Learn Spanish Online with These 15 Spanish Children’s Books

If you want your children to learn Spanish, it’s important to keep a balanced approach of different tools and techniques. Depending on their age, kids can learn a new language through games, flashcards, audio, videos, and books. 

For kids, learning to read is like discovering a whole new world. A universe of possibilities opens up for them. Learning to read in another language gives that universe a completely new dimension. The benefits of reading Spanish children’s books are many and crucial to your kids’ learning process. The act of reading also reinforces the pleasure of reading!

However, the idea of this post isn’t to send you on a hunt for Spanish children’s books and start a book-buying spree. These days,  tons of books are available online. Some require you to register to access them, others are shown and read aloud on YouTube, and others can simply be read online or downloaded. The following list includes a few of each of these formats of Spanish children’s books. 

Bilingual Books in English and Spanish

For new learners of the language, and especially for children who have just learned to read in English, bilingual books offer a safe starting point. They feel at ease with the security of having the language they know at hand all the time and can focus on the story. 

However, these books are only a stepping stone and shouldn’t become the norm when reading Spanish children’s books. Once your child keeps progressing in the language and acquiring more and more vocabulary, moving to Spanish-only books is the logical next step.  

1. Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz
My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz

By Monica Brown

This bilingual book is a gem! Winner of various awards, it introduces the life and work of Cuban legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz in a colorful way to kids. This is one of the best Spanish children’s books available today, because it’s not only bilingual but also bicultural. 

Electronic versions: Kindle, eBook

2. Mi Diario de Aquí hasta Allá
My Diary From Here to There

By Amada Irma Pérez

This book tells the dramatic story of a family that moves from Mexico to the United States from the point of view of a little girl. A clever, kid-friendly exploration of the complicated topic of immigration. 

Electronic versions: eBook

3. La Princesa and the Pea

By Susan Middleton

This book is a little bit different than most bilingual books, instead of including text in English in one page and the same text in Spanish in the opposite page, it tells the whole story in English, but introduces Spanish words along the way. Excellent option for small kids who are just starting with Spanish. 

Electronic versions: Kindle, Nook, YouTube

4. I Love Saturdays y Domingos

By Alma Flor Ada and Elivia Savadier

Following the same method of introducing Spanish words in a story written mostly in English, this book explores the complex realities of bicultural families. 

Electronic versions: YouTube

5. Moony Luna: Luna, Lunita Lunera

By Jorge Argueta

A completely bilingual book that tells the first day of school for Luna, a 5-year-old girl who simply doesn’t want to go to school. 

Electronic versions: Google Books

Spanish Children’s Books

Let’s say you’ve reached the stage when your children start learning Spanish by themselves. Giving them interesting Spanish children’s books is the best way to get them immersed in the language. By reading in Spanish, kids develop a feeling for the flow of the language, learn new words and phrases, and expose themselves to lots of idioms and conjugations without even noticing.

6. Mi Mejor Amiga

By Anupa Lal

“My Best Friend” is an easy-to-read book that tells the story of a little girl who discovers that she has a great friend at home; the only catch is that she lives inside the mirror.

Electronic versions: PDF

7. Ábrete Grano Pequeño

By Horacio Benavides

The title means “Open Small Grain” in English. How about reading a collection of riddles in Spanish? Riddles are short, fun, and thought-provoking. This book uses an accessible vocabulary and is beautifully illustrated.

Want to know the best part? The site where this book is located is funded by the Colombian Government and includes a wide collection of free Spanish children’s books to read online or download the PDF files.

Electronic versions: PDF

8. Un Castillo de Libros

By Susana Aristizábal, “A Castle of Books”

A book about books and the fascinating worlds they hide in their pages. It tells the story of what happens inside a library. A tribute to books that invites kids to fall in love with them.

Electronic versions: PDF

9. Petit el Monstruo

By Marisol Misenta, “Petit the Monster”

Petit is a contradictory kid. Sometimes he’s good; sometimes he’s bad. He really doesn’t know if he’s a good or bad boy. But at least, he’s trying to understand why.

Electronic versions: PDF

10. La Gallinita que Quería Ver el Mar

By Christian Jolibois, “The Little Hen that Wanted to See the Sea”

Written in French originally, but the Spanish edition is an excellent starting point to start reading in this language. The story is a classic tale of nonconformity and self-discovery. 

Electronic versions: Read Online

11. Los 10 Zapatos de Cenicienta

By Miguel Pérez and Ana Burgos, “Cinderella’s 10 Shoes”

This book seems like just another princess story, but in reality, it is a book about numbers and how math is just another game. 

Electronic versions: Kindle, eBook

12. Tairon en Apuros

By Hans Wilhelm, “Tairon in Trouble”

A book perfect for small children to practice their Spanish. Tairon is a dinosaur that always gets into trouble and has some crazy adventures.  

Electronic versions: PDF

13. Por qué el Elefante Tiene la Trompa Así

By Rudyard Kipling, “Why the Elephant Has a Long Trunk”

This story is a classic from the British Nobel-Prize-winning writer, and this Spanish version is beautifully illustrated by Daniel Gómez. The length of the story and the vocabulary used make it more appropriate for older kids in grades 4 to 6. 

Electronic versions: PDF

14. Meñique

By José Martí

Also better suited for older kids, Meñique is one of the best Spanish children’s books available online and a Cuban version of Tom Thumb. Meñique means pinky finger, and it’s the nickname of the youngest of three brothers who have many adventures together, including encounters with kings, princesses, and giants. 

Electronic versions: PDF

15. Barbas, Pelos y Cenizas

By Charles Perrault and the Grimm Brothers

This book includes three classic fairy tales: Perrault’s Bluebeard, and The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs and Cinderella by the Grimm Brothers. 

Electronic versions: PDF

The End

There you have them, 15 Spanish children’s books in different formats to give your kids an opportunity to keep developing their love for books and learning a new language in the process. Did I help you find the perfect book for your child? Let me know in the comments!

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