Of course, everyone knows “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”  Such a great, action-filled song!  The Barefoot Books version of the song is both a book and a singalong CD, written by  Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Sophie Fatus, and sung by Susan Reed.  What you might not immediately notice is that this publication is a multicultural gem.  Not only are the illustrations filled with images of children from around the world, but the last verse is “If You’re Happy and You Know It Shout Hello” . . . and then children learn 36 ways to say Hello.  Bonjour, Hola, Oi, Ai, Jambo, Sawubona, Selam, Dag, Buongiorno, and more.  Pretty cool, huh?

Brand new from Barefoot Books is this Children of the World Matching Game with the same whimsical, international illustrations from the book.  Children match the boy and girl pairs according to traditional dress, country, and color.

These products offer a fun, engaging way to introduce languages to young children.  Five stars!

I have always loved the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans.  In fact, I even named my Siamese cat in honor of the spunky little French school girl.  Last summer I developed a summer day camp called “Learn French with Madeline” and I’m currently teaching a once-a-week homeschool enrichment program by the same name.  As you can imagine, my classes are filled with darling little girls between the ages of 4 and 7.  Every session, I read a Madeline book in English, we make crafts, play with Madeline toys & games, and learn French bien sûr! What impresses me, is that the Madeline books hold the same magic today as they did when I taught almost 20 years ago, as they did when I was a little girl, and as I imagine they did when they were first published in 1939.

On the last day of my camps & classes, my little girls don their yellow paper Madeline hats and recite snippets of the story interspersed with French songs.  The paper plate craft hats they make are extremely cute, but nothing compared to the child Madeline costume I recently received from Costume Discounters, a site offering an extensive array of Halloween costumes.   I brought the costume in to my class this past week and all of the girls took turns trying it on, while some of the moms even snapped pictures.  (I heard lots of  ”How CUTE!”  The photos will be a darling souvenir of the class!)  The quality is really nice . . . the little blue dress is made of thick, soft, cozy fabric, and the yellow hat hold its shape nicely.  My 5 year old son has been putting it on and breaking into the “I’m Madeline!  I’m Madeline!” song every chance he gets.  (What a nut!)  But it just goes to show how costumes nurture imagination and play, bring characters and stories to life, and can even encourage language learning!

Un grand merci to Costume Discounters for providing the costume for this Foreign Language Fun review.  I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality and thrilled with how cute every single one of my girls looked wearing it.  Whether your little girl wants to dress up like Madeline, or any other character you can imagine, check out the other kids Halloween costumes available, too.

Photo provided by http://www.costumediscounters.com

I built my demo lesson around Bear in a Square (L’Ours dans un carrée), published by Barefoot Books.   It’s a wonderful thematic presentation of both shapes and colors:

First, I explained to the children that I have a magic hat.  When I put it on, I can only speak French!

Then we did some TPR, met my bear puppet, and gave him a little ride on the parachute.

We learned some French colors, sang a colors song, and identified shapes in the book.  We drew shapes with our finger in the air and on the floor.

I placed some paper clips on various colored paper hearts, and the children took turns “fishing” for them with a magnet on a string.

When we were done, the children had a lot of fun making French valentines and book marks.  Stamps and stickers kept them very busy!

Here’s my little display table of registration forms, flyers, etc. for Pink Poodle French.  Can’t wait to start another new class!

Young Spanish learners are sure to enjoy Clare Beaton’s engaging board book, Cerdota Grandota (How Big is a Pig? published by Barefoot Books.)  Farmyard animals is a theme in every early childhood language program I know.  Kids will be able to practice the Spanish vocabulary words for both animals and opposites.

Cerdota Grandota is on currently on sale at Barefoot Books for only $4.99.  Check out the other Spanish sale items here.

I decided to give my annual Christmas bear display a literary theme this year.   Now all they need are some Bearfoot Books in their paws.  (er . . . make that BAREFOOT Books!)  Barefoot Books has a fantastic selection of multicultural books for kids.  And by multicultural, I mean spanning the globe.  Check out the Barefoot Books Cross-Cultural Story Reference.

Visit my online Marketplace to get your bear cubs reading and discovering the world.  Order by December 15 (today!) to receive your books in time for Christmas.  Free shipping until 12/24/10 for orders over $60.

Happy Holidays!  Wishing you a 2011 filled with the discovery of new languages and cultures!

Discover a charming Mexican legend in The Miracle of the First Poinsettia:  A Mexican Christmas Story.  It is written by Joanne Oppenheim and beautifully illustrated by Fabian Negrin.  This lovely, cultural Christmas story is available in both English and Spanish . . .  El milagro de la primera flor de Nochebuena.

Even in the English version, readers will be introduced to a variety of Spanish expressions that are expertly woven throughout the text.  Here are a few of the Spanish words your children will encounter:

Noche Buena – Christmas Eve

Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas

¿Cuánto? – How much?

gracias – thank you

galletas – cookies

¡Qué hermosa! – How beautiful!

¡Qué linda! – How pretty!

Readers will also learn about mariachi bands, pesos, tortillas, piñatas, and the Christmas celebrations known as posadas.

This book is ideal for reading at home, in the classroom, or to give as a gift ( . . . with a poinsettia, of course!)

Here are some free online craft and coloring resources to accompany the book:

• Flor de Noche Buena coloring sheet
• Poinsettia Fan Craft and lesson ideas from www.first-school.ws
• Paper Poinsettia Craft from www.creativekidsathome.com
• Poinsettia Paper Plate Craft from www.dltk-holidays.com

The Miracle of the First Poinsettia is published by Barefoot Books

I just stumbled across a fantastic looking book Spanish teachers and learners will love.  It’s called Fiesta Femenina:  Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktale.  Published by Barefoot Books, retold by Mary-Joan Gerson, illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t had a chance to personally review it yet.  But it is now on CLEARANCE.  I don’t want you to miss out!

