By Concetta Gleason
editorial assistant/admin coordinator for Scholastic’s Club Leo en Español

Animaletras by Chilean author Francisca Palacios is the ideal book to read during National Poetry Month. Animaletras is an alphabet book that teaches young learners about the animal kingdom, describing each animal in beautiful verse that includes useful facts about habits and habitats. The vibrant illustrations beautifully encapsulate the playfulness and vitality so common in Latin American art. One of our favorite letter-and-animal pairs is A for Águila (Eagle):

 A a 

Con el águila en el cielo
bien montada en cada ala
la a vuela, aventurera,
por los vientos inflamada.

With the eagle in the sky
saddled closely to each wing
the a takes flight, adventurous,
enflamed by the winds.

For bilingual classrooms, Animaletras opens up a world of fun creative writing exercises in Spanish and English. One great writing exercise is the acrostic, where you spell out a word vertically and use each letter as the first letter of a new word that relates to the original word. Below are acrostic poems in Spanish and English foráguila and eagle.

Águila

Ágil

Glorioso

Único

Increíble

Líder

Aplomo

Eagle

Enormous

Agile

Grand

Lovely

Elegant

What words and rhymes can you create in English and Spanish for National Poetry Month?

Author’s Note: Club Leo en Español supports your classroom with fun and affordable books that connect children’s home language and learning. Our books include amazing series, original titles, and winners of the Pura Belpré Award, which celebrates the remarkable contributions of artists who give voice to the Latino community through children’s literature.

Club Leo en Español apoya tu salón de clases con libros divertidos y asequibles que conectan la lengua materna y el aprendizaje de los niños. Nuestra colección incluye increíbles series, títulos originales y ganadores del Premio Pura Belpré, que celebra los extraordinarios aportes de artistas que dan voz a la comunidad latina a través de la literatura infantil.