MÓNICA MANCILLAS
Children's Book Author & Speaker
“With a warm emphasis on visibility through language, how we sound to one another, and many kinds of diversity within our communities, this playful picture book will resonate with kids in multilingual families.” –Booklist
“A celebration of a bilingual childhood.”–Kirkus Reviews
A September Target Book Club Pick
How to Speak in Spanglish
Out now!
By Mónica Mancillas
illustrated by Olivia De Castro
Penguin Workshop, August 22, 2023
ISBN-13 : 9780593521809
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 jambuergers 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!