Best Bilingual Books For Toddlers
In celebration of Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month, I share with you 7 Spanish and English bilingual books that are D’s favorite at the moment!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll be compensated at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I love and used!
Benefits of Reading Spanish and English Bilingual Books
D is currently 20 months old and his language acquisition has thrived. We read to him everyday, whether at daycare with his abuelitos or at night before he goes to bed. There are so many benefits in reading to your children.
First, it exposes them them to literacy in Spanish and English. They’ll be able to build their vocabulary in both languages, which is an added plus. Second, their communication skills will be used in both languages. They will be able to communicate with people from almost all over the world. Finally, acquiring more than one language exposes children to be empathetic and understanding of different cultures. After all, we live in a multicultural and diverse society.
7 Bilingual Books for Toddlers
Below are 7 bilingual books that we highly recommend (and it is toddler-approved by D!) for children between the ages of 18-24 months.
First 100 Words in English and Spanish by Ana Godinez
Published by Lil’ Libros, this book is perfect for your toddler to learn more words, a total of 100 or 200 if you include both languages! Your toddler will also be able to put these words into categories, such as animals, foods, family, gardening, body parts, toys, shapes, and modes of transportation.
I’ve even learned a couple words in Spanish! This is D’s favorite book at the moment.
Singing/Cantando De Colores by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein
This sing-along book is a classic from Lil’ Libros! This book is inspired by the song, De Colores, and it is also translated in English. The book is so colorful with beautiful illustrations and it makes the song come to life. It also includes diversity by showing nenes of all skin colors, too!
If you don’t know the melody of the song, listen to it here.
Hello, Friend/Hola, Amigo by 123 Andres
Personally, this bilingual book is my favorite out of the seven! Inspired by the song from 123 Andrés, the duo writes this book in both languages, interchangeably in each page. I love how the images are so vivid and it captures the beauty of diversity and inclusion in the book.
If you haven’t heard of 123 Andrés, they are a Grammy-award bilingual children’s music duo. You can listen to some of their songs here.
La Oruga Muy Hambrienta/The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
A classic children’s book is in English and Spanish! This book is suitable for all toddlers, especially those who are picky eaters as it shows the variety of foods the caterpillar ate. It also teaches nenes about how the caterpillar emerges from an egg to a colorful butterfly.
If you want to show the video version to your nene, here’s a YouTube video of this classic story.
Vámonos a Oaxaca by Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein
As part of their Vámonos collection, Lil’ Libros takes you on a tour to la ciudad de Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s beautiful cities. This book shows you what you may find if you were to go there.
For me, there is a strong connection with this book as D’s abuelita (my husband’s mom) is from Oaxaca. If your family comes from one of the cities that is featured in the Lil’ Libros Vámonos collection, I strongly recommend it because it can be nostalgic for our families and a learning experience for our toddlers to have a connection with their roots.
Potty/Bacinica by Leslie Patricelli
This book is perfect if you are in the process of training your toddler how to potty. Not only is it bilingual, but it shows the inner thoughts a nene may have when learning how to potty!
While D is not being potty trained at the moment, we decided to read this book so that he can have a level of understanding and identification in both languages.
The Weather, El Tiempo by Gladys Rosa-Mendoza
This book is perfect for toddlers to identify the various seasons in a year. This bilingual book teaches them about different weather conditions in both languages.
Being that we live in Illinois, D will surely experience all four seasons and it is wonderful he is starting to recognize the changes in weather at such a young age.
