Do you love new book recommendations? I’m always searching for fun new books for my kids. It just melts my heart when I see one of my kids fall in love with a good book! I love to see them reading over doing just about anything else. A love of hearing stories, interacting with books, and pretending to read is what gets kids off to a solid start in reading for themselves! And my five-year-old little girl is the biggest book lover of all at our house.
Today I’m sharing some of her very favorite Spanish and bilingual books to inspire your little ones to fall in love with a good book, too! I didn’t buy any new books for this post, and I didn’t swap out any of her top choices for ones that I love more in order to get a more curated variety. They are truly just her very favorites that we’ve read over and over (and over!). Take a look!
Looking for more top book recommendations? Support Bilingual Balance and local bookstores by purchasing my top picks on Bookshop. Happy reading!
Round Is a Tortilla by Roseanne Thong
My daughter is my most reluctant Spanish learner. So this bilingual book is perfect for her because I’m getting in some Spanish vocabulary while she thinks we’re reading an English book. I never said raising bilingual kids was easy! This book has beautiful pictures and is great for practicing beginner Spanish vocabulary like shapes.
Rubia and the Three Osos by Susan Middleton Elya
She loves this one because it is a FUN story that combines both English and Spanish. I enjoy Susan Middleton Elya’s books (she’s author to another top pick as well). They are perfect for kids learning English and Spanish because of how smoothly she integrates both languages, rather than having the text written separately in each language.
Diez cerdos hambrientos by Derek Anderson
She enjoys this book because it is so silly! I love it because it helps us practice number and food words, while smiling at all the crazy pigs.
Si le das un panqueque a una cerdita by Laura Numeroff
You probably know the English version of this book. I love Laura Numeroff’s books and they’re just as entertaining in Spanish. Check this one out – or any of her others in Spanish!
Un beso en mi mano by Audrey Penn
We read this one countless times last year when my daughter had a hard time wanting to go to preschool. She loves the sweet story of the raccoon missing her family when she goes to school, and I love the encouragement it gives kids who have those same big feelings.
¡Perros! ¡Perros! Dogs! Dogs! by Ginger Foglesong Guy
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this book. It was my son’s absolute favorite for years, and now my two girls love it, too. It’s simple, sweet, and perfect for any toddler or preschooler (I even had a copy of it in my first grade classroom library) learning Spanish and English.
La llama llama rojo pijama by Anna Dewdney
She loves this book because it’s easy to relate to the bedtime routines of adorable little Llama. This was our first “Llama Llama” book, and we love checking out new ones at the library to follow along on all of Llama’s adventures. We recently discovered the “Llama Llama” show on Netflix – you can pick Spanish or English (or other languages)!
Say hola to Spanish by Susan Middleton Elya
One of our family’s absolute FAVORITE bilingual books. It encourages kids to love learning Spanish. My daughter can help me “read” it now by filling in words I leave out. It’s tough to find books that interchange English and Spanish in a playful, rhyming way like this.
El ratoncito, la fresa roja y madura y el gran oso hambriento by Don and Audrey Wood
I fell in love with this book when I had a copy in my first grade classroom, and so, of course, bought it for my own kids to read at home! All three of my kids have enjoyed this sweet book full of repetition, suspense, and sharing.
Me encantan los Saturdays y los domingos by Alma Flor Ada
Alma Flor Ada is such an amazing author, and this book is one of her best. My daughter loves it because the main character is a little girl about her age and it switches back and forth easily between English and Spanish words. It’s about a little girl who loves spending time with her grandparents – two who speak English, and two who speak Spanish. Charming story for bilingual families!
I hope you’ll check out one of these book recommendations for your family or for your classroom! Never underestimate the power of a good book in inspiring a child to love reading – or learning a language.
Find the board book recommendations for my 1-year-old here.
Check the book recommendations from my 7-year-old here! If you’d like any other specific book recommendations, let me know. Bilingualbalance@gmail.com
