Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el bombero (Bilingual) [Hardcover]

Tim Hoppey (Author), Kimberly Hoffman (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

A New York firefighter answers an emergency call but he cannot speak Spanish. A neighborhood boy translates and is an honorary bombero for the day. Story told in English with sprinkling of Spanish throughout.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3–Tito, an energetic eight-year-old, lives in New York City. He is fascinated by the local firefighters and dreams of riding in their truck. He stops by the firehouse every day to chat with Richie, his favorite firefighter. It is fortunate that Tito is bilingual, for Richie speaks not a word of Spanish, which proves a liability when an agitated Spanish speaker shows up. Tito is able to translate–and gets a ride in the fire engine to boot. That the fire turns out to be nothing more than a pot of burned rice may strike children as a bit of a letdown, but the story is a refreshing slice of life. The Prismacolor pencil illustrations, enhanced by Adobe Illustrator, have a fuzzy-edged look that puts them just this side of anime. However, the bright color, activity, and realism give them considerable child appeal. With only 17 red highlighted Spanish words and phrases embedded in the English text, this book may have some application in ELL programs and could be used in conjunction with Chris L. Demarest's more informative Firefighters A to Z (S & S, 2000) to create a storytime on these local heroes.
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From the Publisher

Set in Spanish Harlem and written by a New York City firefighter, Tito, the Firefighter / Tito, el bombero, is the story of how the ability to speak two languages is a valuable asset. Tito speaks both English and Spanish. He is also a great admirer of the neighborhood firefighters, or bomberos. He makes friends with Richie, a firefighter, and hopes to be able to ride in the fire truck someday. Little does Tito imagine that his bilingual ability will help the bomberos save the day. He gets to realize his dream of being a firefighter (if only for a day) when he interprets a plea for help from a Spanish-speaking man into the English the firefighters can understand.

Tito's personality shines and his ready assistance is a lesson in good citizenship. Not only is his bilingual ability an advantage, but it actually proves a necessity in a potentially dangerous situation. Children will love the excitement of this embedded bilingual story. They will imagine themselves in Tito's place and come to appreciate his linguistic ability and helpful attitude.

This story is presented with embedded Spanish text. Take a story in English and sprinkle in a little Spanish. The word is first introduced in English and then reiterated in the same sentence, or in the same paragraph, in Spanish. Once the word is introduced, it is used in both languages within the context of the story. Illustrations, context and the different color ink with which the embedded words are printed, aid in making the leap from one language to another. A keyword vocabulary page is included in the back of the book to help with learning in either language.

Book is available in hardcover ISBN 0972497331 and paperback ISBN 0974199265. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Raven Tree Press,Csi; Bilingual edition (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972497331
• ISBN-13: 978-0972497336
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 11.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,591,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars !Un Libro Excelente! An Excellent Book!, April 25, 2005

By 

Ellen H. Cabana "Elementary school teacher" (Glens Falls, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el bombero (Bilingual) (Hardcover)

What a great story! Children always love a book in which the child becomes "the teacher" and helps out the adult. The look on Tito's face as he translates for Richie, the firefighter, is priceless...Even more so when he returns from his adventure! Tito lives out every little boy's dream.
The bright full-page illustrations are filled with detail, right down to the page numbers inside a fire shield. My students cheered for Tito, the Firefighter!

5.0 out of 5 stars for every kid who loves fire engines, April 23, 2006

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el bombero (Bilingual) (Hardcover)

Rebeccasreads highly recommends TITO THE FIREFIGHTER / TITO EL BOMBERO as a charming bilingual tale about a New York boy who helps a fire station answer a Spanish speaker's call for help, & then gets to ride on the fire engine.

With huge bold pictures by Kimberly Hoffman, Tim Hoppey tells a lively tale that will thrill your children.

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Adventure!, January 11, 2006

By 

Joanne Wilson (Setauket, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tito, the Firefighter/Tito, el bombero (Bilingual) (Hardcover)

Sure, there are fire trucks and firefighters, and big adventure...enough on their own to capture any five-year-old's attention. As a mom, it was my little boy's immediate interest in the Spanish words and phrases that captured mine. Woven into this delightful children's storybook was my son's first Spanish lesson, and a golden opportunity to discuss cultural differences, and how our lives are enriched when we all work together. Thank you, Tim Hoppey.