The Hummingbird Sings and Dances: Latin American Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes (Part 2 of my review)

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"The only thing better than singing is more singing"- Ella Fitzgerald

Being a Mom of a toddler and infant, I appreciate any chances we can get to learn and have fun at the same time. One of the easiest ways to do this is through music. Like many others, I find song lyrics entering into my head at the most random times. So whether listening to it as we take a walk outside in the stroller, or are in the kitchen cleaning or cooking, I try to take any opportunity to expose the kiddies to quality music. As a follow-up to last week’s introduction, I wanted to share a little more on the book The Hummingbird Sings and Dances: Latin American Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes. This book allows us to learn more about Spanish culture and history through traditional nursery rhymes. Songs such as nursery rhymes are great as they typically stick in your head and are slow and repetitive, facilitating easy learning. 

Artwork courtesy of The Secret Mountain.


Here are some of my favorite songs from this book-

·         Canciones del colibrí: This is the inspiration for the title of the book as the “hummingbird bores beautiful songs”. The song describes sights, flavors and scents that the bird carries from all the places he has seen. It reminds me of the soft comfort of a welcoming introduction with entering an old friend’s home, which is reflected in the song’s introductory lyrics.
·         Los esqueletos – This is a great introduction for celebrating Dia de los muertos. It is a captivating musical countdown, full of suspense and anticipation.
·         El gallito- This is a sweet story of an owner missing his lost rooster. I couldn’t find much online regarding the song’s origins, but would say that the lyrics display the fierce love that any animal owner has for its baby!
·         Caballito blanco- A classic and well-known Spanish nursery rhyme, you can find more versions of this song by checking out Spanish Playground.net (https://www.spanishplayground.net/spanish-song-children-caballito-blanco/)
·         Arepitas-  An arepa is a type of food made of cornflower dough, prominent in Colombia and Venezuela where it is typically eaten daily. A few years ago the arepa was named a cultural symbol of Colombia. It is also the center of a corresponding festival. Grupo Cantaro's version of this classic will make any family want to get into the kitchen and dance to the beat while preparing their arepas!
·         Te chocolate cafe- This is another song celebrating the way food and drink are able to bring people together. I am especially partial to any time chocolate is mentioned- if you're a chocolate lover like me, I recommend reading up all about the foundations how chocolate comes to be made in Oaxaca, Mexico- so fascinating!
·         La vibora de la mar- This is probably my personal favorite of the album, and really makes me feel as if I'm transported to right nearside the ocean water.
·         Los pollitos- Another classic and well-known Spanish nursery rhyme beloved by all. Many Spanish teachers have set up teaching plans working off of this song alone. Check out for example Spanish Mama’s site at https://spanishmama.com/los-pollitos-dicen-printable-puppets/
·         A la rorro niño- Grupo Cantaro’s interpretation delivers a heavenly feel to the classic lullaby, and should help any baby drift off to sweet dreams!


Artwork courtesy of The Secret Mountain.

The illustrator of the lovely artwork accompanying the book, Mariana Ruiz Johnson, is an author-illustrator whose works have won numerous awards internationally, having published in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. Reviews have cited her work as "colorful and happy, inspired by childhood's world of playfulness, imagination, and magic". She studied in Argentina and currently lives in Buenos Aires with her husband and son. To see more of her work, visit http://marianarj.blogspot.com.

For additional information about The Hummingbird Sings and Dances: Latin American Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes, check out the following links-

https://www.facebook.com/TheSecretMountain/

https://twitter.com/SecretMountain

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for review purposes. The expressed opinions are my own.

#theSecretMountain #HummingbirdSings #allages #music #singalongwithlyrics #bilingualpicbook #HispanicHeritage


Hispanic Heritage Month Series 2018 | Multicultural Kid Blogs

We are so excited for our seventh annual Hispanic Heritage Month series! Now through October 15, you'll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage! Find even more ideas on our Latin America Pinterest board:

October 1 Spanish Playground
October 3 LadydeeLG
October 4 Kid World Citizen
October 5 Mama Tortuga
October 10 Embracing Diversity

Don't miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017

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