Marta! Big & Small

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Marta! Big & Small

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$18.99

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Overview

With simple Spanish and a glossary at the end, this fun read-aloud picture book, Marta! Big and Small, teaches little ones to identify opposites and animals and learn new words.

Marta is una niña, an ordinary girl . . . with some extraordinary animal friends!

As Marta explores the jungle, she knows she's bigger than a bug, smaller than an elephant, and faster than a turtle. But then she meets the snake, who thinks Marta is sabrosa—tasty, very tasty! But Marta is ingeniosa, a very clever girl, and she outsmarts the snake with hilarious results.

A School Library Journal Top 10 Latinx Book 2016

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626722439
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	08/23/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jen Arena is a former editorial director at Random House Books for Young Readers. She now writes books for children full time, including 100 Snowmen, a wintry counting story, and Besos for Baby, a bilingual board book of kisses. Her books have been translated into French, Korean, Arabic, and of course, Spanish.

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in North Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia. She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children including the beloved Stella Díaz and Lolo and Birdie series. She is also a New York Times Bestseller, Sid Fleischman winner, and a two-time Pura Belpré Illustration Honoree.

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

07/25/2016
Arena and Dominguez nimbly combine an exploration of relativity with an introduction to Spanish vocabulary as una niña named Marta encounters various animals while exploring a junglelike setting. Though the text is minimal, Arena uses repetition and context clues to make each concept readily clear: “To a horse, Marta is lenta. Slow, very slow. To a turtle, Marta is rápida. Fast, very fast.” Dominguez’s loose, energetic illustrations underscore the meanings of each term and, during a run-in with a hungry snake, help demonstrate that Marta is—among other things—“ingeniosa. Clever, very clever.” Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Jill Corcoran, Jill Corcoran Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A cross between a concept book and a word book, this is a fun read-aloud to use anytime or in a bilingual storytime program.” —School Library Journal
“With repetitive text and child-friendly illustrations, this wonderful read-aloud invites the younger set to experience the tension, relief, and satisfaction of a great plot.” —School Library Journal, Top 10 Latinx 2016
“Arena’s clever, catchy text might invite some play-acting games, and the lively energy of her informative words is well matched by Dominguez’ friendly, dynamic creatures in an earth-toned palette. This handy introduction to Spanish vocabulary is perfect for animal-lovers of all stripes.” —Booklist
“Pura Belpré honoree Dominguez's green, brown, and tan illustrations capture the movement in each spread . . . Marta's adventure is an enjoyable way to introduce animals, observe concepts, and identify comparisons and polarities in English and en Español.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Arena and Dominguez nimbly combine an exploration of relativity with an introduction to Spanish vocabulary.” —Publisher's Weekly
“An ideal choice for bilingual storytimes.” —The Bulletin

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—Young readers are introduced to the Spanish words for some opposites and animals by Marta, a very clever niña. Arena uses the Spanish word within the English text and then proceeds to use the word again, this time in English, thereby making the meaning clear. For instance, "To a bug, Marta is grande. Big, very big." The Spanish word is always highlighted in orange. Dominguez's artwork provides pictorial reinforcement. Changes in perspective emphasize and help visualize the different opposites. Standing out against a white background, Dominguez's illustrations, done with colored pencils and bold outlines with an earthy palette of mainly browns and greens, introduce humor to what could otherwise be a dry book. There is even a little tension when Marta meets a serpent: "To a snake, Marta is sabrosa." On the spread that follows, there are three words and a picture of a snake: "Tasty, very tasty…." The snake encounter is also used as the moment to present the Spanish names of all the animals Marta came across. At the end there is a list of all the Spanish words and their English counterparts, but there is no pronunciation guide. VERDICT A cross between a concept book and a word book, this is a fun read-aloud to use anytime or in a bilingual storytime program.—Lucia Acosta, Children's Literature Specialist, NJ

School Library Journal

2016-05-04
Opposites, animals, and Spanish vocabulary introduce concepts to early readers. Arena introduces readers to purple-backpack-wearing Marta, an adventurous explorer. As she journeys through a fanciful backyard "jungle," light-skinned Latina Marta discovers and observes the opposites between herself and the animals she encounters, from size to speed to stealth. "To a horse, Marta is lenta. Slow, very slow." The page-turn completes the contrast: "To a turtle, Marta is rápida. Fast, very fast." The Spanish words are printed in orange and a playful typeface, a clever approach to avoid italics, an old-fashioned norm. After a series of polarities that introduce Spanish descriptive vocabulary, the journey reintroduces the animals in Spanish translation and offers gentle contradictions to the earlier assertions. "Marta is loud like el león," and next to the phrase, there's a profile of a lion in midroar and Marta with a megaphone. Pura Belpré honoree Dominguez's green, brown, and tan illustrations capture the movement in each spread: an elephant's trunk in midswing, a galloping horse with leaves floating behind, a rabbit hopping away from Marta. Marta's adventure is an enjoyable way to introduce animals, observe concepts, and identify comparisons and polarities in English and en Español. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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