Tíos and Primos by Jacqueline Alcántara (Nancy Paulsen Books, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A girl is nervous about visiting her father’s relatives in Honduras, especially since she doesn’t speak much Spanish. As they go from one tío’s house to the next, she feels more and more shy as she sees things she wants to ask about but doesn’t know how. Finally, they get to the home of her abuela, who has invited all the relatives over for a party. Before long the girl is playing soccer with her primos, and they’re teaching each other words in English and Spanish. By the end of the trip, she is ready to say “Nos vemos, familia!” (“See you soon!”) to all of her family.

This warm family story shows the ways people can communicate that don’t necessarily involve language. Kids who sometimes feel torn between two cultures or countries will find a lot to connect with. Older readers can move from this book to the two graphic novels I reviewed just a few weeks ago.

Little Bird Laila by Kelly Yang, illustrated by Xindi Yan (Dial Books, 40 pages, ages 4-9). Laila’s mom calls her her little bird, because Laila is always whispering in her ear, telling her (and her dad) what people are saying in English. Laila enjoys having such an important job, but sometimes it’s exhausting, and she doesn’t like it when other kids make fun of her parents. Her parents want to take English classes, but they can’t afford them (“People say America is free, but it’s actually really expensive,” Laila explains). Finally, Laila comes up with a solution: she’ll teach them herself. Even though she is still learning English, she does the best she can, making flashcards and surprising them with pop quizzes. It’s an uphill battle, but in a few months, her parents are starting to learn. At a parent-teacher conference, when her teacher says that Laila is becoming a better speller and teaching other kids Chinese, she starts to translate, but her mom replies in English, “Laila is a wonderful teacher.”

This cheery picture book with its themes of perseverance and hard work makes an excellent complement to Kelly Yang’s chapter books about the immigrant experience. The story and illustrations incorporate both Chinese and English, showing examples of what a difficult language English can be to learn. Pair it with Olivia Abtahi’s The Interpreter, which covers similar themes. I was disappointed that there wasn’t an author’s note at the end tying this story to Kelly Yang’s own experiences of being an immigrant from China.