Margaret and Margarita/Margarita Y Margaret: Bilingual English-Spanish

This book is so cute. The illustrations are adorable and appealing, and the text ingeniously depicts what happens when two cultures meet, and how friendship is always possible. Clever and witty on so many levels, and a wonderful warm story to boot. My kids love this book. And it exposes them to a lot of Spanish vocabulary without their even realizing it!

This is a great story to teach children about differences in children. This book also works well with children who are in class with language differences. My children in my class enjoyed hearing both the spanish and english language.

Two little girls, Margaret and Margarita, set out for the park with their mothers, neither of them willing participants in the outing, convinced there will be no one to play with. In this clever mix of languages, the author literally builds a bridge between two worlds: when the children meet, they must find a way to communicate, for Margaret speaks only English and Margarita only Spanish. The adults recognize the barriers their children face, but, like children everywhere, the girls see only similarities and set about making each other's acquaintance, Margaret with her toy rabbit, Susan, and Margarita with her toy kitty, Susana. The girls spend the next hours playing together and learning the sounds of another language, the illustrations cleverly drawn to enable youngsters to make these associations. Meanwhile, the two mothers sit at opposite ends of the park bench, uncommunicative. By the end of the day, the girls draw their mothers together, happily introducing them and making plans to meet at the park another day. A well-constructed bilingual text, the language is facilitated by colorful drawings, a bit more creative than the usual Spanish/English combination for young readers. The concept of building bridges instead of barriers serves the story well, a subtle touch to a thoughtful combination of two cultures. Luan Gaines/2006.

My husband and I are in the process of adopting a little girl named Margarita from Guatemala. A girlfriend of mine found this perfect book for me. It's not only a really cute story, but also teaches some basic phrases and words in English and Spanish. The illustrations are adorable. I highly recommend this book to others and can't wait to share it with my little girl.

This is a great book for young children learning Spanish or English, as well as those who are bilingual. The predictability of the story helps them figure out the vocabulary in the other language. It is also a very sweet story about making new friends. My bilingual kindergarteners absolutely loved it.