No Time for Monsters-No Hay Tiempo para Monstruous is an English/Spanish bilingual story easy to read over and over with children, with smile and giggles. It’s one of those tales well served by the title, seasoned with humor and carried by strong characters.
Do you have a kid, or nephew or brother like Roberto? One who isn’t so much into house chores and isn’t afraid to speak up? And have you had any idea of the type of monsters your house is sheltering at your own risks? The story, which answers all these questions and more, ends with a cute and funny twist. it’s one of my favorite picture books this year.
Spelile Rivas is a graduate of Texas A&M University and an English teacher. No Time for Monsters is her first picture book, and I look forward to her next publications. The book is illustrated by Valeria Cervantes, who is a graphic designer and an illustrator living in Mexico City, and translated in Spanish by Plascencia, Amira. It’s worth noticing that No Time for Monsters’ publication was funded by the City of Houston.
In my humble opinion, this was a great investment, as it puts the spotlight on bilingual books and offers fun opportunity to practice English or Spanish for the non-natives. I hope that you’ll check it out!
Disclaimer: received for review from The MultiCultural Review.
Note: This post is part of Multicultural Blog Awareness Carnival, hosted and published Monday May 2nd, 2011 by Bicultural Mom, where more posts’ awesomeness by our wonderful multicultural community awaits!
Hope to read your comments there, too. 🙂
Multiculturalism Rocks! 
These illustrations are absolutely beautiful! It sounds like a fun book and I’m sure that the bright colors would really capture my daughter’s imagination! Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
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I am so glad that your blog was included in the Multicultural Blog Carnival! I have spent much time in my life as a mom searching for children’s books that depict families like mine. It is important for children to see themselves in the books they read. Your blog is a wonderful resource! Thank you!
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I haven’t seen bilingual picture books before. I certainly didn’t see them when I was a child. I’m glad these books are out there. Whether a child is learning English or she’s maintaining her home language, these books are important to have around.
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Chantilly, I can’t get enough of the multicultural blogs carnival. I’m still reading through the posts. *great way to spent my Saturday afternoon* Thanks again for this opportunity. I hope that many follow in your footsteps, and I’m excited about the magazine you’re starting!
Jen, thank you for visiting. I’m still reading through all the other posts. I’m both blown away and excited. 🙂
Medeia, I remember my bookseller days; we had a few bilingual books. The collection was ridiculously small, but at least it was there, and parents did walk in, looking specifically for those. I hope that that market will pick up, as more and more children learn a foreign language as early as elementary school…
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