Elena is one of the Alphabet Kids, a group of kids from the Alphabet Afterschool Center who have fun learning about the languages, celebrations, food and music of one another's cultures. In this story, Elana is celebrating a birthday! Since Elena is also Spanish, she uses several Spanish phrases throughout the story, including buenos dias, vamos, hola, pinyata, feliz cumpleanos, and fantastico! The illustrations are high gloss, computer-colored pictures with vibrant, fun color contrasts. The book is also a convenient small size, perfect for taking on outings.
The Alphabet Kids do activities and chores that your little one will be familiar with, such as drawing, building with blocks, setting the table, playing with toys, and reading. They also clean up after themselves and help one another clean up too - a great point to make with your child. Birthdays are always a fun conversation topic for toddlers. Does your little one remember his or her last birthday? Do they know how long until their next birthday? Elena wears a pretty dress and bow in her hair for her birthday; what does your little one want to wear?
My three year-old friend Sam picked up the Spanish phrases very well, particularly 'muchas gracias.' When I first read Elena's Spanish 'thank you' to her friends for the wonderful party, Sam asked what 'muchas gracias' meant. After defining it for him, he started saying frequently throughout the day. His mom was so impressed the first time he said 'muchas gracias' when she gave him dinner!
--Audra