Days and Months: Books for Young Children

Soft illustrations and brief, patterned language suggest a special pleasure from January to December, just right for sharing. After all, each month of the year is a "time for fun with new friends!"

Días y días/Days and Days introduces readers to basic seasonal concepts and vocabulary and is an excellent choice for classrooms, bilingual homes, language literacy, story times, and family sharing.

Children spend Sunday visiting their grandparents, play with school friends on Monday, daydream on Tuesday, eat popcorn at the local market on Wednesday, and more, until we arrive at Saturday, when they get to play nonstop all day. Along the way, we also learn how the names of the seven days came to be. Partly based on the real life experiences of Alarcón's own family, this festive, celebratory collection of poems highlights the daily life of children while also honoring the experiences of the poet's Latino family in the United States.

A girl visits both sets of grandparents on weekends. On Saturdays, she speaks English with Grandpa and Grandma, while on Sundays, los domingos, she speaks Spanish with Abeulito and Abeulita. The format provides a glimpse at the subtle differences between cultures and highlights their similarities, one of which is each set of grandparents' love for their granddaughter. Spanish words are interspersed in the fluid text.

Sing, laugh, and play along with this interactive, bilingual board book that's inspired by a traditional Colombian folk song. Each day of the week, Piggy loves to play outside with little sunny sunshine/sol solecito, and he loves admiring the moon when the day is done.

David Earl always knows the days of the week by what apron his mother wears for each specific chore. And he knows Sunday is the day when no apron is needed for their special time together. Handsome, realistic watercolors evoke the earlier time in which this story is set and memories of the author's family.

Every month of the year is cause for celebration – from sledding to holidays. Each poem and accompanying illustration (reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats) for each month of the year reflects a child's joy and interests.

"A colorfully garbed couple take readers on a jaunty journey to the Galapagos Islands. For each day of the week, the rhymed text introduces one of the islands' unique animals. The repetition of the chorus "We're sailing to Galapagos. I wonder who we'll see" encourages audience participation. The bright collages create striking vistas that will also enhance group sharing. The youngest listeners will enjoy the visit to giant tortoises, black iguanas, and blue-footed boobies before they sail home." — School Library Journal