My Friend, Mi Amigo by Kristin Tripathy

My Friend, Mi Amigo

Kristin Tripathy, Author

Denise Turu, Illustrator

Authors as Heroes Publishing, Fiction, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 4-8

Themes: Bilingual story, Play, Zoo, Friendship

Opening: Hola!…Huh? / Hello!…Eh?

Synopsis: Interacting with others who don’t speak the same language can sometimes be challenging. However, when an English-speaking boy encounters a Spanish-speaking boy at the zoo, nothing can stop them from having an engaging and playful time…not even a language barrier. After all, friendship speaks louder than words.

What I like about this book:

This is a clever bilingual book for both English- and Spanish-speaking children. Kristin Tripathy features two boys visiting the zoo. Each double-spread page shows the boys visiting animals at the zoo with bubble comments highlighting their conversation. When one boy says, “Look! A gray elephant.” The other responds “Como?”  On the opposite page the Spanish-speaking boy says “Mira! Un elefante gris.”  This makes translation easy for children.

This is a book about friendship and the creative way two boys overcome a language barrier so that they  have a grand time exploring the zoo together. It has humor and a great theme.  Denise Turu’s large, colorful and bold illustrations compliment the story. Visit the author at her website, Authors As Heroes.  The book is also published in English and Hindi, which you will find by visiting the website.

Photos courtesy of Kristin Tripathy.

Resources: The book is a resource. Both English- and Spanish-speaking children will learn new vocabulary as it is simply presented in bubble comments. It definitely can be used in the classroom to teach both language and animals

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*The author provided me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.