(NEW YORK) April 28, 2015 -- StarWalk Kids Media has announced that it will introduce a collection of Spanish language titles designed especially for schools and libraries.
The company’s introductory bilingual collection will feature 44 narrated eBooks that are produced in both Spanish and English for children in grades K-3, covering primarily informational subjects such as science, biography and social studies. The books are identical except for language, and all will be professionally narrated by native speakers. The books are designed to support English Language Learners in acquiring academic vocabulary in both languages, and to enable English- and Spanish-speaking children to learn the same standards-aligned content together in the classroom. The company says that it plans to expand the collection to 200 paired Spanish/English titles by the start of the new 2015/2016 school year.
The exclusive, introductory collection contains some of the most popular StarWalk Kids Media titles, including MALALA YOUSAFZAI: WARRIOR WITH WORDS by Karen Leggett Abouraya, 10 BEARS IN MY BED by Stan Mack, MARIA MOLINA AND THE DAYS OF THE DEAD by Kathleen Krull, A LIBRARY FOR JUANA by Pat Mora, YOU BREATHE IN, YOU BREATHE OUT by David A. Adler, WHEELS AROUND by Shelley Rotner, and 21 titles, including DANGER! EARTHQUAKES, from company founder and renowned children’s science author Seymour Simon.
Dr. Linda M. Espinosa, a member of the StarWalk Kids Media Educational Advisory Board, is currently Co-PI for the Getting on Track for Early School Success: Effective Teaching in Preschool Classrooms project at the University of Chicago. Dr. Espinosa’s research and policy work has focused on young children from low-income families who are dual language learners. She was recently appointed to the National Academies Committee on Fostering School Success for English Language Learners.
“The timing of the release of this collection is exceptional,” said Dr. Espinosa, adding “the need for materials to support dual language is great as we work to foster bilingualism and bi-literacy in young children.” According to Espinosa, English Language Learners will ideally read a selected book in Spanish first (so that s/he understands the content), and then will read the same book in English.
“Our customers have been telling us for some time that there is an urgent need for quality books in Spanish,” says StarWalk Kids Media Publisher Liz Nealon. “Since our collection is brimming with quality texts from award-winning authors, we decided that it was time to step up and answer that call. We're very pleased to be able to announce this forthcoming collection in the same week that our nation celebrates of El Día Del Niño/El Día de los Libros (Children's Day / Children’s Book Day)."
In order to help bilingual students locate these dual language books within the larger StarWalk Kids collection, the company is upgrading its platform with several new features. When using the search dashboard, a child (or teacher) will be able to tick a box to limit their search to bilingual books. And in order to help students quickly and easily find the English-language version of a book after they’ve read it in Spanish, the book information page for each bilingual book is being reconfigured to appear in both languages simultaneously, with buttons that allow a student to “Read in English” or “Leer en Español” with a single click.
About StarWalk Kids Media: StarWalk Kids Media is a PreK-8 digital learning company distinguished by its unique cloud-based curriculum, publishing and distribution platform. The National Science Foundation-funded StarWalk Writer™ software raises the bar in educational technology, facilitating collaborative reading, writing and research in a single, digital environment. The Writer is integrated with an exclusive, enhanced eBook collection, including 500+ titles from company founder Seymour Simon, Jim Arnosky, Kathryn Lasky, Pat Mora, Diane Stanley, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Bernard Waber, Jane Yolen and more. The StarWalk Kids Reader™ software works on virtually any device, allowing multiple simultaneous access for students at a surprisingly affordable, annual subscription price. The StarWalk Kids platform, which currently serves more than 2.3 million students in the US and abroad, has been recognized with the Parents’ Choice Award® and the QED seal, signifying “Quality. Excellence. Design” by the Digital Book Awards. Visit us at www.StarWalkKids.com
