Eileen M Angelini, Phd
Canisius College
Department of Modern Languages
Songwriter, record producer, newspaper man William J Adams has created a delightful series of flip books featuring twin siblings Mandy and Andy that are colorfully brought to life by illustrator Tom Stiglich. The first book in the series, Odio ese trueno/Hate that Thunder, was inspired by a poem written in response to Adams’ wife’s and grandchildren’s fear of thunder. When the poem was published in a magazine and developed a successful fan base, Adams, encouraged by family and friends, turned the poem into a children’s book, Hate that Thunder, Then, recognizing the ever-increasing need for bilingual education in the United States, he worked with bilingual elementary school teacher Marisella Brombin to produce the Spanish version of the original poem, whereby giving birth to the first bilingual flip-book, Odio ese trueno/.Hate that Thunder.
Focusing on a common childhood fear of thunder to which all children are able to relate, Odio ese trueno/Hate that Thunder is told throught the eyes of Mandy in a catchy, ryhming verse. Mandy is sleeping deeply when she is startled awake by thunder. She contemplates hiding under the bed but rationalizes with herself that thunder is Mother Nature’s way of saying that a rain shower is coming and that rain is necessary for grass and flowers to grow. As the story’s message is clearly written, it is a solid foundation upon which to build interest in learning Spanish. As opposed to a side-by-side bilingual book where children would be tempted to hone in on the English version of the story, the flip-book format allows for children to be immersed in the story’s engaging rhyming verse and colorful illustrations, whereby introducing them to the sounds and structures of the Spanish language in a natural and gentle a manner as possible.
The second book in the Mandy and Andy series, Vamos al zoolocico/Goin’ to the Zoo sends the twins on a lively tour where elephants have giant floppy ears and monkeys swing from bar to bar. Children will have fun comparing the names of animals from one language to another and may even be inspired to wonder why the word flamingo is the same in both languages. However, teachers should be aware that some of the Spanish equivalents may be difficult for smaller children to pronounce, such as, for example, escalofriatne (creepy). The trick will be for the teacher ro have fun pronouncing the more difficult words with the children. Perhaps as the Mandy and Andy series becomes more well known to teachers and parents, the publisher will consider packaging a read-along CD with the books. In doing so, teachers and children alike could hear a voice of Adams in the English version as well as that od his translator Marisella Brombin in the Spanish version.
The latest book in the series, Visitando la granja/Visitingthe Farm, brings the twins to their grandparents’ home for a day’s This story is a wonderful follow-up to Vamos al zoologico/Goin’ to the Zoo as children will be able to compare and contrast zoo animals with those found on a farm. In the middle of the flip-books, whereby clearly demarcating the Spanish and English version of the stories, are a glossary and glosario.
Also available in the series are coloring books for two of the three books that would allow the children to be creative with their favorite pages (Visitando la granja/Visiting the Farm - ISBN: 978-0-9772757-5-5 and Vamos al zoologico/Goin’ to the Zoo - ISBN: 978---9772757-3-1. By coloring the pages, children would learn color vocabularly and it would be interesting for teachers to see if the children retain the same used by illustrator Stiglich in the full-length books. A suggestion for teachers would be for the children to produce their own filp-books with coloring pages or even a storyboard for all to enjoy. The coloring books are twent-six pages in length, have English and Spanish text on the same page, and have the glossary/glosario of words on the back cover.
Whether the goal is to introduce students to Spanish or to expose them to well-conceived prose for common childhood themes, Adams’ Mandy and Andy series is highly recommended for the early elementary levels. Its memorable characters and illustrations will definitely be making lasting impressions.
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