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Let's Be Friends/ Seamos Amigos (Bilingual English/ Spanish)

by Rene Colato Lainez (Author) Nomar Perez (Illustrator)

Let's Be Friends/ Seamos Amigos (Bilingual English/ Spanish)
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Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
Series: My Friend, Mi Amigo
cms Common Sense Media Review

¡Un cuento de amistad en inglés y español! Hi. Hola.My name is Joe. Mi nombre es José.Let's paint. Pintemos. Two boys, an English speaker and a Spanish speaker, meet at school. They paint together and learn about colors. In the end, they declare, Let's be friends. Seamos amigos. 

The fun friendship story engages children, while simple words, short sentences, and a glossary reinforce learning. Nomar Perez, illustrator of best-selling children's books as well as greeting cards, has a bright, bold, colorful, kid-pleasing style that invites readers to befriend the characters in this book. 

cms Common Sense Media Review
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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-- Let's Be Friends and We Play Soccer offer bilingual stories for the very young or for those new to the Spanish/English language. Although Joe speaks English and Jose speaks Spanish, the language barrier does not keep these two kindergartners from becoming friends. Each time Joe speaks, Jose replies by saying the same phrase in Spanish. In Let's Be Friends, the boys learn to share paints as they create beautiful pictures during class. Joe says, "Let's paint," and Jose replies, "Pintemos." In We Play Soccer, the boys learn teamwork as they work together to help their team score the winning goal. Joe says, "Our team is losing," and Jose responds with, "Nuestro equipo esta perdiendo." Colorful artwork and detailed pictures keep readers engaged. VERDICT Both books offer a simple story with delightful characters for beginning readers or those learning a new language.--Martha Rico

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

★ This bilingual beginning reader by Laínez . . . contains a perfect blend of Spanish and English. . . . Laínez's bilingual teaching background shows through in this well-constructed story, and the simple text works for those learning either language. . . . A fantastic addition to any early childhood classroom.—Booklist, Starred Review

Colorful artwork and detailed pictures keep readers engaged. . . . a simple story with delightful characters for beginning readers or those learning a new language.—School Library Journal

A joyful story gently highlighting the power of art to connect communities and individuals.—Kirkus Reviews
Rene Colato Lainez
René Colato Laínez is the author of several bilingual picture books, including Senor Pancho Had a Rancho, Vamonos! Let's Go!, and Playing Lotería, which was nominated for the Tejas Star Book Award - the K-6 bilingual counterpart to the Texas Bluebonnet Award. He lives in California, where he teaches a bilingual kindergarten class. Through his work as both an author and an educator, he hopes to help all children develop positive self-images.

Nomar Perez grew up in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where "an amazing array of colors, sounds, and flavors" influenced his artistic life. He is the illustrator of two 2017 Amazon Best Sellers: All Day Long, God Loves Me and Everywhere I Go, God is With Me. He is also a staff artist at American Greetings. Nomar currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780823454235
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Holiday House
Publication date
June 20, 2023
Series
My Friend, Mi Amigo
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV003000 - Juvenile Fiction | Art & Architecture
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Picture books
Spanish language materials
Bilingual
Color

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