Tum Tica! Tac Tic! Tum Tic! Tom Tom!

Has this been stuck in your head the last couple of weeks?! I am constantly finding myself and my kiddos tapping the pattern from Tito Puente: Mambo King. Just like the Godfather of Salsa himself, no surface has been spared our tapping! The floor, the breakfast table, the car windows-you name it! To give you some relief from the tapping, here are some books to read to expand upon your learning from the November box!

My Name is Celia (Me Llamo Celia) by Monica Brown

Told from the Cuban singer’s point of view, My name is Celia recounts the story of how the young girl went from singing on the porch with her papa to performing in the clubs of Nueva York! Once again, we enjoyed the illustrations of Rafael López and reading about Celia’s inspirational music teacher hit a soft spot in my heart (of course). You’ll also love learning why Celia began shouting ‘¡Azúcar!’ when she walked on stage at the beginning of her performances!

Discover America: Puerto Rico by Steve Goldsworthy

For my inquisitive, fact-finding son, I downloaded this e-book from Hoopla, a digital media service connected to our local public library. It was great for researching details related to Puerto Rican history and culture. One unique thing about this book is that it is part of the AV2 (Added Value-Audio Visual) book series. Using a special code found on the inside of each book, you can access additional videos and images relating directly to the book as well as activities to check for understanding.
We loved it!
🎶🎶🎶

Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle

Full of simple, yet inspirational poetry, this book highlights the stories of Hispanics who were pioneers in their fields, some you’ve heard of, but many you may not have. An added bonus: this book is available in English AND Spanish, which I love. This allows me to place the books side-by-side, compare the text and introduce my kiddos to more Spanish vocabulary. Our friend Rafael López, illustrator of Tito Puente: Mambo King and My Name is Celia, returns again, bringing each figure to life with bold and brilliant illustrations.

Happy Reading!

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