Merry Navidad, Del Sol Books

Authors : Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Illustrator : Vivi Escriva, Translator : Rosa Zubizarreta, Contributor : Suni Paz
Preschool - 2nd Grade

Merry Navidad

Merry Navidad, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, Vivi Escriva, Rosa Zubizarreta, Suni Paz, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780060584344, $16.99

Resuenen con alegría
los cánticos de mi tierra
que viva el Niño Jesús
que ha nacido en Nochebuena.

It's time to sing out with joy
the songs that are sung in my land
in praise of the precious Child
born this holy Christmas evening.

Come share the joy of a Hispanic Christmas!

In this warm and vibrant collection of traditional Spanish Christmas carols, or villancicos, noted authors Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy bring to life the holiday traditions of Latin America and Spain. The creative English adaptations by Rosalma Zubizarreta both capture the spirit of the originals and add a new dimension to the songs. And Spanish illustrator Viví Escrivá's spirited illustrations are perfect backdrops for the lyrics, adding rich holiday flavor.

Come sing along! ¡Feliz Navidad! and Merry Christmas!

Listen to Vienna Rose read Merry Navidad to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

Google : Resuenen con alegría los cánticos de mi tierra que viva el Niño Jesús que ha nacido en Nochebuena. It's time to sing out with joy the songs that are sung in my land in praise of the precious Child born this holy Christmas evening. Come share the joy of a Hispanic Christmas! In this warm and vibrant collection of traditional Spanish Christmas carols, or villancicos, noted authors Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy bring to life the holiday traditions of Latin America and Spain. The creative English adaptations by Rosalma Zubizarreta both capture the spirit of the originals and add a new dimension to the songs. And Spanish illustrator Viví Escrivá's spirited illustrations are perfect backdrops for the lyrics, adding rich holiday flavor. Come sing along! ¡Feliz Navidad! and Merry Christmas!

Blog : Merry Navidad! is a lovely idea and should be fun for families with children ages 5-10. This is not a series of Spanish translations of well-known English-language carols – it is more the other way around. Here are carols from Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Chile and other Spanish-speaking countries, most of them emerging from rural traditions that are fading but that retain long-lasting charm. These villancicos are offered in Spanish and English on facing or following pages, and arranged into such sections as “The Road to Bethlehem,” “Christmas Eve” and “Christmas Lullabies.” Each section is introduced – again, in Spanish and English – by a page explaining the traditions of the Spanish-speaking world and the ways in which the villancicos reflect those traditions. The words, by and large, are simple ones: “ Bethlehem is celebrating,/ fum, fum, fum!/ What’s the reason for such glee?/ What can it be? I cannot guess…” But the words of most English-language carols are simple, too. In fact, one of the charms of this book lies in showing English speakers how similar their Christmas sentiments and expressions are to those of the Spanish-speaking world. Unfortunately for anyone tempted by the pleasant lyrics and lovely illustrations to sing along with the carols, there is no CD included with the book (that would have been a nice touch), and there are musical notations at the back for only six of the 19 songs. Still, as an introduction to a Christmas tradition with which many English speakers may be unfamiliar, and a work of gentle charm for Spanish speakers already familiar with these carols, Merry Navidad! is a lovely seasonal book.