The timeless quality of maternal love is evident throughout.”— School Library Journal Supports the Common Core State Standards

Genres: Picture Books, Spanish Literature, Childrens, Family, Cultural, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Keisha Morris]

I really enjoyed this book because of the multicultural aspect of the book. The book is in both english and spanish and has vibrant pigmented illustrations. The words are a font that is big enough for children to follow along. I think that the book is relatable to children no matter what their background is. Therefore, kids will enjoy the story and will be able to compare it to their own households.

[Quetzallida · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book reflecting the matriarchal lineage of a familia and what has changed and not changed with each generation. Incredible art by an awesome all muxer collective. The combination of visuals with the simple words is powerful and poetic.

[Veronica Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the illutrations of this book. They talk to me in so many different ways. I was born and raised in Mexico, and the pictures represent to me "la vida del rancho." I can see my ancestors grinding the corn in the metate, and the smell of the fogon.

[Jenna Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is Bilingual with both English and Spanish. This book includes the great-grandmother, the grandmother, the mother, and little girl, and her dolls. In the beginning, it goes to tell how tortilla making has been taught and brought down from generations past. And every time it was different. Next, it tells the reader how flowers were brought down from the generation before. And every time it was different. Next, the reader is told how the generation of people washed their dresses for them. And every time it was different. Finally, at the end of the day, the one before the other sang a lullaby t0 the younger one but this time it was the same.

I enjoyed this book. I really approached that it was both English and Spanish. With this option, it allowed the ESL (English as a Second Language) readers to be able to see both English and Spanish language. It has very descriptive pictures which makes it easy to follow along to.

I would use this in my classroom. I would use it for a fun read, for the ESL readers, and for the discussion of heritage. I think have the option of both English and Spanish titles is very important for every student. Seeing it in both languages can help not only the Spanish speaking students but also help the English speaking students learn some Spanish.

[Victoria Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about family traditions. This little girl is describing things moms do for their children each generation and how some things change or are different, but their lullabies are always the same. I really enjoyed this book, it reminded me of my relationship with my mom. In this book you can see that the little girl loves her mother, and shows that a mothers love is wonderful. I think in the classroom this would be a great way to talk about family or even for discussing mothers day.

[Molly]

This is a very simple bilingual storybook about traditions passed down through four generations of Costa Rican women. The bold illustrations were created collaboratively by the female artist collective Corazones Valientes, and they show how the family’s traditions both change and stay the same. Music and words for a traditional lullaby are included at the end.

[Megan Beaverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tortillas and Lullabies was written by Lynn Reiser and illustrated by corazones valientes. It was published by William & Morrow Company Inc in 1998. It is fiction. This bilingual text would be very valuable in the classroom to aid in teaching language and cultures.

[Janine Darragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very simple, colorful bilingual book of lullabies.

[Libby Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous. Tranquila. Perfect for a bilingual library.

Highly recommended for 3 and up.

[Rosa Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and simple book with a cute song in the end. Perfect to teach ESL students or Spanish students.

[Evelyn Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tortillas and Lullabies/Tortillas y cancioncitas by Lynn Reiser and illustrations by “Corazones Valientes” is a colorful picture book written in verse form. Reiser is North Carolina native and an acclaimed children’s books author. Some of her children’s books are written in English and Spanish, such as this book, Margaret and Margarita/Margarita y Margaret, The Lost Ball/ La pelota perdida and My Way /En mi manera. The English words are placed at the top of each page and the Spanish words. The illustrations are colorful and depict the daily life of women in one family. I recommend this book as a read aloud for preschoolers and kindergarteners. However, independent readers will enjoy this multi-generational story told through the voice of a young girl.

The story follows four generations of women in a family, from the great-grandmother to the grandmother to the mother and the daughter, each passing down love and family traditions in making tortillas, giving flowers, washing clothes, and singing a lullaby. I believe the author’s intention is to emphasize how valuable family traditions are and the importance of sharing it with the next generation to keep the memories alive. The story ends with a simple but treasured lullaby that defines the heart of the women's love to each other. It is a great book to discuss the love of family and the significance of keeping traditions within a family.

I would read this book at the beginning of the school year because the family is important in our community. So I can have students write or draw their own story or poem about what family means to them. To extend the discussion about the topic, I can have student’s family members as guest speakers to share their stories. Lastly, I can use this book as an opportunity for my students and me to build a classroom community and create our own fun traditions in the classroom!

