(Review in English, because I’m still learning Spanish, much of it with the help of children’s books.)
I was so excited when Peachtree sent me copies of the super-popular Stanley series: in Spanish! My library community is predominantly Spanish-speaking and English-language learning, and the kids there LOVE Stanley. Being able to read Stanley to them in Spanish, and having Stanley books in Spanish available for them to take home makes me happy.
Stanley y s escuela, by William Bee, (Aug. 2020, Peachtree Publishers), $8.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-224-6
Ages 3-6
The story of Stanley’s day at school gets a nice Spanish translation. Stanley and Hattie welcome the students, and they follow their morning routine of putting their belongings away and sitting on the carpet. All of the names are translated into Spanish, so Sophia becomes Sofi, and Little Woo becomes Pequeño Woo. School supplies, including those on the endpapers are boldly labeled, letting children familiarize themselves with a classroom layout and where to find school supplies they will use during the day. (It’s helpful to put their supplies in similarly labeled containers at home, too, especially with remote learning on the rise this coming school year; I always found that incorporating some things from school, like keeping supplies in labeled containers and having little areas to put up weather reports and days of the week gave some familiarity to the classroom for my kiddos.)
Talk to your kids about Stanley y su escuela, and how things may be different this year for Stanley, just like they are for your kids. Talk about routines, and see what routines you can develop at home that mimic a school day. And don’t forget, there’s a school supply activity sheet free for download on the Peachtree website; you’ll find other Stanley activity sheets there, too. Stanley fans can find out more about Stanley’s world on the Peachtree Stanley Fan Site. (Peachtree, can you put up some Spanish language activity sheets? I can translate the school supply sheet!)
Stanley el constructor, by William Bee, (Aug. 2020, Peachtree Publishers), $8.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-223-9
Ages 3-6
Stanley the Builder gets a Spanish translation! Stanley’s friend Myrtle has just bought some land, and asks Stanley to build her a house. Stanley gladly obliges, and kids follow, step by step, as he clears the land, pours cement for the foundation, and builds and paints Myrtle’s house with a little help from his friend, Charlie. When all is done, Stanley heads home to eat, bathe, and go to bed, all ready for the next day. Stanley el constructor is great for concept readers, with a nod to color throughout the story. Kids who love construction vehicles (which is, like, all the kids in my library) will love the mentions of excavators, bulldozers, cement mixers, and more.
Get some printable truck pictures together and let the kiddos color them or get some flannel or felt and make your own for flannel board storytelling. If you have felt or flannel tools, or have a box of toy tools, leave them out to let kids identify tools on the endpapers and let them have some free play. Teachers Pay Teachers has a lot of great clipart and worksheets for transportation and working vehicles; this “Big Build” clipart is just one of many. There’s also an adorable counting printable with construction vehicles.
These are the first two Stanley books to be translated into Spanish, so let’s thank and support Peacthree and make sure that more will join them!
Mom Read It 