Celebrate what makes you unique!
Author Mónica Mancillas and illustrator Betty C. Tang are sharing a story time double feature for How to Speak in Spanglish and The Worry Balloon! The two will read each book, Betty will do a quick drawing demo, and then they will sign books. Perfect for readers ages 4+.
Masks are recommended for our events.
About How to Speak in Spanglish:
In this charming and delightful picture book, Sami shares the joys of Spanglish with his skeptical abuela and diverse community.
Sami loves to speak both English and Spanish. But he doesn't just speak them one at a time. He speaks in Spanglish! Sometimes, he makes brand-new words--like "lonche"--and sometimes, he puts the languages together in one sentence, like when he's hungry for jamberguers con papas fritas.
But not everyone likes Spanglish. Abuela thinks that Spanish should be spoken at home and English at school. And to make matters more complicated, Sami's not allowed to write his homework in Spanglish.
At first, Sami feels confused and frustrated. But with the support of his family, friends, and neighbors, Sami soon realizes that his unique identity should be celebrated. Hooray, muy bien, Sami!
About the author:
Mónica Mancillas (she/her/hers) grew up speaking English, Spanish, and her own version of Spanglish, where words like "socks" and "calcetines" accidentally became "socketines." She lives in Burbank, California, with her husband and daughter, where she authors books featuring marginalized voices for children of all ages. Find more about Mónica and her work at www.monicamancillas.com.
Photo credit: Cathryn Farnsworth
About The Worry Balloon:
On the first day of school, Isla's mind plays the what if game. Scary thoughts come, the world goes dark, and everything feels stormy. With Mami at her side, Isla takes a deep breath and blows her worries away in a big balloon. But as school gets closer, Isla's worries come back like a tornado. Mami encourages her to imagine something happy, and Isla remembers there's nothing she can't handle.
The storm might come again, but for now, her mind is quiet.
In this thoughtful and reassuring picture book, Mónica Mancillas's text and Betty C. Tang's illustrations show how one child experiences anxiety and worry, providing different tools to practice mindfulness and strengthen one's mental health.
About the illustrator:
Betty C. Tang is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of the Jacky Ha-Ha series of graphic novels by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. She has worked for various Hollywood animation studios including Disney TV and Dreamworks Animation, and codirected an animated feature called Where's the Dragon? Betty is also a fourth degree black belt in aikido, a Japanese martial art. Born in Taiwan, Betty immigrated to California as a Parachute Kid when she was ten. She lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about her work at bettyctang.com.
Photo credit: Betty Tang
