Bilingual Books

Bilingual books can help children learn new words in their non-native language — either by seeing the Spanish and English words side-by-side or by guessing word meaning through context. Bilingual books are a wonderful addition to a child's bookshelf — offering a window or mirror into cultural awareness and pride. Here, you'll find a collection of books with both English and Spanish text.

Learn more about diversity in children's books by visiting the Mirrors, Windows, Doors website.

Also see tips for reading aloud with children. These parent tips are available in English and Spanish.

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Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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¡Pío Peep!: Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes

By: Alma Flor Ada, Isabel Campoy

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Poetry

Rhymes from Spanish speaking countries are presented in Spanish and recreated in English to form...

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About Birds / Sobre los parjaros

By: Catherine Sill

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Birds and Animals

Handsome, realistic illustrations accompanied by straightforward information about North...

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Abuela

By: Arthur Dorros

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Flight

Rosalba imagines flying over New York City with her much loved abuela. The young girl uses...

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Around the World in a Bathtub

By: Wade Bradford

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures

Everywhere people take baths, but baths and bathing traditions are different in places and...

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Arroz con Leche

By: Lulu Delacre

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Fiction, Poetry

These traditional rhymes and songs from Latin America are presented in both English and Spanish...

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the yellow cover of Colores de la Vida showing a lion figure.

Colores de la Vida

By: Cynthia Weill

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Art and Artists, Geography, Travel and Cultures

Animal sculptures on carefully composed pages with the color words provide a fine introduction...

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Cuckoo: A Mexican Folktale / Cucu: Un cuento folklorico mexicano

By: Lois Ehlert

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Lazy Cuckoo has a beautiful singing voice and brightly colored feathers — until he loses them...

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illustrated cover of English and Spanish bilingual book Cuddled and Carried showing adult and baby panthers.

Cuddled and Carried / Consentido y cargado

By: Dia Michels

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Birds and Animals

Bilingual book celebrates the bond between parent and child in the animal kingdom. Babies —...

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drawing of two children taking care of a chili plant

Green Is a Chile Pepper

By: Roseanne Thong

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Cooking and Food

Colors introduce foods and more Mexico and other Spanish-speaking counties. Naïve style...

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Hello Ocean / Hola Mar

By: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Oceans, Rivers and Ponds

A child narrates her visit to the ocean, inviting readers to explore it with her. She experiences...

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I Love Saturdays y domingos

By: Alma Flor Ada

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Family and Community

A girl visits both sets of grandparents on weekends. On Saturdays, she speaks English with Grandpa...

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Cover of Josefina showing young Mexican woman holding many clay figures.

Josefina

By: Jeanette Winter

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Art and Artists, Geography, Travel and Cultures, Math and Measuring

Count along in English and Spanish with a Mexican folk artist as she sculpts her world from clay...

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La Princesa and the Pea

By: Susan Middleton Elya

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

El príncipe knows this girl is the one for him, but, as usual, his mother doesn’t agree. The...

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Medio Pollito / Half-Chicken

By: Alma Flor Ada

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Do you know why a weather vane has a little rooster on the top, spinning around to tell us which...

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Moon Rope/Un lazo a la luna

By: Lois Ehlert

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Look at the moon and what do you see? Could it be Fox? Fox convinced Mole to accompany him to...

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Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Poetry

Neftali always loved nature and words. This fondness allowed Neftali — better known as Pablo...

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Paco and the Giant Chile Plant

By: Keith Polette

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

The Southwestern desert is the setting for this humorous variation on the classic fairy tale "...

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Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes

By: Roseanne Thong

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Poetry

Circles, squares, triangles, ovals and stars are all around! The rhyming text incorporates Spanish...

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The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale / Bossy Gallito: El gallo de bodas:

By: Lucía González

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Travel with Bossy Rooster to his uncle's wedding. Of course the road is not entirely smooth in...

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The First Tortilla: A Bilingual Story

By: Rudolfo Anaya

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Based on an ancient Mexican legend, this story introduces young readers to the importance of...

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The Park Our Town Built

By: Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Civics and Our Government, Family and Community

In the style of "The House That Jack Built," Diane Gonzales Bertrand offers a lively picture...

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The Runaway Piggy

By: James Luna

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

In the classic tradition of "The Gingerbread Man," these piggy cookie leaps off the baking tray...

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Tito Puente, Mambo King

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Music and Musicians

Tito Puente was born to be a musician. He grew up to become the Mamba King to whose music people...

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Tomás and the Library Lady

By: Pat Mora

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Theme: Family and Community

Tomás, child of migrant workers, visits the town library to find stories like the ones told by...

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Age Level: 6-9 years old

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Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story

By: Tomie dePaola

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Adelita’s stepmother and stepsisters relegate her to kitchen duties after her father dies - and...

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Barrio: José's Neighborhood/Barrio: El barrio de José

By: George Ancona

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Family and Community

José lives in a diverse neighborhood where he's just as likely to hear Spanish, English, or...

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Chavela and the Magic Bubble

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Nature: Our Green World

Chavela loves chomping chicle — chewing gum and blowing bubbles. One day, while out with her...

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Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia

By: Carmen Garza

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Family and Community

The artist recalls growing up in south Texas in this celebration of family and cultural...

