{"id":78908,"date":"2025-09-22T13:57:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T13:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/78908\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T13:57:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T13:57:09","slug":"kids-books-in-spanish-language-is-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/78908\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids\u2019 Books in Spanish: Language Is Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The word \u201cauthentic\u201d has been thrown around more and more\u00a0as publishers continue to expand their Spanish-language and bilingual offerings for the one in four children<\/a> nationwide who are Latino and the more than 43 million Americans speaking Spanish at home. \u201c\u2018Authentic Latin American\u2019 is like a catchphrase,\u201d says Catalina Holgu\u00edn, director of the Colombia-based digital library platform MakeMake. \u201cBut I feel that sometimes people don\u2019t understand what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Often, \u201cauthentic\u201d is used mostly to indicate that a title was originally written in Spanish, but Holgu\u00edn wants readers to think beyond that. \u201cOf course, it means that the books are correct in terms of the grammar and the spelling, but a book is not just for developing proficiency in spelling,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s important is the book as a window into a worldview from whoever wrote it or wherever it comes from, and that it actually represents a lived experience and a living culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holgu\u00edn is tapping into something that Noam Chomsky, the \u201cfather of modern linguistics,\u201d articulated: \u201cA language is not just words. It\u2019s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It\u2019s all embodied in a language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because language is inextricably linked to culture, every original Spanish-language book published makes Latinx culture more accessible to young readers. And many of the publishers featured here select titles with specific Latinx-related content to amplify that benefit, like books centering a father-daughter relationship in machismo culture, Diego Velazquez\u2019s famous \u201cLas Meninas\u201d painting, a Peruvian cornworm, the flora and fauna of Mexico, or Guillermo del Toro.<\/p>\n

Read on for a diverse array of new titles to help round out and enrich the cultural relevance of your Spanish-language collection this fall.<\/p>\n

Editorial Flamboyant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Editorial Flamboyant is based in Barcelona, Spain\u2019s center of children\u2019s publishing. \u201cThere\u2019s a very strong school of illustration in the city and a lot of illustrators from Catalonia who work with publishers around Europe and around the world,\u201d explains Publisher Clara Jubete Baseiria. Flamboyant publishes children\u2019s literature for toddlers through age 12 in Spanish and Catalan, specializing in picture books.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Es mio! (It\u2019s Mine!)<\/strong> by Klara Persson, illustrated by Charlotte Ramel, February 2025, ISBN 9788410090576, for children ages 3 and up, is translated from Swedish and available in English as well as Spanish. When Sally learns Nico is coming for a visit, she begins to worry about sharing.\u00a0Her mother tells her to put the things she doesn\u2019t want to share into the wardrobe. Sally starts with a few toys, but one by one, everything\u2014including the bathtub, her mom, and even Nico\u2014ends up inside the wardrobe! \u201cIt\u2019s a funny story,\u201d Baseiria says. \u201cIt makes kids realize that sometimes they are being silly not sharing with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

In De camino a la fiesta (On the Way to the Party)<\/strong> by Meritxell Mart\u00ed, illustrated by Anna Aparicio, February 2025, ISBN 9788410090545, a Spanish-language original, all the animals are going to a party. But along the way, there\u2019s a broken bridge, then a river to cross, and so on. For each obstacle, a different animal steps up with a solution. The beaver makes a bridge. The frog demonstrates how to jump rocks across the river. \u201cThey each have their moment,\u201d Baseiria says. \u201cThis story is trying to say that no leader knows how to do everything. In the best groups, each person has different qualities to use in difficult moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amaia Arrazola is a Barcelona-based writer and illustrator. Her new book Buenas noches, Sim\u00f3n (Goodnight, Simon)<\/strong>, March 2025, ISBN 9788410090613, for ages 3 and up, is about Melvin the bat\u2019s fear of nighttime. Sim\u00f3n the chameleon talks up all the wonders of the night\u2014the stars, the moon, dreams\u2014but Melvin isn\u2019t convinced. Bruna the owl then tells Melvin about all the animals she knows who prefer nighttime to daytime. Finally, Melvin realizes he\u2019s not alone at night. \u201cIt\u2019s about going to bed, about fear of darkness and how even if we think that we are going to be alone when everything is dark, we are never alone,\u201d Baseiria says.<\/p>\n

