Bye Land Bye Sea
by Renee Spencer
Two children from different backgrounds show that friendship comes in every language in this epic bilingual story about being lost and finding a friend who understands. This story shares English and Spanish throughout the book.
Reading Tips for Story Explorers
Find a comfortable space to read together
Slow down and enjoy the illustrations
Ask and answer questions together
Make reading part of your routine - bedtime is a great time for reading
Use these prompts to encourage deeper thinking with your children:
"Tell me more, why do you think that?"
"How do you know that?"
"Interesting, did you notice anything else?"
Phonemic Awareness
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
The beginning sound for Bye is Bb. Let’s say that sound together: /b/, /b/, /b/. Point to the Bb in the title. Read the title together, emphasizing the sound /b/.
Ask your child if they can say other words that start with the /b/ sound like bye: ball, baby, bed, boy.
Vocabulary
Boat: In Spanish, boat is "barco"
Tent: In Spanish, tent is "tienda de campaña"
Hello: In Spanish, hello is "hola"
Thank you: In Spanish, thank you is "gracias"
Questions to Discuss
What are binoculars? The boy uses binoculars to see a boat and an airplane. Have you ever looked through binoculars? In Spanish, they are called prismáticos.
How did the boy and girl understand each other when they spoke different languages?
Have you ridden in a boat? What kind of boat was it? A motorboat? A sailboat? A rowboat? A canoe?
Let's Play
Learning Spanish and English at the same time makes the second language more familiar and comfortable. It can also help children in making friends with children speaking another language, just like in the book!
Let’s label the home in English and Spanish! Write these English and Spanish words on sticky notes and let your child place them around their home. Each time you see the sticky note, practice reading the word in both languages with your child.
