Inspiration

2022-12-02

Spanish vs bilingual children's books: where to start with your new reader

Parents starting their children's’ bilingual journey often wonder whether to go full "authentic" and focus solely children’s Spanish books, or to dip their little toes into español with Spanish-English bilingual books first. While there’s certainly no wrong answer, today we’ll be looking more closely at each option, and offering some tips on how to make learning Spanish easy and joyful for your little one.

2022-11-30

How to delight your bilingual bebé in your next read-aloud

Reading out loud helps babies and early readers connect with text, and become a skilled bilingual listener. Spanish board books are a great way to make your read-aloud more educational and engaging. The exciting sounds of a new language can captivate small children, especially if you use these reading tips!

2022-11-28

A Guide to Supporting Your Bilingual Reader

Teaching your child a second language is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. Early learners are more adaptive than adults, so starting early can lead to native-level fluency by the time they’re 10. And reading is one of the strongest ways to build new language skills in both of their languages at once.

2022-11-18

Ahoy! Here's our 8 Favorite Children's Spanish Books about Pirates

Have you heard about "porch pirates"? Apparently that's what we're now calling folks that steal packages off your porch during the holidays! :-( It's a kinda cute name for a pretty terrible thing...but it also got us thinking about how many great pirate-themed books we've read over the last year. A new list was born!

2022-11-14

9 Delectable Spanish Children's Books about Food

Something about these colder, darker months just has us spending more time in the kitchen, I suppose. And while we definitely love eating in our family, there’s also something so delightful about READING food-centric books! So I’ve rounded up a list of our favorite Spanish children’s books about food, because there’s nothing like enjoying beautiful and colorful illustrations of yummy things to eat.

2022-10-31

8 Awesome, Not-So-Scary Spanish Books for Kids About Monstruos

In honor of Halloween, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite monstruos in Spanish children’s books. No tricks, just reading treats for you and your niña!

2022-10-21

Five Tips for Better Reading with Your Empath Child

Empaths are people who feel emotions more deeply than others. They are highly sensitive, experiencing others’ joy and pain as if it were their own. In this guide, we’ll cover tips for reading with your empath child.

2022-10-16

Raising and Reading to Little Global Citizens

Our world is an incredibly diverse planet, but not everyone is exposed to new cultures growing up. Books are one of the best ways we can help our kids learn about new places, people, and experiences.

2022-10-12

11 Slightly Spooky Children's Spanish Books for Halloween

For someone with an extremely low tolerance for scary or creepy things (*raises hand*), Halloween children’s books are the perfect way to be festive but not, like, TOO festive. This roundup of Halloween books in Spanish is the perfect way to get into the Halloween spirit (even if you’re a Halloween grinch like me!).

2022-10-11

Why bilingual kids are better listeners (and how yours can be, too)

Have you noticed the way your child’s eyes light up as they tune into a story? Raising a reader is one of the best ways you can improve your child’s listening skills, even when they’re still a baby.

2022-09-27

11 Spanish Books for Hispanic Heritage Month

Here in the U.S. we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month every year from September 15th to October 15th, and for our Mexican/Ecuadorian/American family it’s a chance to be super intentional about how we are celebrating latinidad with our kids. But you don’t have to be Hispanic or Latinx/e to appreciate the incredible contributions of Latin@s!

2022-09-13

7 Favorite Spanish Children’s Books for Fall

Believe it or not, it's time for getting cozy with sweaters and watching the leaves change colors. And these titles couldn’t be more perfect to read with the niñas during the autumn season.

2022-08-19

Dialogic Reading: A Guide for New Parents

Dialogic reading is all about sharing a conversation with your child about the text you’re reading aloud. It helps children build their vocabularies and develop what experts call “verbal fluency” — the ability to speak clearly and retrieve words and other information from memory at will.

2022-08-17

Why Some Kids Struggle With Reading (And What to Do About It)

If you've got a kid who's struggling to learn to read, don't worry! There are lots of fun and easy ways to help them get over their reading slump, and Sol Book Box is here to share some of our favorite tips.

2022-08-02

What Makes for a Great Children's Book, Really?

Remember when you were little and how certain children’s books transported you to a whole new world and made your imagination run wild? What an incredible feeling! So incredible, in fact, that it’s well worth trying to recreate that feeling in your own child. Here's what to look for.

2022-08-01

How to Help a Reluctant Reader

Picture this scenario: you invite your child to sit with you in the coziest chair in your house. You open up what you consider to be a fantastic children’s book and enthusiastically begin to read it aloud. Your child sits with you for a minute or two, but then gets up and walks into another room.

2022-07-26

Debunking Misconceptions about Bilingual Reading in Kids

There are clearly many reasons to raise a bilingual kid, but parents who do so often have a lot of fears about the challenges or obstacles their child might face. Let's put those fears to rest.