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Finding the Music/En pos de la musica

By: Jennifer Torres

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Music and Musicians

Reyna accidentally breaks her abuelo’s vihuela and tries to fix it before her family finds out....

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Flutter and Hum: Animal Poems/Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales

By: Julie Paschkis

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Birds and Animals, Bugs, Poetry

Short poems about animals appear in English and Spanish accompanied by textured illustrations...

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From the Bellybutton of the Moon and other Summer Poems/Del ombligo de la luna y otros poemas de verano

By: Francisco Alarcón

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Poetry

The poet remembers summers growing up in Mexico in poems presented in both English and Spanish....

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Galápagos Girl / Galapagueña

By: Marsha Diane Arnold

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Nature: Our Green World, Oceans, Rivers and Ponds

As a Galápagueña, Valentina spends her days observing the natural world around her. This...

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I Know the River Loves Me / Yo se que el rio me ama

By: Maya Christina Gonzalez

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Oceans, Rivers and Ponds, Poetry

Whenever Maya visits the river, the river jumps up to greet her. It cools her when the summer...

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In My Family/En mi familia

By: Carmen Garza

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Family and Community

Kingsville, on the border of Mexico and Texas, comes to life in words and pictures in this book...

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Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book

By: Yuyi Morales

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

This original trickster tale, featuring featuring Señor Calavera and Grandma Beetle, is a...

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Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book

By: Yuyi Morales

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Señor Calavera is back in this new original trickster tale about a Día de los Muertos skeleton...

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Mango, Abuela, and Me

By: Meg MedinaAngela

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Family and Community, Geography, Travel and Cultures

When a little girl’s far-away grandmother comes to stay, love and patience transcend language....

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Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

By: Carmen Agra Deedy

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Bugs, Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

A sweet retelling of the Cuban folktale, full of puns and a sprinkling of Spanish. When it is...

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My Name Is Celia/Me llamo Celia

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures, Music and Musicians

The beautiful artwork of this award-winning picture book about salsa queen Celia Cruz practically...

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My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures

As she did in My Name Is Celia/Me llamo Celia, Monica Brown tells the story of young...

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My Name Is Gabriela / Me llamo Gabriela

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Poetry

"My name is Gabriela Mistral. It is a name I chose myself because I like the sound of it." With...

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Olinguito, de La A a la Z!/Olinguito, from A to Z!

By: Lulu Delacre

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Birds and Animals, Geography, Travel and Cultures

Animals from the Ecuadorian Andes cloud forest are introduced in stunning illustrations and...

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Once Upon a Time: Traditional Latin American Tales / Habia una vez: Cuentos tradicionales Latino Americanos

By: Reuben Martinez

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Animals and people wise and foolish are presented in these tales retold. Their origins, from a...

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Señor Cat's Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America

By: Lucía González

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Spanish words add flavor to these appealing folktales, cuentos favoritos, carefully illustrated...

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Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Detectives and Explorers, Geography, Travel and Cultures

A bilingual picture book biography of Peruvian archaeologist and national icon Julio C. Tello,...

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Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez / /Lado a Lado: La Historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Heroes and Superheroes

This bilingual book pairs the dual stories of powerful activists César Chávez and Dolores Huerta...

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The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred

By: Samantha Vamos

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Cooking and Food, Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Start with a farm maiden and a pot, invite some friends to help her, and before you know it, you...

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The Korean Cinderella

By: Shirley Climo

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

the story of Pear Blossom, a lovely girl who is sorely mistreated by her nasty stepmother and...

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The Legend of the Caribou Boy / Ekwò Dǫzhìa Wegond

By: George Blondin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

When a little boy, traveling with his parents and grandparents, has trouble sleeping at night,...

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The Woman Who Outshone the Sun / La mujer que brillaba aún más que el sol

By: Alejandro Cruz Martinez

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

Lucia Zenteno is a mythic character, a woman of great beauty who is perfectly in tune with...

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Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube

By: Pat Mora

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Oceans, Rivers and Ponds, Poetry

Evocative watercolors and short, lyrical poems take readers on a trip, “Around our round world”...

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illustrated cover of Water Wonders showing a water pipe, a mouse with a magnifying glass, and a mouse with a jar of dirt.

Water Wonders: The Curious Adventures of Sydney & Symon / Las Maravillas del agua

By: Peter H. Reynolds, Paul A. Reynolds

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Theme: Oceans, Rivers and Ponds

In this bilingual book, two young scientists, Sydney and Symon Starr, a sister and brother team...

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Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Hello World: A Celebration of Languages and Curiosities

By: Jonathan Litton

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Theme: Geography, Travel and Cultures

There are many ways to say Hello! There’s more than just “hi!” People world-over say it in their...

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Magic Moments / Momentos Magicos

By: Olga Loya

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Theme: Folktales, Fairy Tales and Myths

A bilingual collection of 15 traditional tales from Latin America, including: Scary Stories,...

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Sharuko: Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello / El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello

By: Monica Brown

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Theme: Detectives and Explorers, Geography, Travel and Cultures

Peruvian archaeologist and national icon Julio C. Tello unearthed Peru's ancient cultures and...

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