¡Pío Peep!

This collection presents 29 traditional Spanish nursery rhymes from Latin American and Spanish heritage. As the reader opens the book, each page has the original rhyme in Spanish on one side and an English adaptation on the other side, accompanied by large colorful illustrations. The rhymes cover a broad range of topics such as farm animals, getting sick and seeing the doctor, rice pudding, and all kinds of outdoor play. The English rhymes are not an exact translation, they are adaptations and renditions that stay as close to the original meaning as possible while still keeping the poetic meter and rhyme. While this collection would be very meaningful for bilingual children, it is also enjoyable for readers who speak only one of these languages. Since these nursery rhymes originate from oral tradition, having them in a book is a special way of passing traditions on to children and getting a glimpse into a culture that is not one’s own. Alma Flor Ada is a Cuban-American award-winning author; she draws inspiration for her work from her mother and grandmother who would sing and recite old ballads and traditional folktales to her. As an author, she has devoted herself to bilingual and multicultural literature for both children and educators. F. Isabel Campoy is an author specializing in theater, poetry, biographies, and art, and an educator and lecturer on topics of literacy and homeschooling.