New Programme: Cuentacuentos – Storytimes in Spanish

Buenas noticias! We are happy to announce a new programme called Cuentacuentos! These storytimes are delivered entirely in Spanish!

This is a perfect opportunity to practice your Spanish, so get ready for engaging storytelling and exciting activities that will entertain the whole whānau.

Starting from 2nd September, join us at Te Māhanga, Karori Library on the first Saturday of the month at 11am. Mark your calendar!

Books in Spanish

Whether you are a beginner or looking to expand your knowledge, we have got you covered! Wellington City Libraries are proud to offer a compelling collection of Spanish language materials, from books and magazines to language learning resources.

Follow the catalogue links to reserve the books you would like to the library branch of your choice! We have Spanish language books for young people and learners available at all of our library branches. The largest Spanish collections for young people are available at Karori Library, Johnsonville Library, Kilbirnie Library and Te Awe Brandon Library in the CBD.

For adult readers, we have large Spanish collections at Arapaki Manners Library, Johnsonville Library and Karori Library, with even more available to reserve!

Do you want to practice some phrases, read a story in Spanish? Check out these titles and get ready to say “estoy listo.”

First words

First words in Spanish / Grée, Alain
“Help your child to learn their first words in Spanish with this beautifully presented, interactive learning resource. Shown alongside colourful and appealing illustrations, the words are grouped into child-friendly themes such as colours, numbers, animals, food, holidays and shopping…” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Spanish
“Get the whole family prepared for and excited about an upcoming trip by learning 100 travel-relevant Spanish words – from food and transport, to animals and weather… The perfect first step in learning the Spanish language and encouraging children to be curious about the world around them.” (Adapted from catalogue)

Animales
“This illustrated book for little children stimulates learning the names of animals.” (Catalogue)

Chapter books

Diario del wimpy kid : Un renacuajo / Kinney, Jeff
“Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.” (Catalogue)

Hombre Perro y Supergatito / Pilkey, Dav
“Hombre Perro está de regreso, ¡y esta vez lo acompaña un compinche felino! El dúo tendrá que salir al rescate de una glamorosa estrella de cine desaparecida. ¡Una aventura perfecta para Hombre Perro y Supergatito! When a new sitter arrives and a movie star goes missing, Dog Man and Cat Kid investigate…” (Catalogue)

All-time Classics

Un pez, dos peces, pez rojo, pez azul / Seuss
“A story-poem about the activities of such unusual animals as the Nook, Wump, Yink, Yop, Gack, and the Zeds.” (Catalogue)

Donde viven los monstruos / Sendak, Maurice
“A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.” (Catalogue)

Originally in Spanish

A veces el bosque.. / Nogués Otero, Alex
“A veces el bosque canta y es canció n. Otras, duerme. A veces el bosque sueñ a con fuego o inventa la lluvia y los paraguas. El bosque a veces bromea. A veces, imagina que eres un gigante.Un libro para leer en la corteza de los á rboles y en los misterios de tu mirada.” (Catalogue)

Gilda : la oveja gigante / Urberuaga, Emilio
“Gilda, la oveja gigante, tiene que escapar de la montaña en la que vive. Al llegar a la gran ciudad vivirá una increíble aventura. Pero, ¿encontrará Gilda un nuevo hogar?” (Catalogue)

Gustavo : el fantasmita timido / Drago, Flavia Z
“Conoce a Gustavo. Él es un fantasma y como a cualquier ser paranormal le encanta hacer lo que le es normal: atravesar paredes, hacer volar objetos y brillar en la oscuridad. También le encanta tocar el violín. Pero Gustavo tiene un problema. Él es muy, muy tímido, y aunque su deseo más grande es tener amigos, nunca se ha atrevido a hablarle a ninguno de los monstruos en su pueblito. Con el Día de Muertos cerca, ¿se atreverá Gustavo a dejar que lo vean?” This picture book is about finding the courage to make friends.” (Catalougue).

Ready for your language adventure?  ¡nos vemos en la biblioteca!

Storytimes in Our Languages

We hope you have been enjoying the virtual storytime videos that our staff have been sharing recently through our YouTube channel

Today, we would to highlight a couple of these awesome storytimes in languages from our communities, and share some of our favourite books in Spanish & Mandarin!

Firstly, the wonderful Blanca and Isabel from Karori Library share a sweet story called  ¡Me Rompí la Trompa! by Mo Willems:

Up next, Qiyu and Joseph at Arapaki Manners Library share a bilingual telling of the fantastic Ruru’s Hangī written by Chris Gurney and translated by Juechen Shao:

To keep up to date with Our Languages For Kids you can ‘save’ this playlist of our videos on YouTube.

Language Collections at Our Branches

Almost all of our branches have children’s books available in Chinese, Spanish, German, French, and Samoan (along with English and Te Reo Māori). Many more languages are available at branches across our system! Here is a picture of the recently updated languages section at Karori Library, ātaahua!

