My school didn’t cover social studies in regards to modern cultures. We had plenty of focus on history and geography, but the focus was always the big impact events of each country’s past. What wars did they fight, who were their great leaders, and so on. I didn’t get a chance to learn about other cultures much at all in school, and my area has very little diversity in race and ethnic diversity, so I didn’t get to learn about other cultures through friends either.
However, I did have some dolls that represented other ethnicity, and I had some children’s books that featured children of other religions and races as well. I am thankful that I had those dolls and books because I think they can be an important first step in introducing children to people who have a different culture than they do.
Los Pollitos is the first children’s book to be released in what will be a series of Latino nursery rhyme books. The series is aimed at Latino children, the creator made them because she had Latino nursery rhymes that she couldn’t find books for. She wanted latino children to have access to their nursery rhymes in book form. I love that she has created these for Latino children. They can be a great tool for non-Latino children as well, to help introduce them to Latino culture and Spanish. The books don’t have a traditional binding, instead they are “accordion style”, with one side telling the story in English and the other telling the story in Spanish.
Kelsie was drawn to the book right away. She loves lift-the-flap books and most panels of this book have at least one lift the flap. The story is about little chickies who are hungry, so their mama gets them food and then they take a nap together. It’s a really cute story.
Kelsie loved the flaps, and how one page has a spinning wheel that make it look like the chicken is walking. She was also intrigued by me reading the Spanish side of the story. She hasn’t been introduced to other languages, with the exception of a small amount on Dora or other shows. I don’t think she understands the concept of different languages existing, but it was a fun way to plant the seed if nothing else.
Canticos will be releasing more Latino nursery rhyme books as part of this series. They also have an iOS app called Little Chickies (los pollitos) that features the same story as this book through song and play. The app lets you create your own music and listening to the little chickies song in 8 languages.
Win it: A code to download the Little Chickies app for free, as well as a physical copy of Little Chickies (los pollitos).
To enter: Fill out the GT form below by 11:59pm EST on 5/20/2016.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
We have such a melting pot of cultures here in L.A., that it’s imperative that kids learn other cultures and languages at an early age, if nothing else so they can communicate with each other. Many jobs demand it these days too. The chicken book is a cutie.
We visit Mexico every year and always encourage our little ones to learn the language. I think it is easier to learn a second language when they are young. This looks like a perfect book for this!
Colleen Maurina
Fiona N
We have such a melting pot of cultures here in L.A., that it’s imperative that kids learn other cultures and languages at an early age, if nothing else so they can communicate with each other. Many jobs demand it these days too. The chicken book is a cutie.