Every year, I'm so happy to participate in the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Read Around the World Summer Series. I love learning about new children's books that bring the world to a child's hands. They're a valuable resource when you are raising global citizens who can successfully relate and communicate with anyone.
My selection this year is KUTU: The Tiny Inca Princess - La Ñusta Diminuta by the talented Mariana Llanos.
There are so many things about this book to love. It is such a good story about a tiny princess who sets out to save her town by bringing water to it after a long drought. Even though no one thinks that she can help the town because of her small size, she sets out on her own to find help.
Kutu is a fictional character. And the story is original; it is not the retelling of an Inca legend. But the story represents Inca culture and many of the characters in the story are the gods that may be found in Quechua legend. I love that the author has worked to stay true to this ancient culture.
In addition, this book is not just bilingual with full text in both English and Spanish, but it also has Quechua words and phrases sprinkled throughout the story.
And the illustrations are so adorable!! They are childlike and colorful with an attention to little details that truly represent the culture. My own toddler, who is still too young to understand the storyline, was captivated by them.
This is just one of the wonderful titles you can find in my 2019 Summer Reads. To see the complete list, click here.
And if you would like to follow along MKB's Read Around the World Summer Series, click here. Because there are some seriously incredible books being shared.
Happy reading, Amigos!