Barefoot Books has a nice selection of  books in Spanish. Click here to order.

Here’s the publisher’s description:  Travel to lush Mexican forests, amidst tall mountains and rushing rivers to discover tales of the many heroines of Mexico. The eight stories in this collection capture the noble beauty of the women of Mexican folk tales. (Spanish language edition)

Stories are from a variety of traditions:  Maya, Aztec, Mixtec, Yaqui, and Euro-Mexican.

Off We Go to Mexico! is a wonderful book for introducing children to the sights, customs, language, and history of Mexico.  It is written in delightful verse by Laurie Krebs, and illustrated by Christopher Corr.

Off We Go to Mexico! is available in both English and Spanish.  In the English version, each double page spread contains one page of lyrical text, and one page of a language lesson.  Four English-Spanish vocabulary words accompany each verse.  Children can repeat the words while identifying them in Corr’s vibrant, cultural images.

This picture book is chock-full of content.  The rhyme and illustrations introduce children to Mexico’s beaches, canyon train, festivals, pyramids, mariachi bands, native villages & markets, traditional dancers/guitarists, monarch butterflies, Independence Day, the Mexican flag, and a visit to the capital of Mexico City.  In the back of the book you will find a non-fiction reference section about the history of Mexico and “First Spanish Phrases.”

Click the links to order Off We Go to Mexico! or ¡Nos Vamos a México! from Barefoot Books.

Barefoot Books has some fantastic publications in Spanish and/or about Spanish-speaking countries.  You’ve also got to check out these other culture-and-content-rich “masterpiece” picture books by Laurie Krebs:

Navegamos a Galápagos, We’re Sailing to Galapagos, We’re Roaming the Rainforest, and Up and Down the Andes.

Free shipping until December 24, 2010, if you order $60 or more.

Capture a glimpse of culture in the pages of a book!

Free shipping for orders over $60 through December 24

I’m always on the prowl for multilingual and multicultural books and music.   I am pleased and excited to tell you about the treasures I’ve discovered at Barefoot Books!  In fact, once I began to peruse the catalog I found that I already owned several Barefoot Books and didn’t even know it.  I admit, I’m a bit of a kiddie lit snob, but these materials make the cut . . . . artistically, linguistically, and culturally rich.  Definite keepers!

Here are some of the French and Spanish products that I recommend:

FRENCH BOOKS AND MUSIC:

Bear about Town/L’ours dans la ville

Bear at Home/L’ours à la maison

Bear in a Square/L’ours dans un carré (I’ve used this one for years when teaching shapes)

Bear in Sunshine/L’ours au soleil

Putumayo’s French Playground CD (LOVE this!)

SPANISH BOOKS AND MUSIC:

Bear in Sunshine/Oso bajo el sol

Bear about Towon/Oso en la ciudad

Bear at Home/Oso en casa

Bear in a Square/Oso en un cuadrado

La familia activa de Oso

Oso en bicicleta

Un alce, veinte ratones (great for both counting and animals)

Abuelita fue al mercado (great for teaching countries)

Cerdota Grandota

Fiesta Femenina CLEARANCE!  ON SALE

El loro Tico Tango

El Milagro de la primera flor de Nochebuena (wonderful holiday culture!)

Los tres chivitos Gruff

Navegamos a Galapagos (great for an animals unit)

Nos vamos a México

Un Recorrido por las Estaciones

Algarabia en la granja Book and CD

De paseo por la selva Book and CD

Juan y los frijoles mágicos Book and CD

Mira quién toca calipso Book and CD

El mundo Book and CD

Cha-cha-cha en la selva Book and CD

Putumayo’s Latin Playground CD

Whew!  There’s even more.  Go check out Barefoot Books!

Offering a Madeline camp for 5-7 year olds has me more enthused than ever over these classic books by Ludwig Bemelmans. Even my boys are asking to hear tale after tale about the brave little girl from “the old house in Paris that was covered in vines.” Madeline provides a wonderful context and reason for learning some beginning French, as well as for discovering the monuments and surroundings of Paris.

Here is a resource guide of Madeline books to help you make that French connection!

Madeline The story that started it all back in 1939!  Madeline gets her appendix out.

Madeline’s Rescue Meet Madeline’s faithful friend Genevieve, the dog that rescues her when she falls into the Seine.

Madeline and the Bad Hat The Spanish Ambassador and his mischievous son, Pepito (the “Bad Hat”), move in next  door.  This book really helps to engage boys in the series.

Madeline and the Gypsies Madeline and Pepito travel with a gypsy circus!  As they hit the road, readers are treated to wonderful illustrations of famous places around France, not just Paris.

Madeline in London Pepito moves to London, so Madeline and the other little girls visit to cheer him up.

Madeline’s Christmas It’s Christmastime, and Madeline takes care of the other little girls who are sick.  Who comes to the door but a magical carpet  merchant!

Madeline in America and Other Holiday Tales (by Ludwig Bemelmans AND his grandson John Bemelmans Marciano, who completed the unfinished manuscript.)  Madeline and the girls travel to Texas.  Madeline’s great grand-papa died and left her a fortune!

More books by John Bemelmans Marciano:

Madeline Says Merci Learn manners with Madeline’s “Always Be Polite” book.

Madeline and the Cats of Rome Madeline and the girls help rescue cats while on a spring vacation in Rome.  There are wonderful illustrations of Rome for an Italian connection.

Here are a few of the popular titles written in French:

Madeleine (French Edition)

Le Sauvetage de Madeleine (French Edition)

Madeleine et les Bohemians (Madeline and the Gypsies), French Edition

Noel De Madeleine (French Edition)

What’s your favorite Madeline book?