Karori Language collections

Karori Library has books in Arabic, Chinese, French, Filipino, German, Greek, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and languages of the Pacific for you to enjoy!


Chinese language book picks from Khadro

Our wonderful librarian Khadro at Newtown Library has chosen some of her favourite books in Chinese to share with us today. We also love the beautiful decorations on the wall at Newtown Library, celebrating Chinese language and culture.

The War of Colours / Heller, Eva

This book explores the complexity of colours and all of the ways they enrich our everyday lives, from the yellow of the stars to the splashes of indigo in the sky!


How Animals Sleep / Bartíková, Petra 

Take a short flick through the jungle, the swamp and the outback to explore all of the different ways wildlife catch the Z’s. from the seagulls squawking at the beach to the Giraffes that lounge the safari.


Go Home Already / Jory, John

Bear and Duck have one mission: get back home safely. But what happens when they take a few bad turns?


Spanish language book picks from Rogelio

Our librarian Rogelio at Arapaki Manners Library has also chosen some of his favourite Spanish-language books for kids to share. Find more recommendations for wonderful children’s books in Spanish on our blog: ¡Nuevos libros en español! | New Books in Spanish!

Gustavo : el fantasmita timido / Drago, Flavia Z
“Conoce a Gustavo. Él es un fantasma y como a cualquier ser paranormal le encanta hacer lo que le es normal: atravesar paredes, hacer volar objetos y brillar en la oscuridad. También le encanta tocar el violín. Pero Gustavo tiene un problema. Él es muy, muy tímido, y aunque su deseo más grande es tener amigos, nunca se ha atrevido a hablarle a ninguno de los monstruos en su pueblito. Con el Día de Muertos cerca, ¿se atreverá Gustavo a dejar que lo vean?” (Catalogue).

¡Hermanos! / Bonilla, Rocio
“Un libro fantástico para hablar del amorodio entre hermanos. Un relato muy original y divertido que se lee en ambos sentidos. ¡Tener un hermano es muy molesto! Parece un mono, siempre haciendo payasadas. ¡Tener una hermana también es un rollo! Todo le parece mal y no me deja jugar a lo que quiero. Pero, a veces, los hermanos son una gran ayuda y juntos viven momentos muy divertidos. Quizás, tener un hermano o una hermana no está tan mal. Pero, ¿ser tres hermanos? ¡Eso sí que no!” (Catalogue)

The boy who touched the stars = El niño que alcanzó las estrellas / Hernández, José M.
“Juan Marcos is eager to continue his studies in the United States and rents a room from family friends living in El Barrio, or Spanish Harlem. Soon, he has a job wrapping packages at a department store that pays as much as he made teaching high school at home. As he interacts with the Puerto Rican community in New York, he witnesses the problems his compatriots encounter, including discrimination, inadequate housing, jobs and wages. Despite these problems, friendships and romances bloom and rivalries surface, leading to betrayal and even attempted murder!” (Catalogue)

New Books in Spanish!

Read this post in Spanish!

New children’s books in Spanish have arrived! We are excited to announce the arrival of a flood of new Spanish books for all our Spanish-speaking families. All branches have some, but you will find larger collections at Karori, Johnsonville, Kilbirnie, and Newtown Libraries.

Don’t forget that you can also order these Spanish books through the online catalogue by searching for “Spanish language readers,” clicking on the book you would like, and having it sent to your local library branch to pick up.

Here are a few must-haves to whet your appetite:

La oruga muy hambrienta / Carle, Eric

In this funny story you will discover how a very hungry caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly.

Los días raros / Ycaza, Roger

The young character in this story wakes up one morning feeling a bit sad. Then he realises that his own smile has disappeared from his face! Discover what happens on this very strange day.

Un avestruz con mucha luz / Andrés, José Carlos

A funny encounter between three ostriches, three lions, and one ostrich egg. You won’t believe the surprise that awaits after the egg hatches!

¡No quiero ir al cole! / Blake, Stephanie

Simon does not want to go to school. He is too scared! His mum insists, but he says no, until, finally, he gives in. But when his mum picks him up from school and asks him to come back home, Simon says something that will surprise you!

Voy a portarme muy bien / Haughton, Chris

Simon is a very curious dog. When Alfonso, his owner, goes out to deliver a message, Simon promises to behave. However, he faces a lot of temptations: a cake, a cat, and more. Do you think Simon will keep his promise?

Necesito un abrazo = I need a hug / Blabey, Aaron

A little porcupine, with prickly spikes, is looking for a hug. He asks a bear, a rabbit, a reindeer, but they are all a bit reluctant because of his prickles. Do you think he will get a hug?

Gustavo : el fantasmita timido / Drago, Flavia Z

Gustavo does not have any friends, so he decides to perform a concert with his violin and invites all the people in the neighbourhood. It will be a magic night. Gustavo will play marvellously for them. But, do you think they will show up? Will they become his friends?