Lectorum Publications<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded as a Spanish-language bookstore in New York in 1960, Lectorum pivoted to a distribution business by the end of the decade. It has since grown to be the largest Spanish-language book importer and distributor in the country, offering over 25,000 titles from more than 500 domestic and foreign publishers to public schools, libraries, universities, and bookstores.<\/p>\n

Of the 600 new titles Lectorum adds to its catalog each year, approximately one-third come from domestic publishers, while the majority are imported from Spain and Latin America. Lectorum publishes about 10 Spanish translations of English-language bestsellers each year itself. And the company offers ebooks via the digital library platform MakeMake (also featured in this section).<\/p>\n

Lectorum also provides Spanish-language collection development, library-binding, cataloging, and processing services to schools and libraries. With an annual catalog containing upwards of 4,000 titles, Lectorum curates collections to meet a school\u2019s or library\u2019s criteria. \u201cSometimes the teacher or librarian goes through the catalog and makes the selections,\u201d says Alex Correa, president and CEO. \u201cBut the majority of teachers say they don\u2019t have the time and trust us to make choices for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

From Spanish publisher Libre Albedrio, Guillermo del Toro: el ni\u00f1o que pact\u00f3 con los monstru<\/strong>os (Guillermo del Toro, the Boy Who Made a Deal with Monsters)<\/strong>, written and illustrated by Sol Ruiz, March 2025, ISBN 9788412820089, is an illustrated biography for ages 8\u201316, covering the childhood and career of the movie director. \u201cThis book has a wide appeal for both children and adults,\u201d Correa says. \u201cEven if readers are unfamiliar with del Toro\u2019s movies, they will be impressed at how a timid, scared boy learned not only how to overcome his fear of monsters but to embrace them.\u201d<\/p>\n

El tranv\u00eda n\u00famero Flor (The Streetcar Number Flower)<\/strong> by Guia Risari, illustrated by Frederico Delicado Gallego, March 2025, ISBN 9788413433509, is a picture book for ages 6 and up from Spanish publisher Kalandraka. When Omar tells Laura he\u2019s sad and homesick, she takes him on a streetcar with special stops that let him experience a bit of the homeland he misses.<\/p>\n

One of Lectorum\u2019s new titles, Siempre hay una primera vez<\/strong>, April 2025, ISBN 9788410260962, is the Spanish publisher Ediciones Maeva\u2019s translation of Dan Santat\u2019s 2023 National Book Award-winning graphic novel, A First Time for Everything. The coming-of-age memoir for readers ages 10 and up tells the story of the author\u2019s middle-school class trip to Europe. Frequently bullied, Dan isn\u2019t looking forward to traveling with his classmates. But a series of first experiences abroad changes his perspective.<\/p>\n

The fourth picture book in a series from Spanish publisher Edelvives, El charlatansaurio (The Chattysaurus)<\/strong> by Rachel Bright, illustrated by Chris Chatterton, May 2025, ISBN 9788414061527, is about the importance of listening. A very chatty dinosaur talks so much that he misses the teacher\u2019s warning about a big hole in the road. Will a fall teach him a lesson?\u00a0For ages 3 and up.<\/p>\n

El Hotel Balzaar (The Hotel Balzaar)<\/strong>, illustrated by Julia Sarda, July 2025, ISBN 9781646840410, is Lectorum\u2019s translation of the second title in Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillio\u2019s middle grade chapter book trilogy, \u201cThe Norendy Tales.\u201d Marta, whose mother cleans rooms at the Hotel Balzaar, observes all the goings-on in the lobby. One day, a countess checks in and begins telling Marta stories. Taken in by the countess\u2019 tales, Marta begins to wonder if they might contain some clues about her father\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n

