The Cricket Sings: Poems and Songs for Children  •  Garcia Lorca LITERATURE •  1980 •  PAPER • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) This brief collection of folk songs and poems by Federico Garcia Lorca (with English and Spanish on facing pages) will delight little ones and parents alike. (SPN97, $7.95)
If You Were There in 1492, Everyday Life in the Time of Columbus  •  Barbara Brenner HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Life in Spain just before Columbus's voyage to the Americas -- when tomatoes, pumpkins and Aztec gold were still unknown in Europe. This clever illustrated history gives the facts of life in the cities and countryside from a child's point of view. Middle schoolers will like it. (SPN164, $6.99)
Platero y Yo/ Platero and I  •  Juan Ramon Jimenez  •  Antonio Frasconi  •  Joseph F. Dominguez  •  Myra C. Livingston BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This bilingual book presents 19 short excerpts from the Nobel laureate's tender account of travels in Andalucia. Platero the donkey is the story's star, the village of Moguer its setting. For this edition, the translators selected passages which are evocative of small-town life in Spain in the first half of the 20th century. Antonio Frasconi provided the lively woodcut illustrations. Ages 10 to 14. (SPN163, $16.00)
Shadow of a Bull  •  Maria Wojciechowska LITERATURE •  1964 •  PAPER  • 151 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Manolo's father was a spectacular and beloved bullfighter. Now, as Manolo nears his 12th birthday, he must choose his career path. Will he become a bullfighter as great as his father, as all the citizens of Arcangel hope? Or will he please himself and pursue a career in medicine? This compelling young-adult novel won the Newbery Medal in 1964. Not surprisingly, it features vivid descriptions of bullfights. (SPN160, $4.99)
Spain, the Culture  •  Tara Steele  •  Noa Lior CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An illustrated introduction to Spain's arts, literature, dance, music and folklore, geared for 9-12 year-olds. (SPN166, $7.95)
Spain, The People  •  Tara Steele  •  Noa Lior CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A pictorial and factual introduction to the people of Spain, geared for middle-schoolers. Chapters cover traditions, history, city and village life, homes, school, entertainment and food. (SPN165, $7.95)
The Story of Ferdinand  •  Munro Leaf  •  Robert Lawson LITERATURE •  1936 •  PAPER  • 72 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) This classic story of a bull who loved to smell flowers (memorably opening with Once upon a Time in Spain) has lost none of its enchantment over the decades. The pen-and-ink drawings evoke with a few lines the pasture where Ferdinand lolled, the frightening men from the Madrid who came to take him away, and the landscapes and scenery of Spain. Originally published in 1936. (SPN212, $7.99)