New Bilingual Books from Arte Publico Press/ Piñata Books

No Time for Monsters / No hay tiempo para monstruos
By   Spelile Rivas (Author)
Amira Plascencia (Spanish Translator)
Valeria Cervantes (Illustrator)   

ISBN 9781558854451
30 Apr 2010

  

An endearing story about a boy who tries 
to avoid chores by blaming monsters

Like most kids, Roberto doesn’t want to help with household chores. Who wants to clean the bedroom? Yuck!
Roberto tells his mother he can’t clean his room because he’s afraid the Closet Monster might lock him away forever! “Maybe you should help me,” he tells his mother. “The Closet Monster is afraid of you.” But Mamá insists he clean his own room.
And when Mamá asks for Roberto’s help wiping the table and sweeping the kitchen floor, he again tries to wiggle out of cleaning because of his fear of monsters. “If I sweep the floor,” he says, “the Dust Monster might come and blow me away forever!”
Later, when Roberto is ready for his mother to read him a story, she turns the tables on him. “If I read you a story,” Mamá says, “the Work Monster might come and take me away forever.” So Roberto grabs a mop and willingly helps his mom finish the chores. Together, Roberto and his mother put an end to the cleaning and the monsters!
In this entertaining picture book about a boy’s creative attempts to avoid doing chores around the house, first-time children’s book author Spelile Rivas creates an amusing scenario to illustrate how working together to complete tasks can be productive and fun.

Abuelo vivía solo / Grandpa Used to Live Alone
Amy Costales (Author)
Esperanza Gama (Illustrator)    

ISBN 9781558855311
Published 30 Apr 2010

A loving homage to the abiding presence
of a grandparent in a young girl’s life

Grandpa used to live alone in a quiet pink house. But when his granddaughter was born, everything changed: “Mamá and I moved in. Grandpa’s house was still pink, but it was not so quiet anymore.”
And Grandpa’s house and garden weren’t as orderly either. Sometimes Grandpa had to pick his way through toys strewn across the floor. Other days he watched her pluck rose buds and beans from his plants. And some days his brick patio was decorated with brightly colored chalk.
While she was a little girl and her mother went to school late in the evening, Grandpa made rice pudding. She would play with the measuring cups and eat raisins while he prepared their bedtime snack and told her stories. Then he would carry her upstairs to her crib and tuck her in. He would rock in the chair by her crib until she went to sleep.
As the years pass, she grew and grew. Grandpa took down her crib and bought her a bed. He taught her how to make rice pudding and play catch. And while she was growing, Grandpa was growing older too. Until all too soon, she was the one making the rice pudding and helping her grandfather up the stairs to bed.
Amy Costales’ heart-warming text, accompanied by Esperanza Gama’s soothing illustrations, lovingly depicts the relationship between a child and a central figure in her life—her grandfather.

Party for Papá Luis, The / La fiesta para Papá Luis
Diane Gonzales Bertrand (Author)
Gabriela Baeza Ventura (Spanish Translator)
Alejandro Galindo (Illustrator)   


ISBN 9781558855328
Published 30 Apr 2010

A festive look at a fun-filled party as family
and friends celebrate a special birthday

Everybody loves a birthday party, and there’s a lot to enjoy at Papá Luis’ fiesta! The children excitedly count the candy that will fill the piñata. The nieces bring the candles for the birthday cake that Mamá Marta baked. Family and friends begin to arrive, and soon, they surprise Papá Luis with his special celebration.
Told in lively verse, this cumulative tale builds from one page to the next as popular children’s book author Diane Gonzales Bertrand presents a charming look at a big family gathering that celebrates the patriarch’s birthday.
Like her previous award-winning book, The Empanadas that Abuela Made / Las empanadas que hacía la abuela, Diane Gonzales Bertrand gives emerging readers another book that creates confidence and skills through repetition and sentence building.
Accompanied by Alejandro Galindo’s whimsical illustrations of big-eyed children and elderly family members dancing and enjoying each other, this fun-filled fiesta is sure to delight children ages 4 – 8. After reading this appealing bilingual story, kids will eagerly begin planning their own birthday parties.