Vista Higher Learning<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boston-based Vista Higher Learning is celebrating its 25th year developing programs for language learners. In 2018, Vista acquired Santillana USA, the largest educational publisher in the Spanish-speaking world. Specializing in K\u201312 literature, Vista\u2019s 42 new Spanish-language titles this year include a combination of translations and authentic, Spanish-language originals. \u201cWe\u2019re very focused on curriculum\u2014what teachers are using in the classroom\u2014and we absolutely focus on choosing books that correspond to that,\u201d says Julie McCool, executive editor of Spanish language arts and reading.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Vista published the \u201cArchivos hist\u00f3ricos\u201d series, translations of all 10 \u201cHistory Files\u201d chapter books for grades 5\u20138. The books, covering a range of important historical events in U.S. history, immerse readers in these events through the experiences of young fictional characters.<\/p>\n

In No lo permitir\u00e9: la revoluci\u00f3n industrial (Not on My Watch: Industrial Revolution)<\/strong> by Brittany Canasi, illustrated by Luca Maggi, July 2025, ISBN 9781669939818, 14-year-old Hope discovers very young children working at her father\u2019s watch factory in New York and begins speaking up for them. \u201cIt\u2019s not heavy-handed at all,\u201d McCool says. \u201cIt\u2019s a really nice entry point for kids of that age to get a glimpse into what [child labor and the industrial revolution] looked like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Los relatos fant\u00e1sticos de Jenny Gold: la Gran Depresi\u00f3n (Tall Tales of Jenny Gold: Great Depression)<\/strong> by Sue LaNeve, illustrated by Giuliano Aloisi, June 2025, ISBN 9781669939863, follows 13-year-old Jenny, whose family goes from a privileged life in New York City to working on a farm in Colorado after the 1929 Stock Market crash. After discovering \u201cHooverville\u201d on the outskirts of town, Jenny\u2019s perspective on how much she still has changes.<\/p>\n

The \u201cLecturas f\u00e1ciles\u201d (\u201cEasy Reader\u201d) series includes six readers aimed at language students in grades 6\u201312. The vocabulary and grammar in the series\u2019 levels 1\u20133 correspond with years 1\u20133 in Spanish-language classes. In \u00bfQu\u00e9 pinta Vel\u00e1zquez aqu\u00ed? (What is Velazquez Painting Doing Here?)<\/strong> by Rosana Acquaroni, illustrated by S\u00f3lin Sekkur, August 2025, ISBN 9781669944751, a level-2 reader, four teens go to an escape room where each room relates to the famous Velazquez painting \u201cLas Meninas\u201d in a different way. \u201cThere are tie-ins to astronomy, history, and obviously art,\u201d McCool says. \u201cThese books are all culturally rooted and have beautiful illustrations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sequoia Kids Media<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sequoia Kids Media, the school and library imprint of Chicago-based Phoenix International, turned five this year. Since its inception, the imprint has been responding to market demand by publishing more Spanish-language titles each year. For fall 2025, the imprint has 20 frontlist titles in Spanish, including both licensed and original content. Many of the books are also available in digital formats.<\/p>\n

Sequoia\u2019s \u201cSpanish Sunbird Picture Books\u201d<\/strong> series for ages 4\u20138, August 2023, ISBN 9798765403501, includes three beautifully illustrated stories, translated from English, each with distinct social-emotional themes. In Este libro est\u00e1 de cabeza (This Book Is Upside Down)<\/strong>, Penelope Giraffe and Gus Penguin are on different sides of the world. When something looks right side up to one, it looks upside down to the other, visually illustrating differences in point of view. \u201cIt\u2019s a really fun read-aloud,\u201d says Casey Griffin, senior marketing manager. \u201cBecause the book turns, it\u2019s a lot of topsy-turvy art.\u201d\u00a0Los unicornios tienen malos modales (Unicorns Have Bad Manners)<\/strong> and <\/strong>Bolitas de masa (Little Dumplings)<\/strong> are the other two titles in the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cMi Primer Busca y Encuentra Series #3\u201d (\u201cFirst Look and Find Series #3\u201d)<\/strong>, August 2025, ISBN 97980765413326, is Sequoia\u2019s latest Spanish-language look-and-find titles for ages 4\u20138. Lighter on text, these six books aim to build early readers\u2019 confidence, as well as skills like searching, pointing, matching, and comparing.\u00a0The licensed series includes titles from Baby Einstein, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Baby, Disney Pixar, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Gabby\u2019s Dollhouse. \u201cWhat\u2019s great about these books is kids will gravitate toward them because they already know the characters,\u201d Griffin says.<\/p>\n

