It’s Hispanic Heritage Month and though I know very little Spanish, I really wanted to dedicate a storytime to it this year, which I’ve been slightly nervous about in the past since I am a very white person. So, I brushed up on my pronunciation, researched some good books, and checked in with some friends who are Hispanic/Latinx, and made a plan. It can be daunting to do a storytime centered on something that you do not have a part in and I’ve definitely felt that in past years. But I’m trying to grow that comfort level in myself and I think it’s important to have diverse representation in everything I do as a children’s librarian (every display, booklist, reader’s advisory interactions, etc) so that it’s all around the department and people see and feel it all the time, but I also see a lot of value in celebrating heritage months – especially with preschoolers who may not have prior knowledge of it.
Here’s the full storytime script below:
Opening Song: We sang our opening song, and then got started!
Opening Question:Today, I brought stories to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Has anyone heard of that before? It’s a time that we celebrate the history, language, and people who are from or have family who are from Spanish speaking areas in the world. Does anyone here speak any Spanish?
Transition: Our first book is going to teach us a few words in spanish. I want to put a precursor on this that I am not fluent in Spanish, but I think it’s important to try learning new things. So my pronunciation might not be perfect, even though I’ve been practicing a lot, but we can learn together!
Book:Marta Big and Small by Jen Arena
A short and sweet intro to some opposite pairs in Spanish and English. I like this one because even though it’s so short, the character, Marta, really shines as a clever and enpowering young girl.
Transition: I loved learning some words in Spanish and hope you enjoyed it, too! I love how clever Marta was in that story! That means she was very smart. What did she do that was very clever? That’s right she escaped the snake! Our next song is about a snake slithering in the forest looking for part of its tail!
Song: Soy una Serpiente
This is a fun song, where you add pieces to the snake’s body each time you sing the song.
Transition: Yay! Snake found all of its tail! Now that snake is whole, let’s describe it. [take suggestions from kids] Great job describing our snake! I heard one of you mention the color of our snake. Green, right? Do you know how to say Green in Spanish? Verde! Our next song teaches us the Spanish words for colors.
Song: Los Colores (Tune: Frere Jacques)
Red is rojo, red is rojo Blue is azul, blue is azul Yellow’s amarillo Yellow’s amarillo Verde green, verde green.
Pink is rosa, pink is rosa Gris is gray, gris is gray Purple is morado, purple is morado, Shout hooray! Shout hooray!
Transition: Wow, we learned a lot of colors which will come in handy for our next book! It’s called One is a Pinata. Do you know what a Pinata is? That’s right, it’s this shape that is filled with toys or candies and is decorated with lots of colors that is used for celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries, parties and more. Let’s see if we can name some of the colors of the pinata on this book cover. [let children name colors and reinforce the Spanish term for the color]
Book: One is a Pinata by Roseanne Thong
I’m a fan of Roseanne Thong’s series and this one is just as nice. It has colorful illustrations and the text naturally adds in some Spanish words without being overwhelming for non Spanish speakers.
Transition: We got to learn a lot of new words in that book, but the main part were the Spanish words for numbers, right? Let’s practice what we just learned and do a song that uses numbers in Spanish!
Song: Dos Manitas, Diez Deditos (Tune: One Little, Two Little)
Dos manitas, diez deditos, dos manitas, diez deditos, dos manitas, diez deditos, cuéntalos conmigo.
Uno, dos, tres deditos, cuatro, cinco, seis deditos, siete, ocho, nueve deditos, y uno más son diez.
Transition: That’s a fun song that helps us strengthen our fine motor skills! Did you know that doing songs and rhymes like the one we just did helps us to get ready to read and write? Something else that helps us is listening to stories. So I’m going to tell you all one last story, but this time I’m not going to use a book. I’m going to use my mind to remember the story and tell it for you so that while I tell it, you can imagine the characters. Don’t worry, I’ll use my felt board to help you see the characters as we go!
Felt Story: The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle’s Wedding (A Latin American Folktale) as told by Alma Flor Ada
I was recently introduced to this cumulative folktale and instantly wanted to make a felt out of it. It tells the story of Rooster who is tempted by a kernel of corn in a mud puddle on the way to his uncle’s wedding. Of course he gets messy and asks different characters around him for help. They each answer no until Rooster asks the sun who sets off a pattern of scaring the other characters until Rooster gets his help.
Transition: I know a song we can do that talks about something from our story. Rooster got his beak all muddy because he – what was it again? That’s right, he ate a corn kernel out of the mud! One of my favorite scarf songs is about a kernel of corn! It’s called Popcorn Kernels!
Scarves: Popcorn Kernels & Dance Your Scarves
Transition: Thanks so much for spending a little time of your day with me! Now we’re ready to sing goodbye and move on to our craft!
Closing: We closed out with our goodbye song and then went on to craft time!
Librarian Ginny 