Including bilingual books for kids in your classroom library is a smart choice no matter your student population. Bilingual books can help support English-language learners (ELLs) or multilingual learners (MLs) and their families. They can also introduce all kids to other languages! Bilingual books make it easy to connect and compare different ways of saying the same message.
Bilingual books for kids can sometimes be hard to find, so we’ve done the research for you. English and Spanish bilingual books are most readily available, but we also found some great options in other languages.
(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)
Bilingual Books for Kids in English and Spanish
1. La oruga muy hambrienta / The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
It’s nice to have some classic titles in bilingual editions for your littlest littles. Eric Carle has you covered with this classroom staple and lots of other options.
Buy it: La oruga muy hambrienta / The Very Hungry Caterpillar on Amazon
2. The Feelings Book / El libro de los sentimientos by Todd Parr
Todd Parr is a go-to for helping kids put words to important social-emotional learning concepts. Having those words available in Spanish is extra helpful!
Buy it: The Feelings Book / El libro de los sentimientos on Amazon
3. Sing With Me / Canta conmigo by Jose-Luis Orozco
This colorful collection has the lyrics to classic songs like “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Old MacDonald.” English and Spanish translations are side by side so you can sing them both ways!
Buy it: Sing With Me / Canta conmigo on Amazon
4. Quinito’s Neighborhood / El Vecindario de Quinito by Ina Cumpiano
This colorful title gives a tour of a close-knit urban neighborhood. The people who live there have lots of different and interesting jobs!
Buy it: Quinito’s Neighborhood / El Vecindario de Quinito on Amazon
5. Quinito, Day and Night / Quinito, día y noche by Ina Cumpiano
Quinito describes his family and his routines using many opposite words. This book is perfect for building basic vocabulary. It gets kids talking about their own families, too.
Buy it: Quinito, Day and Night / Quinito, día y noche on Amazon
6. Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (English and Spanish Edition) by Alexandra Alessandri
Isabel doesn’t speak English yet, and she’s nervous about starting her new school. She’s happy to connect with a new friend through artwork. Share this at the beginning of the year or to build empathy when you have a new student.
Buy it: Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (English and Spanish Edition) on Amazon
7. Paletero Man / ¡Qué Paletero tan Cool! by Lucky Diaz
This fun, catchy book will have everyone craving a cold, icy summer treat. It’s set in a diverse Los Angeles neighborhood.
Buy it: Paletero Man / ¡Que Paletero tan Cool! on Amazon
8. Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer
Kids are impressed when they learn about the monarch butterfly’s journey. English and Spanish alternate as the featured language. Inspire classroom art projects, too!
Buy it: Señorita Mariposa on Amazon
9. Los animales no se dormian / The Animals Would Not Sleep! by Sara Levine
We adore the Storytelling Math series and are so excited it now includes Spanish and bilingual books for kids! In this fun story, Marco tries to settle down his collection of stuffed animals for bed by sorting them into bins.
Buy it: Los animales no se dormian / The Animals Would Not Sleep! on Amazon
10. We Laugh Alike / Juntos nos reímos by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Two groups of kids meet each other in the park. How will they play together if they don’t speak the same language? This book answers that question in a sweet way with back-and-forth bilingual text.
Buy it: We Laugh Alike / Juntos nos reímos on Amazon
11. Ready, Set, Go! Sports of All Sorts / ¡En sus marcas, listos, fuera! Deportes de todo tipo by Celeste Cortright
Hooray for engaging nonfiction bilingual books for kids! These fresh illustrations and energetic text will get kids excited about different sports. The back matter has additional information in both languages.
Buy it: Ready, Set, Go! Sports of All Sorts / ¡En sus marcas, listos, fuera! Deportes de todo tipo on Amazon
12. ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! / Olinguito, From A to Z! by Lulu Delacre
This fascinating bilingual alphabet book for kids takes readers into the South American cloud forest. A zoologist hunts for a new animal species, the Olinguito. Enjoy this one on many different levels!
Buy it: ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! / Olinguito, From A to Z! on Amazon
13. Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina by Monica Brown
If you’re looking for a bilingual book for kids to study character traits, Marisol is one of our favorites. She’s a feisty Peruvian-American kiddo with a flair for doing things her own way. Also check out Marisol McDonald And the Clash Bash!
Buy it: Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina on Amazon
14. My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito by Amada Irma Pérez
Add this great bilingual book for kids to your personal narrative mentor text collection. In this autobiographical story, Amada yearns for a space of her own in her crowded house. Her caring family pulls through for her. Also check out the prequel, My Diary From Here to There / Mi diario de aqui hasta allá, an immigration story.
Buy it: My Very Own Room / Mi propio cuartito on Amazon
15. Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown
Broaden your students’ background knowledge with this bilingual biography. Julio C. Tello was the first indigenous Peruvian archaeologist. His discoveries changed the world’s understanding of Peru’s rich history.
Buy it: Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello on Amazon
16. Todos Iguales: Un corrido de Lemon Grove / All Equal: A Ballad of Lemon Grove by Christy Hale
In 1931, Mexican families in California won the very first school segregation lawsuit. This informational bilingual book for kids tells this important story in a relatable way.
Buy it: Todos Iguales / All Equal on Amazon
Bilingual Books in English and Other Languages
17. My First Bilingual Book series by Milet Publishing
This series offers bilingual board books in many different languages. The uncluttered photos and text are good for browsing or to support vocabulary-building.
Buy it: My First Bilingual Book: Clothes (Portuguese and English Edition) on Amazon
18. Bilingual Picture Dictionaries series by Katy R. Kudela
This series is available in a wide selection of languages. Reviews from native speakers are positive, and the included phonetic pronunciations are handy.
Buy it: My First Book of Russian Words (Bilingual Picture Dictionaries) on Amazon
19. When We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo (English and Navaho Edition) by Monique Gray Smith
Beautiful, simple messages about the impact of being kind throughout the day in English and Diné (Navaho). We can picture heartwarming book extension projects!
Buy it: When We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo (English and Navaho Edition) on Amazon
20. The Rainbow Fish Bilingual Editions by Marcus Pfister
Everyone’s favorite shiny-scaled fish is one of the best-known ambassadors for sharing. It’s fitting that the book can be shared in many languages! There are bilingual versions in French, German, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Russian.
Buy it: The Rainbow Fish English-Vietnamese Edition on Amazon
21. Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh: Niibing, dgwaagig, bboong, mnookmig dbaadjigaade maanpii mzin’igning / This Is How I Know: A Book About the Seasons by Brittany Luby
This gorgeous story/poem explores sensory signs of each passing season in Anishinaabemowin and English. Use it to share Ojibwe language and culture with students.
Buy it: Mii maanda ezhi-gkendmaanh / This Is How I Know on Amazon
22. Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias
Daniel is Jewish and Ismail is Palestinian. Their paths cross when they accidentally swap birthday gifts. Swapping back leads to new friendship and understanding. This unique multilingual book has text in English, Hebrew, and Arabic.
Buy it: Daniel and Ismail on Amazon
23. My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, a Poem and a Dream, translated by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen
It’s so powerful for kids to hear poetry in other languages. This translated collection of haiku by Japanese master poets also includes the poems in Japanese symbols and with phonetic pronunciations.
Buy it: My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, a Poem and a Dream on Amazon
Do you have other favorite bilingual books for kids? Let us know in the comments so we can continue to grow this list!
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