Spanish Is the Language of My Family
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
An intergenerational story of family ties, cultural pride, and spelling bee victory following a young boy who bonds with his beloved abuela over a love of Spanish.
As a boy prepares for his school’s Spanish spelling bee, he asks his grandmother for help with some of the words he doesn’t know how to spell yet. When she studies with him, she tells him how different things were back when she was a girl, when she was only allowed to speak English in school. This only inspires him to study even harder and make his family proud.
Based on stories author Michael Genhart heard from his mother as a child, Spanish is the Language of My Family is about the joy of sharing cultural heritage with our families, inspired by the generations of Latino people were punished for speaking Spanish and the many ways new generations are rejuvenating the language.
Simultaneously published in Spanish as El español es la lengua de mi familia, Michael Genhart’s text is as touching as it is poignant, and it’s paired with the striking artwork of multiple Pura Belpre Award-Winning Illustrator John Parra. Extensive material at the back of the book includes essays from the author about the history of Spanish suppression in U.S. schools and information about the Spanish alphabet.
A Chicago Public Library 'Best of the Best' Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Common Sense Media Best Book of the Year
A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children’s Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors’ Choice
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A Latinx child prepares for a school's spelling bee in Spanish throughout this emotionally tinged bilingual picture book. The first to sign up because "Spanish is the language of my family," the child narrator quickly begins reviewing words. Studying with Abuela brings new meaning to the exercise as she reveals that during her childhood, "The rule at school was ‘English only,' " and recalls the punishments that family members experienced for speaking Spanish. Genhart's musing first-person text seamlessly switches between the languages, interspersing relevant Spanish terms (on a page about Abuela, "Fuerte is strong. F-u-e-r-t-e") while showing powerful familial support that leads up to a final spelling bee word: "R-e-s-p-e-t-o." Parra's layered acrylics employ letters and patterns in scenes of home and school, portraying figures of various skin tones throughout this significant glimpse into one child's claiming of their heritage. An author's note and other back matter contextualizes the story. English and Spanish editions publish simultaneously. Ages 4–8.
