CANTABA LA RANA - THE FROG WAS SINGING

CANTABA LA RANA - THE FROG WAS SINGING
selleccion y arreglos/
selection and arrangements by
Rita Rosa Ruesga

ilustraciones/illustrated by

Soledad Sebatiastián

Ruesga, Rita Rosa, and Soledad Sebastián. Cantaba la rana The frog was singing / selected and arranged by Rita Rosa Ruesga ; illustrated by Soledad Sebastián.. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2011.

ISBN: 9780545273572


Summary:

CANTABA LA RANA, THE FROG WAS SINGING is a tribute to the poetry that most Hispanic children have heard at least once in their life. Even English speakers will enjoy these loved Spanish nursery rhymes from Latin America as Rita Rosa Ruesga has mainstreamed the poetry by translating each poem. A surprising quality to each poem is that a musical tune accompanies it. The reader can feel the beat embedded in each poem as they read it in Spanish or English.

The illustrations by Soledad Sebastián are in step with art typical of Latin America. Each piece of art for enhances every poem with vivid tones of red, green, purple and blue. The pictures are significant enough to hang as art in a classroom, library or home.

 Señora Santana ~ Mrs. Santana

Señora Santana,por que llora el niño
¿por una manzana?
que se ha perdido.
yo le daré una,
yo daré dos,
una para el niño
y otro para vos.

Dear Mrs. Santana,
Why is the child crying?
Because of an apple,
I think he just lost it.
I will give him one,
I will give him two,
One is for the boy,
The other one’s for you.

 Excerpt/Poem Introduction
This poem starts off with crying and ends with a smile. Any student will feel the natural connection and fall into a rhythm as they clap, chant, or sing this tune. So, ¡Grab your maracas! Or collaborate with the music teacher; she can help you get the tune to this well loved lullaby from Spain. Your K-2 students will appreciate the poem even more if you act it out with them and all share an apple treat in the end. Students in grades 3-5 will identify with the idea of being kind and why that is important in daily life. (they get some apple too as a reminder to be helpful and kind.)