Christmas and New Year's Special

Grab a cozy blanket and join us for a festive Christmas Special of Bilingual Book Buddies! In this holiday episode, your co-hosts Alicia Salazar, Claudia Sloan, and Silvia López each share their favorite Christmas-themed bilingual (English–Spanish) children’s books, perfect for classrooms, libraries, and family read-alouds.

From heartwarming stories to joyful traditions, we’ll highlight books that celebrate language, culture, and the magic of the season—plus we’ll sprinkle in extra bilingual holiday book recommendations you won’t want to miss!

Whether you’re a teacher, librarian, parent, or book lover looking to add meaningful bilingual stories to your holiday reading list, this episode is for you.

¡Acompáñanos para celebrar la Navidad con libros bilingües que unen lenguas, culturas y corazones!Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with a fellow book lover.

#BilingualBookBuddies #BilingualBooks #ChristmasBooks #HolidayReadAlouds #DualLanguageBooks #LatinxLit #ChildrensBooks #Navidad

Meet Your Hosts:

Alicia Salazar –

Mexican American children’s author and former elementary school teacher. Author of the Camila the Star series, Alicia crafts stories that empower young readers.

Website: alicia-salazar.com

Facebook: Alicia Salazar Author

Instagram: @albricias123

Claudia Sloan –

Mexican American artist, author, and illustrator known for her whimsical children’s books like Grey Ghost Mischief and We Are The Valley!. Claudia’s work celebrates Latinx culture and wellness.

Website: claudia-sloan.com

Instagram: @claudia.sloan

Silvia López –

Cuban American author and former children’s librarian.

Silvia’s books, including Uno Más, One More: A Latino Retelling of an Old Scottish Ballad, and Queen of Tejano Music: Selena, highlight cultural heritage and diversity.

Website: silvialopezbooks.com

Instagram: @silvialopezbooks

Facebook: Silvia.Lopez.Writes

About Bilingual Book Buddies:Bilingual Book Buddies is a podcast dedicated to celebrating bilingual children’s literature. Each episode features conversations with authors, illustrators, and many others involved in bringing bilingual books to life. Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell to stay updated on future episodes!

In this episode, we welcome Paola Santos, Venezuelan-born children’s author and creator of the acclaimed picture book How to Eat a Mango, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo. Paola shares the deeply personal memories that inspired her debut—sun-soaked childhood days in Venezuela, the wisdom of her grandmother,and the simple ritual of eating a mango with all five senses.

How to Eat a Mango has earned multiple starred reviews (Kirkus, PW, SLJ, BookPage) and is available in both English and Spanish (Cómo se come un mango). Perfect for readers who love lyrical storytelling, family traditions, and rich cultural themes.

Subscribe for more conversations with the authors shaping today’s dual-language kidlit world!

Bilingual Book Buddies —where stories connect us across languages and cultures.

Contact the Author:

Email: contact@paolasantos.com

Instagram: @pgsantosb

Meet Your Hosts:

Alicia Salazar – Mexican American children’s author andformer elementary school teacher. Author of the Camila the Star series, Aliciacrafts stories that empower young readers.

Website: alicia-salazar.com

Facebook: AliciaSalazar Author

Instagram: @albricias123

Claudia Sloan – Mexican American artist, author, andillustrator known for her whimsical children’s books like Grey Ghost Mischiefand We Are The Valley!. Claudia’s work celebrates Latinx culture and wellness.

Website: claudia-sloan.com

Instagram: @claudia.sloan

Silvia López – Cuban American author and former children’slibrarian. Silvia’s books, including Uno Más, One More: A Latino Retelling ofan Old Scottish Ballad, and Queen of Tejano Music: Selena, highlight culturalheritage and diversity.

Website: silvialopezbooks.com

Instagram: @silvialopezbooks

Facebook: Silvia.Lopez.Writes

About Bilingual Book Buddies:

Bilingual Book Buddies is a podcast dedicated tocelebrating bilingual children’s literature. Each episode featuresconversations with authors, illustrators, and many others involved in bringingbilingual books to life.

Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell tostay updated on future episodes!

In this vibrant episode of Bilingual Book Buddies,we sit down with Nomar Pérez—Pura Belpré Honor recipient,author-illustrator of Coquí in the City, and the artistic talentbehind many beloved children’s books.

Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Nomar carries thevivid colors, sounds, and spirit of the island into every project he creates. After moving to the U.S. at age ten, his bicultural journey shaped his storytelling voice and continues to inspire young readers today. With a background in computer animation and painting, plus years of experience in illustration and design, Nomar’s work lights up bookshelves with warmth, nostalgia, and cultural pride.

In this episode, we explore:
The real-life childhood memories behind Coquí in the City
How Nomar blends art, culture, and identity in his picture books
His path from Puerto Rico to children’s publishing in the U.S.
What drives his joyful, colorful artistic style
How bilingual stories empower kids to see themselves on the page

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, librarian, writer, orlover of children’s books, this conversation will inspire you with its heartand creativity.

Listen now and join us as we celebrate storytelling,culture, and the beauty of bilingual books!
Bilingual Book Buddies — Where stories bring us together.

Listen & Subscribe:
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Amazon Prime | Castbox

Meet Your Hosts:

Alicia Salazar – Mexican American children’s author andformer elementary school teacher. Author of the Camila the Star series, Aliciacrafts stories that empower young readers.

Website: alicia-salazar.com

Facebook: AliciaSalazar Author

Instagram: @albricias123

Claudia Sloan – Mexican American artist, author, andillustrator known for her whimsical children’s books like Grey Ghost Mischiefand We Are The Valley!. Claudia’s work celebrates Latinx culture and wellness.

Website: claudia-sloan.com

Instagram: @claudia.sloan

Silvia López – Cuban American author and former children’slibrarian. Silvia’s books, including Uno Más, One More: A Latino Retelling ofan Old Scottish Ballad, and Queen of Tejano Music: Selena, highlight culturalheritage and diversity.

Website: silvialopezbooks.com

Instagram: @silvialopezbooks

Facebook: Silvia.Lopez.Writes

About Bilingual Book Buddies:

Bilingual Book Buddies is a podcast dedicated tocelebrating bilingual children’s literature. Each episode featuresconversations with authors, illustrators, and many others involved in bringingbilingual books to life.

Don’t forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell tostay updated on future episodes!