Alma and Her Family/Alma y su familia

by Juana Martinez-Neal, Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Alma’s family . . . in two languages! The beloved star of the Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name appears in a series of joy-filled bilingual board books featuring words and simple phrases in English and Spanish.

I play with my cousins. / Juego con mis primas.
I sing to Pajarito. / Le canto a Pajarito.

How much does little Alma love her family? She kisses her daddy, squeezes her mommy, laughs with her grandma, and . . . paints on her artist grandpa (such a good sport!). Juana Martinez-Neal’s bilingual board book brings back familiar characters and introduces new ones in a conversational narration (shown in both languages on every spread) as well as gentle illustrations exuding whimsy and warmth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763693626
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Series:	Alma's Words/Las palabras de Alma
Edition description:	Bilingual Edition
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	1,007,384
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor and published in Spanish as Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre. She is the author-illustrator of the acclaimed Zonia’s Rain Forest and the illustrator of La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, Babymoon by Hayley Barrett, and Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won a Robert F. Sibert Medal. She also co-illustrated with Molly Idle I Don’t Care by Julie Fogliano. Juana Martinez-Neal lives in Connecticut with her family. Visit her online at www.juanamartinezneal.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 12/01/2023

Toddler-PreS—The lovable title character of Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name stars in her own concept board book series. With the same cozy art and fluid line, Martinez-Neal revisits Alma and her sweet family to introduce concepts in English and Spanish. In Alma and Her Family/Alma y su familia, the little girl presents her family, from her father to her pet bird, and shares how she likes to demonstrate her love for each of them. "I kiss my daddy./ Le doy un beso a mi papi. I squeeze my mommy./ Apachurro a mi mami." In Alma, Head to Toe/Alma, de pies a cabeza, the toddler celebrates the parts of her body in both languages. She also explains how she uses them to explore her world. "Here are my arms, hands, and fingers./ Aquí están mis brazos, manos y dedos. Pajarito, you are as soft as a flower./ ¿Pajarito, eres tan suave como una flor," she says as she caresses her pet bird. The glimpses of her plump body as she moves are dancelike and free. The English text appears first with black font; the Spanish text is blue. The mostly pink-white-black palette will attract little hands. Warmth exudes from each spread, and the cuddle-worthy heroine is full of so much joy. Readers will embrace these books with much enthusiasm, regardless of the language they understand. VERDICT Every collection needs more Alma. These titles are a must-purchase.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal