en una pared se sentó,

Humpty Dumpty

de ahí arriba se cayó.

Todos los caballos del rey

Y todos los hombres del rey

No pudieron poner

Humpty entero otra vez.

————

El patio de mi casa

El patio de mi casa

Es particular

Cuando llueve se moja

Como los demás.

Agáchate

Y vuélvete a agachar

Que los agachaditos

Saben bien jugar.

Hache, i, jota, ka

Ele, elle, eme, a,

Que si tú no me quieres

Otra niño me querrá.

“Before You Were Here, Mi Amor”, written by Samantha R. Vamos is a bilingual picture book about the preparations members of a family make in anticipation of the birth of a child. The story is read by Carrie Ferguson Weir of Los Pollitos Dicen and Bilingual in the Boonies.

Samantha originally hails from the Midwest and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. “Before You Were Here, Mi Amor” is her first published children’s book.

Samantha says:

“Writing has always been a passion (along with Peppermint Patties, dogs, movies, reading, traveling, Halloween, music, my family, shooting endless photos of my child, and much more). I’ve been writing stories for over twenty years and publishing my writing has been one of my greatest dreams. I was most influenced to write by my mother, but both my parents, as well as my paternal grandfather and maternal grandmother, are and were excellent writers.

I love writing stories for children. My first book, “Before You Were Here, Mi Amor” was inspired by the birth of my sister’s children. The idea for my second book, “The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred” popped into my head as I was cooking. I laughed, suddenly envisioning a cow contributing her milk and a hen offering her eggs. My plot began evolving and I started writing. I have also written a novel, which I am currently revising.”

Samantha has graciously agreed to autograph three copies of her beautifully-illustrated book for three lucky listeners of Cody’s Cuentos. All I ask is that you donate $10, which will go towards paying for the postage and packaging since the book is a hardcover, oversized item. (U.S. addresses, only.)  If you’re interested, please send me a message with your complete name and mailing address via Cody’s Mailbox. Only three copies available, so act quickly.  Samantha is also holding a special drawing on her website to give away one copy of her book this summer.

Also on Samantha’s website are activity worksheets based on the words and illustrations in the book. You can download these worksheets for free and then print them out. Great material for elementary school teachers and parents teaching young children Spanish.

Finally, a special “¡gracias!” to Carrie’s friend Bob August who professionally recorded Carrie’s reading at Fluid Studios in Nashville, TN.

Vamos a remar,
en un botecito,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
en un botecito.

Vamos a volar,
en un avioncito,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
en un avioncito.

Vamos a pasear,
en un cochecito,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
rápido,
en un cochecito.

Photo: “Row, row, row your boat”, courtesy of Monkey & Timmy

Photo: “Hide and Seek” used under license from iStockPhoto.com

Below are the lyrics and instructions to play this finger game “Dedo Pulgar.”

“Dedo Pulgar”

Dedo Pulgar, Dedo Pulgar
Chorus: ¿Dónde estás? – ¡Aquí estoy!
- ¡Gusto en saludarte! ¡Gusto en saludarte!
¡Ya me voy! – ¡Yo también!

Dedo Índice, Dedo Índice (Repeat chorus)

Dedo Corazón, Dedo Corazón (Repeat chorus)

Dedo Anular, Dedo Anular (Repeat chorus)

Dedo Meñique, Dedo Meñique (Repeat chorus)

Todos los hermanos, Todos los hermanos
¿Dónde estáis? -¡Aquí estamos! [*In Latin America: ¿Dónde están?]

¡Gusto en saludarte! ¡Gusto en saludarte! [*Plural you; In Spain "saludaros", in Latin America, "saludarles"]
¡Ya nos vamos, ya nos vamos!

Vocabulario:

Dedo pulgar: thumb

Dedo índice: index finger

Dedo corazón: middle finger

Dedo anular: ring finger

Dedo meñique: pinky finger

INSTRUCTIONS: Start with both hands behind your back. When you get to the line “Aquí estoy” show your hands with only the thumbs raised. When you sing “Gusto en saludarte” bend both thumbs so it looks like they are waving at each other. At the line “Ya me voy,” hide one of your hands behind your back. “Yo también,” hide the other hand behind your back. Repeat from the beginning for each finger until the end and finish with both hands waving.

INSTRUCCIONES: “Dedo Pulgar ¿dónde estás?” manos escondidas detrás de la espalda.
“Aquí estoy”: Enseñar las manos con los pulgares en alto.
“Gusto en saludarte”: Flexionar los dedos varias veces como si se saludaran.
“Ya me voy” Esconder una mano detrás de la espalda.
“Yo también”: Esconder la otra mano detrás de la espalda.
Repita los pasos para cada dedo hasta el final y saludarse con ambas manos.