Santiago's Dinosaurios

by Mariana Ríos Ramírez, Udayana Lugo (Illustrator)

Overview

2023 International Latino Book Awards SILVER, The Mariposa Award (Best debut author)
2023 Best Books for Kids & Teens starred selection, The Canadian Children's Book Centre

Santiago finds a way to connect to his classmates—through dinosaurios!

Santiago is new to the United States, and he doesn't speak English. On his first day of school, how will he connect with his peers? Santiago learns that even when you don't speak the same language, some interests—like dinosaurs—are universal.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807572320
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	10/27/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
File size:	57 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mariana Ríos Ramírez is a Mexican author living in Anderson, South Carolina. She worked as a high school teacher and co-owned an online business before discovering her passion for writing. Mariana is a member of SCBWI, Storyteller Academy, Rate your Story, and Las Musas. Santiago's Dinosaurios is her debut picture book.

Udayana Lugo started her career as a product designer but also worked in interior and graphic design. Her illustrated books include The Great and the Terrible and The Window, among others. She lives in Richmond, British Columbia.

Editorial Reviews

2023 International Latino Book Awards Silver, The Mariposa Award

2023 Best Books for Kids & Teens starred selection, The Canadian Children's Book Centre

From the Publisher

2022-08-31
On his first day of school in a new country, a young boy discovers a dino-mite way to make friends.

Santiago is starting school in the United States after moving from Mexico. He readies his dinosaur-themed backpack with all of his dinosaur school supplies, including his favorite dinosaur book. Worries, nonetheless, plague him. “¿Cómo haré nuevos amigos?” he wonders (“How will I make new friends?”), particularly because he doesn’t speak or understand English yet. When Mrs. Taylor introduces Santiago to the rest of the class, he recoils from all the attention. Though the boy sitting next to him greets him, Santiago can’t find the words beyond sharing his name in Spanish—and he worries that he “has a Brachiosaurus-sized problem.” Library time introduces more language barriers. However, the day improves when Santiago goes to music class, where a classmate flashes a thumbs-up at Santiago’s cool dinosaur shirt. Now, “Santiago’s problem might only be Iguanodon-sized.” With compassion and insight, Ríos Ramírez chronicles the anxieties that many children feel upon attending school in a new country. The use of dinosaurs to measure Santiago’s apprehensions works well (further underscored with the dinosaur-stamped endpapers). Unitalicized Spanish words and phrases slip in throughout the tale, with translations tucked away at the bottoms of pages. Mrs. Taylor is Black; Lugo’s vibrant, smile-filled illustrations feature a diverse group of students. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A rawr-ing good depiction of being the new kid. (dinosaur glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews