In this post: A round-up of the best Spanish poetry books for kids including popular nursery rhymes and authentic hispanic poems.
Spanish poetry books are such an effective and beautiful language learning tool.
Learning Spanish poems has so many language acquisition benefits such as phonics, sentence structure, rhymes and rhythm. Poetry is a timeless resource for language development.
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I love that, beyond language learning, Spanish poems teach our children about hispanic culture. Latin-American folklore is so rich in children’s songs, poems and rhymes! Many came over from Spain but were adapted later to the different countries.
For example, ‘Arroz con leche’ has several different versions depending on whether you are in Mexico, Puerto Rico or Argentina!
If you are looking for an authentic Spanish curriculum rooted in Hispanic literature, phonics and poetry, be sure to visit our Llamitas Spanish curriculum shop to learn more.
Related Post: Authentic Spanish Nursery Rhymes
Table of Contents
FREE Spanish Anthology
Before we dive in, I wanted to share our very own anthology of authentic Spanish poems. This is a FREE download in the Freebie Library. It includes video links and a music playlist, plus bilingual text to support Spanish learners.
Related Post: Latin American and Spanish Folktales for Kids
OK, now let’s dive in to the round-up of our top picks for Spanish poetry books for kids…
Best Spanish Poetry Books for Kids
Pio Peep
I rave about this gem all.the.time. Pio Peep is our absolute top pick and one that I believe every family learning Spanish needs to own.
This is by far the most beautifully illustrated and precious collection of authentic Spanish poems that we own.
The book also comes with a CD so you can sing along- super useful for learning new songs! Am I a total dinosaur in that I still love to use CDs! My husband and I actually have a record player in our home- yep, we are old souls y’all!
Oooh and this book is also bilingual, but what I love is that the English translations of the authentic hispanic poems are not literal translations, but rather a poetic re-creation: which means no awkward, non rhyming literal translations. Phew!
The introduction explains ‘to preserve the charm of the original rhymes (…) in some instances, the details are different, but the re-creation remains true to the essence of the original.’
Just a few of our favorites include “Pito, pito, colorito“, “De colores“, “El barquito” and “Cucu“.
Seriously you guys, if you just pick one book to add to your bilingual library, this is it!
Related Post: Best Children’s Spanish Beginner Books
Arroz con Leche
Another bilingual Spanish and English poetry book! Arroz con Leche is a joyful collection of 12 Latin American poems.
The illustrations are so true and traditional to the countries being represented: the Old San Juan Cathedral is shown in the poem ‘Arroz con leche‘, and the coconut ice cream seller in ‘el hijo del conde‘ is so true to Puerto Rico- I LOVE the cultural richness!
Each poem tells the reader which Latin-American country it originates in and also has a little synopsis and explanation in English to put it into context for non-natives. Super helpful!
Our favorites are “Que llueva“, “La loba” and “Estaba la pájara pinta“.
Perhaps my favorite part is the collection of musical scrolls in the back, so you can play along on a piano!
Mi Primer Libro de Poesia
Mi Primer Libro de Poesia is a stunning illustrated anthology of Spanish poems for bilingual children around 6 years and above. I actually bought it for myself last year because I read an awesome review! My children are too little, and their language level is definitely not advanced enough yet, but I knew I would get a lot of joy from it!
And I’m so glad I did! It’s so beautiful and includes some famous poems by Fuertes, Lorca and Nervo to name a few. It also has a good mix between traditional and more contemporary poems.
La Piñata
La Piñata is such a fun Spanish poetry book! It’s also bilingual and super budget-friendly at just over $5! It’s a no-brainer.
I love the bright colors throughout this collection of traditional poems and songs in Spanish. The illustrations are the most fun and vibrant and among the fourteen new songs are “Antón Pirulero,” “Las mañanitas,” and “A la rueda rueda”.
I did notice a lot of the poems are more modern versions of the originals which is fun to read.
The book includes music notation (cue piano playing!) and you can download the songs sung by the author by visiting scholastic.com/thepinata.
Todo es Canción
Todo es Canción is the newest addition to our collection of poems. This anthology of educational poems written by Alma Flor Ada is perfect for thematic learning! Some of the themes include: numbers, body parts, family, nature, etc. It is perfect for intermediate to advanced learners.
Tortillitas para mamá
Tortillitas para mamá is an authentic collection of Spanish nursery rhymes with gorgeous, Latin-American illustrations. Most wonderful about this book is that the short poems come with finger play instructions, so you can make the learning and reading experience more interactive.
Llamitas Spanish Curriculum
Don’t forget to check out our Llamitas Spanish curriculum shop and kickstart your bilingual journey!
Related posts:
Preschool and Kindergarten Spanish Lessons
Canciones Infantiles: Spanish Songs for Kids
Latin American and Spanish Folktale Anthologies for Kids
Founder of the Llamitas Spanish® Curriculum and former Spanish teacher. Corrie holds a Masters in Spanish and Education and is raising bilingual children in San Diego, CA.