Co-printed with the English versions, the six new titles in the \u201cMis Primeros Libros Series #2\u201d (\u201cMy First Books Series #2\u201d)<\/strong>, August 2025, ISBN 9798765413340, introduce readers ages 3\u20136 to concepts like the solar system, counting, dinosaurs, and the alphabet through bright illustrations. \u201cSome of them also have a search-and-find feature,\u201d Griffin says. In Mira y busca el abecedario (See and Search the Alphabet)<\/strong>, kids can point out E is for elephants, F is for flowers, and so on, on each page.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey use simple words that are easy to start learning with,\u201d Griffin says. \u201cThey\u2019re designed to build that relationship with stories and with books and be a bonding moment for parent and child.\u201d<\/p>\n

MakeMake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colombia-based MakeMake curates a digital library of authentic Spanish-language literature from 80 print publishers around the world and delivers it directly to children\u2019s screens at school, at the library, and at home. \u201cWhat\u2019s so beautiful and unique about MakeMake is that its collection is made up of books that are originally written in Spanish and produced by real people from many different Latin American countries,\u201d says Director Catalina Holgu\u00edn. \u201cIt\u2019s a cultural experience in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The platform, specifically designed for schools and libraries, provides unlimited multi-user access to 2,500 ebooks that students can read anywhere and that public libraries can extend to their educational communities as well.\u00a0New features in 2025 give users the ability to download up to four books at a time for offline reading and to personalize individual user accounts to track reading history and favorites.<\/p>\n

This year, the catalog has 40 new interactive titles with read along features and animations, as well as new titles from U.S. publishers Lee & Low Books and Vista Higher Learning (also featured in this section); Spanish publishers Juventud, Libros del Zorro Rojo, and Bang & Mamut; and Argentinian publisher AZ Editora.\u00a0\u201cThese are real books published by real publishers in the print world that we curate and select according to the appropriateness of topics and genre in order to have a diverse, well-balanced collection of titles for pre-K through 12,\u201d Holgu\u00edn says. \u201cAnd these books that we sell do not reach the American market in print.\u201d<\/p>\n

Institutions across the U.S. subscribe to MakeMake for access to its authentic Latin American children\u2019s literature. A prime example is Utuskuru (Corn Worm)<\/strong>, ISBN 9786124851742, published by Puriq Cartonera. The beautiful book is written, illustrated, and handmade by Yesenia Montes \u00d1aupa, a member of Peru\u2019s indigenous Quechua community.\u00a0Bilingual with both Spanish and Quechua text, the book tells the story of a worm who loves corn. But Peru\u2019s many varieties of corn keep tempting him. As soon as he starts eating one cob, he always sees another he wants to try more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moral of the story, which represents a traditional tale from the Quechuas, is that this worm ends up starving to death because he is always looking for something better, he can never settle for what he already has,\u201d Holgu\u00edn says.<\/p>\n

Charlesbridge Publishing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Massachusetts-based Charlesbridge Publishing has been publishing fiction and nonfiction for young readers since 1989 and Spanish-language titles for nearly as long. Its 16 new Spanish titles in 2025 make up nearly a quarter of its frontlist and include titles published simultaneously with English-language editions, bilingual titles, and backlist translations. Assistant Editor Natalia V\u00e1zquez Torres says that Charlesbridge prioritizes backlist titles from Latinx creators, with content related to Latinx culture, or covering topics that fill a gap for translation.<\/p>\n

