SayitSees The Best Breakfast El Mejor Desayuno
by Sousan ArafehRoynn Lisa Simmons edited by Kathleen White illustrated by Barbara Haines
A bilingual English/Spanish children’s book celebrating food and family.
Young Sam is excited because today’s the day that his mother promised to cook him his very favorite breakfast. This premise serves as a vehicle to introduce young readers to some common English and Spanish phrases as Sam goes through his morning routine of washing his face (“lavando la cara”), saying “good morning” to his mom (“Buenos días mami”), and talking about various foods (“naranja,” “leche”). Unfortunately, as the book progresses, Sam finds that his mother hasn’t cooked him his favorite breakfast of milk, eggs, orange slices, and toast. Instead, she’s made him pancakes and juice. In the end, though, it turns out that she’s playing a simple trick. His mother gives the pancake breakfast to his siblings and gives him his preferred breakfast after all. This book pairs simple English and Spanish sentences together, allowing children to easily see the relationship between the two languages. The story’s subject matter is a good choice, as it will help children relate the words they’ve been learning to real life. Although the cartoonish illustrations, which depict Sam and his family as blue humanoids with antennae, aren’t spectacular—most are simple drawings set against a monochrome background—they’re amusing enough to keep children engaged. The book comes with flashcards of simple, useful phrases to help children practice certain sentences. It also comes with a DVD that features an excellent video reading of the book. (Two other videos, featuring English and Spanish conversations between a mother and child, aren’t quite as interesting.) What stands out about this book is how it presents children and parents with an opportunity to bond over language learning. By reading the book to each other, practicing phrases with flash cards, or watching the DVD, it will provide them with a great way to begin exploring English or Spanish together.
A fun book that will help children navigate the breakfast table in two languages.