Including bilingual children’s books in your classroom library is a smart choice regardless of student population. bilingual books can help support english language learners (ells) or multilingual learners (mls) and their families. they can also introduce all the children to other languages! bilingual books make it easy to connect and compare different ways of saying the same message.
Bilingual children’s books can sometimes be hard to find, so we’ve done the research for you. bilingual books in English and Spanish are the most widely available, but we also found excellent options in other languages.
You are reading: Bilingual books for kids
(Just a heads up, weareteachers may get a portion of sales from links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)
bilingual children’s books in English and Spanish
1. the very hungry caterpillar / the very hungry caterpillar by eric carle
It’s nice to have some classic titles in bilingual editions for your little ones. Eric Carle has you covered with this classroom staple and plenty of other options.
buy it: the very hungry caterpillar / the very hungry caterpillar on amazon
2. the book of feelings / the book of feelings by todd parr
todd parr is an option to help children put important social-emotional learning concepts into words. having those words available in Spanish is very useful!
buy it: the book of feelings / the book of feelings on amazon
3. sing with me / sing with me by jose-luis orozco
This colorful collection features lyrics from classic songs like “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Old Macdonald”. The English and Spanish translations are side by side so you can sing them both ways!
buy it: sing with me / sing with me on amazon
4. quinito neighborhood / the quinito neighborhood by ina cumpiano
This colorful title offers a tour of a tight-knit urban neighborhood. the people who live there have many different and interesting jobs!
buy it: quinito neighborhood / quinito’s neighborhood on amazon
5. quinito, day and night / quinito, day and night by ina cumpiano
quinito describes his family and their routines using many opposite words. This book is perfect for building basic vocabulary. it also gets kids talking about their own families.
buy it: quinito, day and night / quinito, day and night on amazon
6. isabel and her colors go to school (english and spanish edition) by alexandra alessandri
isabel doesn’t speak english yet and is nervous about starting her new school. she is happy to connect with a new friend through works of art. she shares this at the beginning of the year or to build empathy when you have a new student.
buy it: isabel and her colors go to school (english and spanish edition) on amazon
7. man ice cream bag / what a cool ice cream bag! by lucky diaz
This fun and catchy book will have everyone craving a cold, icy summer treat. is set in a diverse Los Angeles neighborhood.
buy it: paletero man / what a cool paletero! on amazon
8. miss butterfly by ben gundersheimer
See Also: Top 10 novels inspired by Greek myths | Fiction | The Guardian
children are impressed when they learn about the journey of the monarch butterfly. English and Spanish alternate as the featured language. inspire art projects in the classroom, too!
buy it: miss butterfly on amazon
9. the animals would not sleep / the animals would not sleep! by sara levine
We love the math story series and are so excited that it now includes Spanish and bilingual children’s books! In this hilarious story, Marco tries to accommodate his collection of stuffed animals for the bed by sorting them into containers.
buy it: animals wouldn’t sleep / animals wouldn’t sleep! on amazon
10. we laugh the same way / together we laugh at carmen t. bernier-great
Two groups of children meet in the park. how will they play together if they don’t speak the same language? this book answers that question in a sweet way with back and forth bilingual text.
buy it: we laugh alike / we laugh together on amazon
11. ready, Set, Go! sports of all kinds / on your marks, set, go! sports of all kinds by celeste cortright
Hooray for interesting bilingual non-fiction books for children! These fresh illustrations and energetic text will get kids excited about different sports. the back has additional information in both languages.
buy it: ready, ready, ready! sports of all kinds / on your marks, set, go! sports of all kinds on amazon
12. Linguito, from a to z! / olinguito, from a to z! by lulu delacre
This fascinating bilingual alphabet book for children takes readers to the cloud forest of South America. a zoologist searches for a new animal species, the olinguito. enjoy it on many different levels!
buy it: olinguito, from a to z! / olinguito, from a to z! on amazon
13. marisol mcdonald does not match / marisol mcdonald does not match by monica brown
if you’re looking for a bilingual book for children to study character traits, marisol is one of our favorites. she is a feisty Peruvian-American girl with a flair for doing things her way. Also check out Marisol McDonald and the Bash Clash!
buy it: marisol mcdonald does not match / marisol mcdonald does not match on amazon
14. my very own room / my own little room by beloved irma pérez
Add this fantastic bilingual children’s book to your personal collection of narrative mentoring texts. In this autobiographical story, Beloved yearns for a space of her own in her crowded house. her loving family comes forward for her. also take a look at the prequel, my diary from here to there / my diary from here to there, an immigration story.
buy it: my very own room / my own little room on amazon
15. sharuko: the Peruvian archaeologist Julio c. tello / Peruvian archaeologist Julio c. monica brown tello
Expand your students’ background knowledge with this bilingual biography. july c. Tello was the first Peruvian indigenous archaeologist. His discoveries changed the world’s understanding of Peru’s rich history.
buy it: sharuko: the Peruvian archaeologist Julio c. tello / Peruvian archaeologist Julio c. tell it on amazon
16. all equal: un corrido de lemon grove / all equal: a ballad of lemon grove by christy hale
See Also: El Rushbo&039s Summer Reading Recommendations – The Rush Limbaugh Show
In 1931, Mexican families in California won the first school segregation lawsuit. This informative bilingual children’s book tells this important story in a relatable way.
buy it: all equal / all equal on amazon
bilingual books in English and other languages
17. my first series of bilingual books from milet publishing
This series offers bilingual board books in many different languages. clear photos and text are good for navigation or to support vocabulary building.
buy it: my first bilingual book: clothes (portuguese and english edition) on amazon
18. bilingual picture dictionary series by katy r. kudela
This series is available in a wide selection of languages. native speaker reviews are positive and the included phonetic pronunciations are helpful.
buy it: my first book of russian words (bilingual picture dictionaries) on amazon
19. when we are kind / nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo (English and Navajo edition) by monique gray smith
Simple, beautiful messages about the impact of being kind throughout the day in English and Diné (Navaho). we can imagine heartwarming book extension projects!
buy it: when we are kind / nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo (English and Navajo edition) at amazon
20. bilingual editions of marcus pfister’s rainbow fish
Everyone’s favorite shiny-scaled fish is one of the best-known ambassadors for sharing. it is fitting that the book can be shared in many languages! there are bilingual versions in French, German, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Russian.
buy it: the rainbow fish english-vietnamese edition on amazon
21. mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh: niibing, dgwaagig, bboong, mnookmig dbaadjigaade maanpii mzin’igning / that’s how i know: a book about the seasons by brittany luby
This beautiful story/poem explores the sensory signs of each passing season in Anishinaabemowin and English. use it to share Ojibwe language and culture with students.
buy it: mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / that’s how i know on amazon
22. Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias
daniel is jewish and ismail is palestinian. their paths cross when they accidentally exchange birthday presents. the exchange leads to a new friendship and understanding. This unique multilingual book has text in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
buy it: daniel and ismail at amazon
23. my first book of haiku poems: an image, a poem and a dream, translated by esperanza ramirez-christensen
It is so powerful for children to hear poetry in other languages. This translated collection of haiku from Japanese master poets also includes the poems in Japanese symbols and with phonetic pronunciations.
buy it: my first book of haiku poems: a picture, a poem and a dream on amazon
Do you have any other favorite bilingual children’s books? tell us in the comments so we can keep adding to this list!
Want more articles like this? subscribe to our newsletters!
