Alma Speaks Up / Alma habla (Alma's Way Storybook #1) (Bilingual)

by G. M. King

Overview

A heartwarming storybook based on the hit PBS Kids series Alma’s Way, created by Emmy Award-winning actor Sonia Manzano – best known as Maria on Sesame Street.

Alma and her friends André and Rafia can't wait to help their neighbor, Mr. Huda, make his storefront beautiful. They are going to paint a mural on the wall outside the store! But when André wants to do the mural his own way, it's up to Alma to talk to him about it. Can she find a way to express herself without hurting Andre's feelings?

PBS’s “Alma’s Way” explores the life of six-year-old Alma, a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx, as she navigates new challenges and solves them through creativity and fun. Kids won’t want to miss this bilingual storybook that introduces Alma and her friends and family!

Includes a pullout poster of Alma, her family, and all her friends from the neighborhood!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338850086
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/03/2023
Series:	Alma's Way
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	262,794
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Language:	Spanish
Lexile:	AD520L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

G. M. King was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and currently lives in New York.

Editorial Reviews

The core message — speaking up doesn’t mean invalidating others — proves worthwhile. Full of generous colors, the clean, distinct illustrations mirror the show in the best way… Gentle persuasion at its sweetest.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2022-11-16
Six-year-old Alma Rivera discovers that speaking up can be a good thing in this bilingual Spanish-English adaptation of an episode of the PBS Kids show Alma’s Way.

Mural art adorns the gated storefronts of Alma’s Bronx neighborhood. She and her friends meet up in front of a particularly colorful mural before heading to the Huda family’s store, where Mr. Huda agrees to the kids’ idea to paint a mural on the store’s gate. Excited, Alma’s friends shout out their ideas, drowning out Alma’s pitch and each other. “Everybody has good ideas, but nobody is listening to each other. That doesn’t feel good.” Rather than leaving her friends, Alma buckles down and suggests that everyone sketch their proposed designs to show Mr. Huda, who will make the final decision. When Mr. Huda chooses Alma’s design, Alma enlists André, one of her friends, to help her paint it. But when André begins making edits—polka dots, space hippos, chinchillas—to her design, will Alma know how to speak up? Through ample repetition and empathetic problem-solving, King’s adaptation maintains a gentle pace that’s sure to resonate with young readers who have navigated similar situations. The core message—speaking up doesn’t mean invalidating others—proves worthwhile. Full of generous colors, the clean, distinct illustrations mirror the show in the best way. Alma is Latine, while André presents Black; the cast is racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Gentle persuasion at its sweetest. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews