Before You Were Here, Mi Amor (English and Spanish Edition) [Hardcover]

Samantha Vamos (Author), Santiago Cohen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 19, 2009 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Before you were here, tu papi carved a mecedora from the wood of an old walnut tree so you and I could rock and cuddle together.

The members of a familia lovingly prepare for a new bebé. A tenderly written story, with Spanish words woven throughout, tells readers how Mami is eating healthy food, Papi is building a rocking chair, Abuela is painting elefantes and tigres, in the nursery, and brother and sister are helping with baby names.

With its vibrant and warm illustrations, this debut picture book is perfect for expectant parents or children curious about the time before they were here.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Addressing her child, a mother describes the family’s excitement, anticipation, and preparation leading up to the child’s birth. The English narrative is liberally seasoned with Spanish, introducing words for family members, colors, shapes, animals, and other terms. Sometimes the Spanish is more extensive: “Tu papi recited poesia cantada while strumming su guitarra. ‘Just in case the bebé is listening,’ he said.” Outlined with a bold black line, the illustrations bathe the family preparations in bright warm colors and provide plenty of clues to the Spanish vocabulary. A glossary of definitions without pronunciation is appended. Similar to Eve Bunting’s You Were Loved before You Were Born ( 2008), and Anne Bowen’s I Loved You before You Were Born  (2001), this adds a distinctly Latino flavor to the familiar theme. Preschool-Grade 1. --Linda Perkins

Review

"Best for Babies" - Parents magazine (May 2009)

--Parents magazine

"In my never-ending quest to find books you can give at a baby shower that are NOT Goodnight Moon, I can now add Before You Were Here, Mi Amor.... perfect for a new mother...." Sue Corbett, The Miami Herald (May 2009)
--The Miami Herald

"... English and Spanish words to tell the baby how family members have made preparations...to show their love.  Focus is on making, not buying, for the new baby." Mary Harris Russell, The Chicago Tribune (May 2009)
--The Chicago Tribune

"Beautiful - bowled me over with lovely illustrations and poem-like language I almost wished I could set to music" Kids' Book Round-Up for 2009 (elizabethwillse.wordpress.com/ September 2009)
--elizabethwillse.wordpress.com

"This book is fabulous on so many levels ..." wellreadchild.blogspot.com/ - The Well-Read Child (May 2009)
 
--The Well-Read Child, wellreadchild.blogspot.com

This Spanish-flavored introduction, with its universal message of love for new babies and siblings, will become a favorite among growing bilingual families. --Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; Bilingual edition (March 19, 2009)
• Language: English, Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0670063010
• ISBN-13: 978-0670063017
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Samantha is the author of "Before You Were Here, Mi Amor" (Viking, 2009, illustrated by Santiago Cohen), "The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred" (Charlesbridge, 2011, illustrated by Rafael López), and the forthcoming "Alphabet Trucks" (Charlesbridge, Fall 2013).

"Before You Were Here, Mi Amor" is a bilingual children's picture book about all the things one family does to welcome a new child into the world. Awards and praise: Selected as "Best for Babies" by Parents Magazine (May 2009). 2010 Washington State Book Award Winner - The Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award.

"The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred" is a spicy tribute to the classic nursery rhyme "The House That Jack Built." A farmer and five farm animals each bring different ingredients to the cazuela (pot) that the farm maiden stirs. Together they create a surprise recipe. A glossary with pronunciation and recipe are included. Illustrator Rafael López is the 2010 winner of the ALA's Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. Awards and praise: Starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, a New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection (2011), a Texas Library Association "2012 Texas 2x2 Reading List" Selection, and a Fuse #8 Production "100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2011" selection.

"Alphabet Trucks" (Fall 2013, with illustrations by Ryan O'Rourke) is a rhyming, alphabet story about 26 different trucks and how they serve their communities.

Samantha attended Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois. She and her family live near Seattle, Washington. Among other things, she is a mom, dog-lover, latte addict, and incurable chocoholic. Please visit http://www.samanthavamos.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soon to be a Mami, March 29, 2009

By 

Mona Ghuneim (NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before You Were Here, Mi Amor (English and Spanish Edition) (Hardcover)

This book was given to me as a gift at the most opportune time in my life - a few months before the birth of my own (first) child. As I sat swaying in my rocker/recliner, though not homemade by papi but special nonetheless, like the mami of the book, I rubbed my belly as I wondered how my little one would change our lives - both me and my husband but also my very large, extended family - for the better and how much we would love him. I read it to him in my belly and was simply enchanted by its loveliness. It's a book I will cherish and read to him again and again, both inside and out of my barriguita. It makes a wonderful gift and how can anyone not fall in love with its colors, vibrancy and cultural flair?! In addition, as a multilingual mother wondering how I will teach my children some of the languages that I speak without them getting bored or resentful, I feel Before You Were Here, Mi Amor and I hope more and more books like it, even in other languages like French, Italian and Arabic (though I doubt the market is as large for those in the United States), is a superb and natural way to start incorporating another language into my child's life. Though not of a Spanish or Latino background myself, I believe the importance of learning other languages, and especially a language as essential as Spanish, is often overlooked but something I have made a priority in my life and something I want to pass on to my children. With this book, I can do that in a fun and exciting way and from very early on in their lives. In an ever-growing global, internationally-connected world like ours, this is the perfect book for all our children, and for us adults too!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excited Soon to be Aunt, March 26, 2009

By 

Susie Elitzky "Aunt in waiting" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before You Were Here, Mi Amor (English and Spanish Edition) (Hardcover)

While reading, "Before You Were Here, Mi Amor," I could not stop thinking of my sister who is expecting a baby later this year. I can not imagine a more perfect book for a mother to read to her child. The book is wonderful for so many reasons and highlights some of the common family values we all share. This book does a great job introducing the family, not just the nuclear family, but the extended family as well. And as an aunt to be, this meant alot to me. It goes beyond an introduction of family to also show the importance of one's family and the excitement the entire family feels as they await the birth of their new arrival.

The story would make any child feel so wanted and loved as they learn what went into their arrival. This book provides a wonderful platform from which a mother and child can bond.

In addition to introducing a child to family values and the love of their family, the book does an exceptional job of teaching a child some basic words in two languages!

I recommend this book for everyone who is not only expecting a child, but for those who have children already so the children can learn what it was like before they were here. I can not say enough wonderful things about this book and can not recommend it highly enough. It is the perfect gift too!

"Before You Were Here, Mi Amor" is a heartfelt and heartwarming story of a family's preparation for their baby, told in two languages, with wonderful illustrations. I think it is one of those books that your children will want read to them repeatedly and it will elicit questions from them whose answers can only strengthen the family bond and the love that your child feels.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcoming book in every way, March 27, 2009

By 

Karen Meyers (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Before You Were Here, Mi Amor (English and Spanish Edition) (Hardcover)

This warm and loving story has a cadence and uniqueness that will leave young children asking for the book to be read to them again and again as they play with the vocabulary. It's a fun game for non-Spanish speakers to figure out the meaning of the Spanish words and then practice them, while bilingual readers will enjoy the blend of two languages. The illustrations enrich the text and make the book current. I only wish the book would have been around when my children were younger, but I will definitely be sending it to my nieces and nephews.