Dragones y tacos / Rubin, Adam

Did you know that dragons love tacos? Did you know that they love parties with tacos, and they like all kinds of tacos? However, there is one thing they do not like about tacos that causes their ears to smoke in anger. Discover what that is in this funny story!

¡Me rompí la trompa! / Willems, Mo

Elephant lets his friends climb up on his trunk. First his friend the hippopotamus climbs on, then his friend the rhinoceros does too; he even puts a piano on his trunk! All of them dance and his trunk breaks, but not for the reason you might think. This is a crazy story that will make you laugh out loud!

So, what are you waiting for? Visit your local library to pick up new books in Spanish today!

¡Nuevos libros en español!

Read this post in English!

Hemos recibido nuevos libros en español! Estamos muy contentos de anunciar la llegada de una número considera de libros en español para nuestros lectores en español. Todos nuestras sucursales tiene libros en español, pero donde más pueden encontrar es en Karori, Johnsonville, Kilbirnie, y Newtown. No olvides que también puedes ordenarlos en nuestro catálogo en línea buscando en “Spanish language readers.”

Aquí algunos libros que no te puedes perder:

La oruga muy hambrienta / Carle, Eric

En esta divertida historia descubre cómo una hambrienta oruga se convertirá en una hermosa mariposa.

Los días raros / Ycaza, Roger

El pequeño personaje de esta historia despierta una mañana y la encuentra triste, incluso se da cuenta de que su propia sonrisa ha desaparecido de su rostro. Descubre en qué terminará este raro día.

Un avestruz con mucha luz / Andrés, José Carlos

Un divertido encuentro entre tres avestruces, tres leones y un huevo de avestruz. No te pierdas lo que sucederá cuando se rompa el cascarón de este huevo.

¡No quiero ir al cole! / Blake, Stephanie

Simon no quiere ir al colegio. Le da un poco de miedo. Su mamá le insiste y él se niega. Por fin, acepta. Sin embargo, cuando su mamá lo recoge del colegio y le pide que vuelvan a casa, Simon le responde algo que te dejará sorprendido.

Voy a portarme muy bien / Haughton, Chris

El perro Simon se queda a cuidar la casa de su dueño Alfonso, quien saldrá a llevar un recado. Simon promote portarse bien pero se encuentra con muchas tentaciones que lo invitan a romper su promesa (un pastel, un gato, mucha tierra en una maceta con flores). ¿Crees que cumpla su promesa?


Necesito un abrazo = I need a hug / Blabey, Aaron

Un pequeño puercoespin, con sus grandes púas, pide abrazos a un conejo, un reno, un oso, pese a sus espina, pero la pregunta es si estarán dispuestos a darselo. ¿Tú que crees?


Gustavo : el fantasmita timido / Drago, Flavia Z

Gustavo no tiene amigos, y para remediarlo decide un día hacer un concierto con su violín. Invita a todos los habitantes del barrio. Será una noche mágica en donde Gustavo tocará maravillosamente su violín. ¿Pero vendrán sus invitados a su concierto? ¿Se convertiran en sus amigos?


Dragones y tacos / Rubin, Adam

Sabías que a los dragones les encantan los tacos? Sabías que les fascinan las fiestas con tacos y que les gustan de todo tipo? Pero hay algo que no les gusta de los tacos y los hace echar incluso humo por las orejas. En esta divertida historia descubrirás de qué se trata.


¡Me rompí la trompa! / Willems, Mo

Un elefante empieza a subir a su trompa a todos sus amigos. Empieza por su amigo el hipopotamo, luego sube a su trompa a su amigo el rinoceronte, incluso sube a su trompa un piano! Todos bailan y se divierten sobre su trompa. Sin embargo, su trompa se le quiebra y no es precisamente por la razón que piensas! Es una loca historia que seguro te hará reír.

International Spanish Language Day – April 23rd 2019

Kia ora and hola!

Estoy en le biblioteca. I am at the library.

Here at Wellington City Libraries we are celebrating International Spanish Language Day on Tuesday April 23rd.

Hablas espanol? Do you speak Spanish?

Hablo un poco de espanol. I speak a little Spanish

Join us! We invite you to explore bilingual books at your community library.

And, keep having fun while you practise ! There are magical books here just waiting for you to savour them.

Última parada de la calle Market by Matt de la Peña 
A young boy rides the bus across town with his grandmother and learns to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.

Elmer by David McKee, 
All the elephants of the jungle were gray except Elmer, who was a patchwork of brilliant colours until the day he got tired of being different and making the other elephants laugh.

Cucú-tras by Francesca Ferri
This book invites you to play a fun game: the “Cucú-tras”. This book has great illustrations with cheerful colours and you will have fun lifting the flaps to find different farm animals.

La lección de August by R. J. Palacio

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.