Sparky's Bark El Ladrido de Sparky

This book is a great way for teachers that may have ESL or ELL students with a Hispanic background to feel more comfortable with reading. The teacher could use this book as a read aloud by reading the English part and then the Spanish part. It is fun for kids to hear things spoken in a different language. The teacher could also teach the children a few words to say in Spanish. Throughout the English part, there are a few phrases in Spanish. The teacher could use this to ask the kids to guess what those Spanish phrases might mean. The little girl goes inside to take a siesta. This would be a great way to bring in the Hispanic culture by telling the kids that in many Hispanic countries, it is customary for people of all ages to take a short nap in the afternoon. This book also can help English-speaking children to understand how hard it is for those that do not speak English as their first language. The little girl feels stupid when she does not say an English word correctly and her cousin laughs at her. The little girl wants to be able to communicate but just doesn't know how. Then, her cousin teaches her English so that they can communicate. This might help children in the class to make an effort to be patient with those that do not understand and maybe even try to teach them. I love this book and plan to add it to my collection for my future class. I think that spanish is something that needs to be addressed with all ages because it has become so prevelant.