When We Love Someone We Sing to Them

By Ernesto Javier Martínez, Maya Christina Gonzalez (illustrator), Jorge Gabriel Martínez Feliciano (translator)

Book cover of When We Love Someone We Sing to Them: Cuando Amamos Cantamos

Book description

WINNER--2019 International Latino Book Award (Best Children's Picture Book in English)  WINNER--2019 International Latino Book Award (Best First Book-Children & Youth-Bilingual) 2019 American Library Association "Rainbow Book List" SelectionA reclamation of the Mexican serenata tradition, follow the story of a young boy who asks his father if there is a…

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Why read it?

1 author picked When We Love Someone We Sing to Them as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a stunning bilingual story about a boy whose father teaches him about songs as a way of expressing love, and then helps him write a love song for a special boy. I fell in love with the story when I first saw the short-film version and am equally enthusiastic about the picture book. The author describes the story as a “queer reclamation of the Mexican serenata tradition” and shows us a family that transmits the deep meaning of cultural traditions while also re-imagining them. The gorgeous illustrations convey a sense of softness and magic.  Along with the narrative,…

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