The Alphabet / El alfabeto (Chosen Spot Foundations) (English and Spanish Edition) - Hardcover

From the Publisher:

me+mi publishing is an independent publisher dedicated to creating the highest quality products available in two or more languages for infants and toddlers. Reading is a critical element of success in life, and linguists generally agree that bilingual programs provide real educational benefits. We believe that by exposing dual language literature to children at the earliest stages, they will enter the education system not only well prepared with strong reading skills, but with a unique advantage as well. As a result learning becomes a positive life experience for the rest of their lives.

Our Guiding Principles:

We believe that every child should be read to from birth.
We believe every child should be taught at least two languages.
We strive to surpass each customer's expectations.
We will only produce the highest quality products.

Our Vision:

me+mi publishing will be a company that is recognized for producing the finest dual language products that allow children to function at a high level equally well in English and Spanish.

Awards:

me+mi publishing has received the following literary awards:

Benjamin Franklin Award
Chicago Book Clinic Book and Media Show
Latino Literary Hall of Fame Mariposa Award
Latino Literary Hall of Fame
Latino Literary Hall of Fame Honorable Mention
Writer s Digest Certificate of Merit

From the Author:

When my children were in preschool, I found it hard to find good quality books in English and Spanish. This difficulty inspired me to create the English and Spanish Foundations Series. This series started out with only a few books, and has now grown to include over 50 products.

Over the course of my career, I have developed over 600 books and other products for some of the largest publishers in the United States and have received numerous awards and accolades. My clients have included companies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dental Association, American Medical Association, Cook County Hospital, Kraft General Foods, Target, Boarders, Costco, Sams, Burlington Coat Factory, U.S. Post Office, World Book, American Family Insurance, Sate Farm, Reader's Digest, Heinemann Library, HarperCollins, Dorling Kindersley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Cengage Learning, McGraw Hill, Pearson and others.

I am a graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago and have a BFA in Visual Communications. While at SAIC, I also won a scholarship to study in Europe at the Basel School of Design. I also have a master's degree in Service Design and Design Research from IIT School of Design, with an emphasis on User-centered, Research and Analysis, Service Design and Cross-Cultural Research.

I am fluent in English and Spanish and live in the Chicago area with my husband, two children and our dog Chuchi.

I am so thankful and grateful that you have chosen to buy our products. It is my hope that you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

This series of bilingual board books has received the Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association. The sturdy binding, chunky size and stiff board pages coupled with the bright colors of the illustrations make these books very appealing to the younger set. Colors and Shapes features illustrations of multicultural children holding up outsized shapes in different colors (e.g., red circle, yellow square, blue oval, etc.). The English words appear in the top left-hand corner, while the Spanish words appear in the bottom left-hand corner. The final page depicts a busy classroom scene and invites readers to identify shapes and colors from the scene. The Alphabet features illustrations of toys, musical instruments, and other commonplace items in bright cheerful colors. Each page showcases a letter of the Spanish alphabet (? and ll included). The author has chosen items that begin with the same letter in both languages (e.g., airplane/ avion, flower/ flor, juice/ jugo). The use of exotic creatures native to South and Central America such as the ?andu and the quetzal give this book a uniquely Latin flavor. Numbers also uses wonderful illustrations of exotic animals, from the iguana on page one to two toucans, three turtles, four frogs, etc. All the numbers, one through 10, are assembled at the end, and readers are invited to repeat their names in both languages. The final pages list the numbers up to 20 with both their English and Spanish names. This well executed series belongs in all public and school libraries serving a very young Hispanic clientele. Also appropriate for book-stores. M.O.B.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.