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Genhart, Michael

Spanish Is the Language of My Family

40 pp. | Holiday/Porter | July, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9780823450046 $18.99 | Spanish ISBN 9780823454464 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780823455454 $11.99
(1) K-3 Illustrated by John Parra. Genhart highlights the love between a grandson and his abuela through their connection with the Spanish language. Narrator Manolo signs up to compete in his school's Spanish spelling bee. While he practices, Abuela tells him stories of how she was not allowed to speak Spanish in school, recounting the punishment and shame doled out to her and her classmates. After hearing about her experiences, Manolo is more determined than ever to study, and ultimately triumphs at the spelling bee. With a vivid color palette, Parra's acrylic and digital illustrations bring warmth and brightness to Genhart's story, which smoothly incorporates Spanish words and phrases within the text. Extensive back matter explains how Spanish was frequently prohibited in schools in the Southwest, especially from the 1930s through 1960s, causing many families not to pass on their language to their children. The National Spanish Spelling Bee, first held in 2011, is an effort "to change the history of negative attitudes toward Spanish and to raise its status in the United States." A Spanish alphabet, pronunciation guide, and selected references are appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as El español es la lengua de mi familia.
Reviewer: Yesica Hurd | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

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