Lil Libros making a difference
Teaching young children to be bilingual and culturally aware helps shape who they are and educates them about their culture. It can be hard to do both in a fast-paced world, but Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein have made it fun and easy.
These two women are the founders of a book line called, Lil Libros. Lil Libros teaches young children Spanish in many ways. It can be from counting numbers to learning the words on the Loteria cards, it’s a fun way for kids to learn about their Latin culture.
Some of the many books they have published are about, Frida Kahlo, Selena Quintanilla, Celia Cruz, and Emiliano Zapata. These books are not lengthy they are only about 22 pages which makes it perfect for children.
Many media sources like, ABC 7, Forbes and Buzzfeed have all said these books are excellent for young children to get a kick start into their heritage.
ABC 7, sat down with the two women and they both had a lot to say about their project. “I went online and looked for bilingual books and I couldn’t find books that celebrated who we were,” said Rodriguez. From that point on she called Stein and they both felt the same connection on this book project and started from there.
Both Stein and Rodriguez grew up speaking Spanish and lived in a small city, Lynwood. They did not know how big the success of their books would have. Rodriguez is most proud of the reaction they get from the community, “The reaction from the community, they tell us that we created something that never existed for us,” she said.
Stein’s proudest moment is seeing the little ones reading and enjoying the book. Since launching Lil Libros they’ve received many compliments from mothers in the community.
Cerritos College student, Sumer Maese said, “It would have been great to have something like that growing up, to know more about my culture in addition to learning Spanish, which I’m not all that great at now.” Maese thinks both women are very educational and support them all the way.
Alina Cambero, a student at Fullerton College thinks the reason why books like Lil Libros have not happened way sooner is due to the fact that being culturally aware was not popularized as it is now. “I showed my co-worker who has a five-year-old daughter the book and she loved them and wants to start buying them,” said Cambero.
Lil Libros is a great way for children to learn Spanish and gain knowledge about their culture. You can find Lil Libros in Target, Scholastic, Barnes and Nobles and many more.