2022-07-19

Bilingual from Birth: Early Reading Tips for Dual Language Parents

If you are a parent fluent in two languages, you have the uniquely wonderful opportunity to positively influence your child’s life by sharing the gift of bilingualism! Check out these tips designed to help you raise an enthusiastic reader.

2022-07-18

Get Your Kid Hooked On Reading Again with These Simple Steps

If your child loved story time as a toddler, but now struggles to get into books as a young independent reader, there are plenty of practical ways to encourage them to get back into the habit of reading.

2022-07-15

Reading On the Go: Tips for Busy Families

If you find that your family is on the go quite often—and you’re committed to raising a reader—you’ll need to find creative ways to keep your children interested in reading no matter where they are or where they’re going.

2022-07-14

The 7 Keys to More Effective Co-Reading With Your Child

Kudos to you for making the time to co-read with your child! In this post, we’ll discuss the many ways in which you can make storytime a more active and participatory event.

2022-06-28

Bedtime Stories: A Guide for Parents

Reading bedtime stories is a cherished nightly ritual for many families. It can be a time for bonding, teaching, and relaxation. However, there are some things to keep in mind when incorporating bedtime stories into your routine.

2022-06-23

Picture Books vs Board Books: The Definitive Guide

If you hope to raise a reader, you may be wondering: picture or board books to start? We’ve put together a handy guide to choosing the best format for your niño.

2022-06-17

Introducing the Sol Bookshop

After months of planning, we’re overjoyed to announce the launch of our new store! Shop the absolute finest contemporary Spanish & bilingual children’s books from around the world.

2022-06-16

Choosing the Right Book Subscription: What Parents Need to Know

At Sol Book Box, we have three unique subscription box options. Which one is right for you and your niño? Let's discuss!

2022-06-09

A Parent's Guide to Keeping Your Child Reading this Summer

Stressing over how to keep up the “reading momentum” this summer? Our team has devised a list of unique ways to keep your child excited about reading, all the way to September (and beyond!).

2022-06-03

The Benefits of Siblings Reading Together

So much magic and joy can ensue when siblings share their love of books with one another, even if they are in different developmental stages and, therefore, at different reading levels. Besides, it is heartwarming for parents to witness their children bonding—especially over a stack of excellent children’s books.

2022-05-31

Ten Surefire Ways to Make Reading Fun

Here are our favorite ways to help your child view books as the portals they are—portals that guide us into worlds full of interesting characters, settings, and cultures.

2022-05-24

Q&A: Children’s Author José Carlos Andrés

José Carlos Andrés is one of our favorite children’s authors, and his books are without fail among the funniest in our library. Here, he answers 7 of our most pressing questions about writing, humor, and his own work…

2022-05-18

Is It Too Early to Introduce a Second Language?

Fear of overloading a child (too many activities, too many obligations, too many expectations) in their early years is a common concern amongst today's parents. But the truth is, it is never too early to start a bilingual learning journey.

2022-05-14

Libros We Love: LA PRINCESA ZANAHORIA

We always love when we can send a rhyming picture book, because rhyming is not only fun, it’s a very important part of helping kids become strong readers.

2022-05-13

The Four Questions to Ask Before Subscribing to a Children’s Book Box

Not all books (or boxes!) are created equal. To aid in your vetting process, here are the four key questions we at Sol Book Box asked ourselves when building our collection of Spanish & bilingual book boxes. Keep them in mind when shopping for your own familia!

2022-05-12

How to Make Your Home a Place for Readers

Your home is as much a physical environment as it is an expression of who you are and how you’re choosing to raise your little ones. Here are some tips to cultivate a home environment that emphasizes books over screens.

2022-05-03

Choosing the Right Libros for Your Budding Bookworm

Developing strong reading skills early on is essential for healthy childhood development – yet, if your niño is less than enthralled by their available reading library, many of the benefits may be lost on them. In this post, we’ll discuss some different methods for finding and choosing the right books for your child.

2022-04-25

Here's Why You Should Have Regular Reading Sessions With Your Bebé

According to research, babies learn almost 78,000 words per year when their parents read books to them. Dig in to explore the benefits of reading to your babies from an early age so they can grow up to have strong language skills.

2022-04-21

Our 9 Favorite Children’s Books in Spanish for Earth Day

I really appreciate Earth Day as a chance to inventory how I’m taking care of the planet, and what changes I can make to improve. And of course, one of the biggest ways I can take care of the Earth is to teach the little people in my family to be good stewards of our planet. And what better way than through some great libros?

2022-04-19

Libros We Love: UN DÍA EN EL MUSEO

We love finding a good non-fiction book (or non-fictionish, in this case) because they are the BEST for helping kids develop reading comprehension, build background knowledge, and develop analytical skills.

2022-04-18

7 Useful Tips for Raising a Bookworm

If you want to give your niños the best possible start in life, it's never too early to acquaint them with the art and joy of reading! After all, learning how to read is the gateway to being able to analyze, reason, and articulate ideas—skills that assist us in every aspect of life.