I recently went to a book signing hosted by Local Fixture with my husband and three-year-old son, Kian, here in my hometown of Whittier, CA. We were there to meet Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, the founders of Lil’ Libros. We love their books because they are a stepping-stone into our rich Latin culture.
I bought the first book, titled Loteria, a few years ago for my son and we loved it! El Gallo, El Corazón, and El Sol are some examples of the cards that are vibrantly pictured and translated in both Spanish and English. These books are important to me because teaching my son about our Latin culture is a priority and this collection of books has helped me do that at an early age. I also want Kian to be fluent in Spanish, not only to embrace our culture but also to seize all the opportunities that will come his way if he is bilingual. Reading time is one of the highlights of Kian’s day and just another reason why we love this book series.
I relate to the topics covered by the books and, well, the fact that the creators are Latinas is just the cherry on top. It gives me a great sense of pride when I pick up one of their books to read to Kian. Thankfully, meeting them just reinforced those good feelings. The book signing was great, it was nice meeting Patty and Arianna and getting our books signed. They were friendly and took their time with each family that was there that day.
Kian, on the other hand, was not very cooperative. He was excited to meet the authors right up until we got to the front of the line. Perfect timing, right? When Kian and I read together, I read the title of the book and then the author’s name and ask, “Kian what’s the author’s name?” He always gets it right! Well, this day, he glued himself to my husband’s leg and after I peeled him off and picked him up, he buried his face in my shoulders. After a few minutes, he finally turned his head and made us all laugh when Patty asked him what his favorite book was and he said, “Lion Guard!” It was a great experience for all of us.
We were glad we could make it out. Now, we will be able to pick up one of their books and think of the strong women behind the pages. Thank you Patty and Ariana for bringing Lil’ Libros to us and for taking the time to meet with your fans!
Pingback: Lil’ Libros: A Beautiful Bilingual Introduction to Reading -