De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children [Hardcover]

Jose-Luis Orozco (Author), Elisa Kleven (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Reflecting the rich cultural traditions of Latin America, an illustrated treasury of twenty-five songs, chants, and musical games furnishes both Spanish and English lyrics, as well as musical arrangements for piano, voice, and guitar.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fiesta-bright folk art accompanies songs from locales ranging from Argentina to the Dominican Republic. Complete with music and lyrics in both Spanish and English, "this collection brims with vitality and good cheer," said PW. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Ages 2-8. Selected, arranged, and translated by popular Mexican performer and songwriter Orozco, this bilingual collection of Latin American folk songs for children is truly a musical treasure. Each of the 27 songs is presented with background notes; lyrics in both Spanish and English; simple arrangements for the voice, piano, and guitar; and suggestions for group sing-alongs and musical games. Gathered from Spanish-speaking countries but including two of Orozco's own songs, the compilation is a programming gold mine. Included are songs for special occasions ("La pi{¤}nata"), counting songs ("El chocolate"), and animal songs ("La ara{¤}na peque{¤}nita"--"The Eensy, Weensy Spider" in Spanish!). There is even a handy subject index to locate appropriate songs. The book is a delight for the eye as well as the ear. In the same shimmering style of magical folk art that she used to illustrate Arthur Dorros' Abuela (1991), Kleven provides bountiful illustrations--the endpapers are sunshine bright with a crisp quilt of yellow flowers, and playful borders that ripple with colorful patterns and miniature pictures line the edge of every page. Full-page scenes of Hispanic families and children and also animals are exuberant with activity and alive with the joy of music. Multicultural collections have been clamoring for books such as this, which works both as a well-crafted resource and a rich and resonant children's book. Annie Ayres

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525452605
• ISBN-13: 978-0525452607
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,111,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BE SURE TO GET THE CD WITH THE BOOK, November 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children (Hardcover)

Buy the music that goes with the book

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars De Colores and Other Latin-American Folk Songs for Children, September 21, 2000

By 

Maribel Wood (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children (Hardcover)

I teach conversational Spanish to elementary school children and was looking for a songbook to make class more interesting. I kept coming across this book so I ordered it. I received it yesterday and fell in love with it. I immediately sat at the piano and started playing every song. The book is beautifully illustrated and the songs are easy to learn. I also liked that the lyrics were in English also. I recommend this book highly. In fact, I'm ordering the audio today.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is awesome!, May 11, 2005

By 

C. H. OConnell "C.H.Arnold" (LaVergne, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children (Hardcover)

I read many reviews about this book before I purchased and I also purchased the music CD. What nobody else mentioned in the reviews I read (that I was very excited about when I discovered it) was that the songs are not only written in Spanish but the English translation is on the same page! This is perfect for me because I'm an adult trying to learn Spanish.

That's not all! If you are a musician, even just a beginner, the musical score is also on each song's page so you can play the songs yourself.

The icing on the cake is that this book is beautifully and very colorfully illustrated.