As a mom to two Latino boys, I feel it is my job to teach them as much about their culture as possible, even though it does not come naturally to me. I’m of Eastern European descent; my husband is Puerto Rican and Cuban; and our kids are a loving mix of those cultures, with a touch of New York attitude thrown in. When I think of ways to help my children embrace their Latino culture, the first thing that comes to mind is the language. They have tías and tíos, primos and primas that are bilingual, and a bisabuela (great-grandmother) in Puerto Rico that speaks only Spanish, so knowing basic phrases and perhaps eventually becoming fluent is super important.
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That’s why I was so excited to read the new book from Candlewick Press, My Dog Just Speaks Spanish by Andrea Cáceres. It tells the story of Aurora, a little girl who came to the U.S. with her family and her pet dog, Nena. Aurora learned to speak English, “But not Nena. She only knows Spanish,” the book tells us.
The book tells a sweet story about a family who immigrated from another country, and it’s further enhanced by the vibrant pictures of Aurora’s surroundings. We get a glimpse into her home where we can see sticky notes thoughtfully placed on things like the umbrella or the paraguas, and the libros, or books, and we also go with Aurora and Nena to their city's park, where they play and practice even more Spanish. The book is also available in Spanish as Mi perro solo habla español.
The title immediately drew in my younger son, and when we started to read, it was clear that we were both going to fall in love with Nena the doggie and her sweet owner. What was surprising was all the lessons we learned from reading the book. Not only did we pick up a few new Spanish words like ¡Búscala! (fetch) and arcoiris (rainbow), but we learned a bit about tolerance and fitting in in a new place.
This book is already in heavy rotation during bedtime, and I expect it will be for quite some time.
Find My Dog Just Speaks Spanish at retailers everywhere, including Bookshop.org, Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble.
