One, Dos, Trois :: Fun Foreign Language Books for Kids

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Rebecca Emberley Books
Rebecca Emberley Books

Learning a foreign language is always on my “List” (you know those lists…things I would do if I had more time, things I wish I had done when I was younger, things I would have focused on more if I were going back to school, etc.), especially now that I have kids.  My husband can understand Hindi and speak enough French to have recommended to yours truly (the non-meat eater), the LEAST vegetarian item on the menu the few times that we have traveled to France – it is usually the one word that he doesn’t recognize as something that has likely appeared on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. And, I recall enough of my six combined years of high school and college Spanish to have successfully ordered the wine list during a recent trip to the Domincan Republic. Suffice it to say, languages are not exactly our forte, but I so wish that they were. This may be why I am totally trying to capitalize on my oldest’s interest in (and, dare I say affinity for), languages.

In keeping with my book-related posts, below are a list of some great language focused books that both of my girls love.

  • Rebecca Emberley Board Books – Children’s author and illustrator Rebecca Emberley has a series of board books that present the English and Spanish translations of familiar words side-by-side. The books are typically centered on a theme, such as colors, food, clothing. We have several, including one about animals, gardening, and food, and both of my daughters love them.
  • World Snacks Series – These books by Amy Wilson Sanger take your toddler on a trip around the world via food.  Each book is a fun introduction into a particular world cuisine (e.g. dim sum, sushi), and the back of each book contains pronunciations for each of the words used in the book. I found this series when I saw Yum Yum Dim Sum recommended on a list of popular multi-cultural books. I was even more excited to find that Sanger had a book on Indian snacks and sweets (Chaat and Sweets) because it contains a number of snacks that are familiar to my girls.  According to my oldest, every snack mentioned in Chaat and Sweets is “Daddy’s favorite!” and, of course, we all love jalebis!
World Snacks Books ... My oldest hasn't stopped reading Chaat and Sweets since she got it!
World Snacks Books … My oldest hasn’t stopped reading Chaat and Sweets since she got it!
  • Laurie Krebs Barefoot Book Series – A former resident of the Nutmeg state, Laurie Krebs has created a series of picture books that introduce young children to people and cultures that might be unfamiliar to them. Off We Go To Mexico takes children on an excursion through Mexico while teaching them Spanish words along the way. While We All Went On Safari, which tells the story of a group of Massai people as they travel through Tanzania, teaches children to count in English and Swahili (my mother-in-law, who was born and raised in Kenya, will be super excited when my girls can count to ten in Swahili!).
Laurie Krebs Collage
Laurie Krebs Books
  • Club Leo by Scholastic – Club Leo is the Scholastic book club that offers Spanish, English and bilingual books for all ages.  I came upon the online flyer for this club when ordering books from another flyer that my oldest had brought home from nursery school. The books that I ordered from Club Leo also counted towards the school’s purchases and were shipped with the other books that I ordered. I snagged The Seasons/Las Estaciones, which is a colorful book depicting all four seasons and written in both English and Spanish.

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    The Seasons by Ilaria Falorsi

Do you have any favorite language learning books?

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Kara
Kara, her husband, and two little girls M and Z live in the idyllic town of Rowayton. She was born and raised in West Virginia and, although she has lived in the New York metro area for over fifteen years, is a mountaineer forever (Go ‘Eers!). In addition to being a mom to M (born in 2011) and Z (born in 2013), Kara is a full time attorney working in Manhattan and a hobbyist photographer. When not battling Metro North, she enjoys practicing her photography skills, reading the latest best-sellers, trying new recipes for the girls, getting outdoors whether running, hiking or snowshoeing, and competing with her husband for the self-proclaimed title of “Efficiency Expert.” If you can’t find her doing any of these things, she most likely has fallen asleep on the sofa while attempting to watch the latest “must see” movie.

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