Parents' Guide to How Are You? / ¿Comó estás?

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Common Sense Media Review

Monica Encarnacion By Monica Encarnacion , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 2+

Simple, attractive bilingual book about making new friends.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 2+?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

HOW ARE YOU? / ¿COMÓ ESTÁS? is the story of a friendly pair of giraffes -- one Spanish-speaking, the other English-speaking -- who befriend an ostrich. They engage their new friend with an initial "Welcome! Bienvenida!" and move on to questions such as "Como estas? How are you?" And at first it seems the ostrich doesn't have a reply. "Are you shy? ¿Eres timida?" they wonder and the ostrich replies with a simple "No." The curious giraffes go on to seek a more detailed response from their new friend and how she's feeling -- "Are you hungry?... Are you tired?... Are you scared?... Annoyed?" but their questions are always met with the same "No." Exhausted, they ask one final question, and this time the ostrich's reply surprises not only the giraffes but may also surprise the reader. The ostrich is bilingual! It's time to celebrate!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Author Angela Dominguez does a great job illustrating the fact that some of us speak Spanish, others speak English, and some of us speak both. This easy to follow picture book successfully brings home the message that although we may not all speak the same language, things like feelings and friendship are universal! It's a simple but attractive bilingual book by Pura Belpre Honor recipient Angela Dominguez that will reel young readers in with delightful illustrations and have them learning new phrases in Spanish and/or English.

How Are You? / ¿Comó estás? a great choice for parents and kids to read together, even if they don't speak Spanish themselves.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the animals characters in How Are You?/ ¿Comóestás? What are the differences between them? How are they the same? What are they feeling?

  • How do you make new friends? How do you communicate your feelings to others?

  • The characters in this book speak two different language. What language or languages do you speak? How can you communicate with others who may speak a different language than you?

Book Details

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