The \u201cNo es\u2026\u201d (\u201cNot a\u2026\u201d)<\/strong> series by Claudia Guadalupe Mart\u00ednez, illustrated by Laura Gonzalez, is about natural science topics of Mexican origin. The third title in the series, No es un pe<\/strong>rro (Not a Dog)<\/strong>, June 2025, ISBN 9781623544928, is about the Mexican prairie dog. Readers ages 3\u20137 will discover the life cycle of the rodent (not a canine) and the role it plays in the ecosystem. Other titles in the \u201cNo es\u2026\u201d series include No es un frijol (<\/strong>Not a Bean)<\/strong>, April 2024, ISBN 9781623544829, about the Mexican jumping bean, and No es un monstruo (Not a Monster)<\/strong>, April 2024, ISBN 9781623544836, about the axolotl.<\/p>\n

A bilingual title for ages 3\u20136, El Tesoro de bayas de Beto (Beto\u2019s Berry Treasure)<\/strong> by Jenny Lacika, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda, translated by Carlos E. Calvo, June 2025, ISBN 9781623544492, is from the \u201cStorytelling Math\u201d series. Beto wants to play tea party, but his sister Cora wants to play pirates. To get her on board, Beto makes a map for her to follow to his tea party. \u201cWhen his map doesn\u2019t work, Beto has to think a bit more logically to get her to his destination,\u201d says Donna Spurlock, director of marketing.\u00a0Through trial and error, he succeeds.<\/p>\n

Las maneras en que papi dice te quiero (Ways Papi Says I Love You)<\/strong> by Delia Ruiz, illustrated by Carlos V\u00e9lez Aguilera, translated by Delia Ruiz, ISBN 9781632892768, is a picture book for readers ages 3\u20137. It will publish simultaneously in Spanish and English in\u00a0March 2026. \u201cIt\u2019s about the relationship between a daughter and a father, who doesn\u2019t ever tell her \u2018I love you\u2019 but shows it in so many ways. It\u2019s a beautiful story that a lot of people can relate to, not just Latinx people,\u201d says Torres.<\/p>\n

Chesapeake Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

Managing Editor Marie Daley founded Chesapeake Press in 2020 to \u201csave American democracy one kid at a time.\u201d \u201cThere is a real lack of civic education in America,\u201d says Daley, a former Capitol Hill journalist. \u201cAs a journalist, I was explaining government to grownups, and the company [Chesapeake] explains it to kids.\u201d Chesapeake Press creates civics curriculum\u2013adjacent fiction and nonfiction materials for grades K\u20138.<\/p>\n

Its \u201cFina Mendoza\u201d<\/strong> series for kids in grades 2\u20137 by Kitty Felde, follows Fina, a 10-year-old girl from Southern California, who moves to Washington, D.C. with her father and big sister, Gabby, after their mother\u2019s death. Chesapeake has released a Spanish translation by Jorge Flores Gonz\u00e1lez of each of the series\u2019 three novels. Teachers\u2019 guides are also available for each title.<\/p>\n

In the first book, Bie<\/strong>nvenida a Washington Fina Mendoza (Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza)<\/strong>, July 2023, ISBN 9781737097860, Fina gets an after-school job walking the dogs belonging to members of Congress. \u201cThere\u2019s an old legend that there\u2019s a cat, the demon cat of Capitol Hill, that haunts the Capitol building. And if it sees you, you are cursed with bad luck the rest of your life,\u201d Daley says. \u201cFina thinks she\u2019s seen the cat and decides to investigate.\u201d The book introduces kids to the U.S. capital and how Congress works through Fina\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

In book two, Estado de la uni\u00f3n: Un misterio de Fina Mendoza (State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery)<\/strong>, August 2024, ISBN 9781737097877, Fina\u2019s father is asked to deliver the rebuttal speech to the State of the Union address in Spanish. When a bird poops on the president\u2019s head mid-speech, Fina wants to find the bird before the secret service kills it. The book covers the State of the Union, the rebuttal speech, the architecture of the Capitol, and that of Congress.<\/p>\n

Book three, Serpiente en el c\u00e9sped <\/strong>(Snake in the Grass)<\/strong>, September 2025, ISBN 9798989493463, takes place at a congressional baseball game and the practices for it. Somebody is putting snakes in the gym bags and trash cans of members of Congress, and Fina tries to find out who\u2019s doing it. \u201cIt\u2019s about how foolish and childish partisanship can be,\u201d Daley says. At least two more novels are planned for the series.<\/p>\n

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