REFORMA Review: Mother Goose on the Loose

Early Literacy Programming En Español: Mother Goose on the Loose® Programs for Bilingual Learners. 
By Betsy Diamant-Cohen. 
New York: Neal-Schuman, 2010. 177 pp. $65 (Paperback with CD-ROM). ISBN 978-1555706913. 
Professional Book for Librarians. 
English with Spanish.

In this thoughtful and highly useful resource, Diamant-Cohen takes elements of her energetic Mother Goose on the Loose® literacy program and incorporates them with early childhood literacy strategies used with Spanish-speaking, bilingual children and their families. Information and theory related to bilingual language development as well as tips for partnering with the Latino community are also provided by prominent Latina early literacy specialists. Of particular importance is a discussion on the appropriate use of Spanish in relation to the Latino population served, in addition to social considerations for selecting rhymes in English and culturally-relevant rhymes in Spanish. Step-by-step guidelines, bilingual songs and rhymes, planning templates, flannelboard patterns, and much more are included on a CD that will be quite useful to aspiring librarians developing bilingual and Spanish programs for young children. One shortcoming of the guide is minimal reference to Día and Día resources which should be obvious sources for planning an early literacy program serving Latino children and their families. Additionally, while some Spanish-language rhymes and Latino children’s books are referenced, more common titles are overlooked to make space for Spanish translations of English books and rhymes. The author stresses the importance of incorporating both types of literature into programs for bilingual learners but does not provide links or references to many of the rich sources available for selecting high-quality, culturally relevant Latino children’s literature. Nonetheless, this is a worthy source of ideas for any librarian serving Spanish-speaking populations.

Recommended.


Naidoo, J. C. (2010). Early Literacy Programming En Español: Mother Goose on the Loose® Programs for Bilingual Learners. Written by Betsy Diamant-Cohen. REFORMA Newsletter, 28(1/2), 20. (Professional Book)