[Katie Mccue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a comparison of how women in one family pass down different traditions, from the viewpoint of a little girl. It is about how these traditions change as they are passed down from one generation to the next. It compares how making tortillas, gathering flowers, and washing dresses changes as they are passed down from the great-grandmother/bisabuela to the grandmother/abuela to the mother/mama to the little girl/mi and from the little girl to her doll/muneca. It compares each tradition using the expression “every time it was the same but different”. This phrase changes when you read about the lullaby because it stays the same as it is passed down, so the author says “and every time it was the same.”

This is a great multicultural picture book to use especially if you have Spanish and English speakers in you class.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was used as part of a storytime on Mexican culture. While I know that it's really not more Latin America than it is Mexico, it still resonated, and I liked it. I alternated reading the "chapters" in each language, doing "Tortillas" in Spanish, "Flowers" in English, "Lavado" in Spanish, and "Lullabies" in English. That was the kids who didn't speak Spanish didn't feel left out, but everyone got to enjoy the beauty of the Spanish language. I actually liked this one so much that I purchased a copy to give as a gift to the little girl whose birthday we were celebrating with this special storytime.

[Jenna]

The subgroup represented in this text is Latino. The genre of this story is realistic fiction. In this story a little girl explains how her great grandmother would make tortillas, wash clothes, plant flowers, and sing lullabies to her grandmother. The grandmother would also make tortillas, wash clothes, plant flowers, and sing lullabies to the little girl’s mother. Then her mother would make tortillas, wash clothes, plant flowers, and sing lullabies to her. This made the little girl want to do all of these wonderful things to her little baby doll, so she did!

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good book to read aloud to kids if you're doing a Family unit. It also wonderfully shows that while different generations may do everyday things differently (like making tortillas, washing clothes or picking flowers) the fact that they are all done with love makes them the same. I liked the fact that the parts are divided into four chapters, making it a good way to introduce chapters to young children.

[Sarah Kasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for Pre-K and Kindergarten classes. The pictures are nice and big so even if the students are not able to read the text they can read the pictures. "Tortillas and Lullabies" is a bilingual text, so Spanish speaking students will be able to read this book in Spanish.

[Becca Holcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great bilingual book to have for the classroom. It shows the love of a family passed down through three generations. The book is a good example of family traditions, but somehting you can read in English and Spanish.

[Jessica Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful book. The story is so heart-warming and supports learning about family, numbers, and the Spanish language. Children would enjoy listening to how the characters value family and would enjoy talking about their own family and traditions.

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

way better than I expected. and hearing Zack try to repeat the Spanish words- after my horrid pronunciation- it was very cute. the story here is sweet and comforting. comfort and smiles. what else can you ask for from a children's bedtime story?

[Artlab]

Bi-Lingual, Collage.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spanish & English in a particularly understandable way.
Very colorful.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a literacy class for 4th and 5th grade students. It gives a great intro to the concepts of different and same.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Families on the Go! unit 3

[Shelly Koressel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for having ELL Students in class. Also good for preschool and Kindergarten first reading exercise.

[Kirsten Bilan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the simple story of traditions handed down in a family from grandmother to mother to daughter and then from the daughter to her doll. The text appears in both English and Spanish.

[Laura]

This is a bilingual picture book about the activities that have been done in a Little girl's family from generation to generation. I would use this book in my class to introduce central american habits and as a support for english language learners.

[Kayla]

This book is bilingual meaning that it is in both English and Spanish. The book is written in the eyes of a little girl with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She first talks about tortillas and how they were brought down from generation to generation. She said that they make them for their daughters and she then makes them for their dolls. It was the same but a little different. The next section talks about flowers and how they would pick them for their mothers. It was the same but a little different. The third section talks about how their mothers would wash their dress for them. It was the same but a little different. Finally, before going to bed their mother would sing them a lullaby. Everything was the same but different but the lullaby was the exact same.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked how it was in both English and Spanish. It was cute that their family had traditions that were brought down from generation to generation and I believe that is very important to have. This book would be great for ESL learners.

I would definitely use this book in my classroom if I had an ESL learner. I think it is good for them to see both the English and the Spanish at the same time. As far as educational purposes I would not use it in my classroom because I do not see an education purpose other than it is in both English and Spanish.