PequeLitos (pronounced pekelitos) is a fantasy word. Pequeño means little in Spanish, and peque is short for pequeño. Our books are little, and so are the characters, as well as young readers -our main audience. There you go!

On a lovey Spring afternoon, Rubén and Juan (the series illustrators), Emma and Bianca (my daughters) and I we were having a merienda at a café in Buenos Aires. The name we had initially contemplated for the Series was not available, so we began to brainstorm. Because young readers are the main audience here, I wanted something they could relate to -something that conveyed a sense of smallness, friendliness and approachability. While we were enjoying a café con leche con medialunas, we began to share name options, writing down on a paper napkin the names we liked. The list gradually got shorter and shorter, until we had a winner. PequeLitos it was!

I am not a linguist, but I had a multi-language upbringing and education. I grew up speaking Spanish and Armenian at home and all the way through high school. I began to learn English when I was seven, and French when I was fourteen. I have walked the walk, developing literacy skills in multiple languages at different ages and stages -as a toddler, preschooler, elementary-grader and teen. In short, I have lived my entire life -at home, at work and with loved ones- always in multiple coexisting languages!

Yes! Our books and worksheets have been reviewed by independent bilingual educators and pedagogy professionals, who reviewed the content from a developmental appropriateness stand-point. We strive to create materials that are engaging, challenging (yet, non-intimidating) and fun!

Yes, and this part of the process was SO enriching and fun! Throughout the creation process, we tested the books and worksheets with real children -including a small demo with a group of Kindergartners in Argentina. Then, we used the feedback provided by children, teachers, parents and other grown-ups to make adjustments and improve the materials.

PequeLitos can be used in oh-so-many ways! Whether you are at home or in a classroom, the books can be used to begin recognizing letters and connecting sounds, to move up onto gradual fluency, to create circle time (or bed time!) conversations, and even to explore alternative endings for the various situation stories. And, of course, the books and worksheets lend themselves to improving overall Spanish language skills!

I am so glad you asked! The worksheets are one of my favorite components of the Series -and they are freely downloadable and printable! I love the worksheets because they give children an opportunity to do something with what is in the books. They are an additional path to reading (without even noticing they are practicing reading), but, more importantly, they activate and combine multiple learning levels and styles -following instructions, tracing, reading comprehension, problem solving and more. Our worksheets are aligned and correlated with each book, and they gradually integrate cumulative learnings. While the books are primarily focused on fluent Spanish reading, the worksheets reinforce Spanish literacy skills as a whole!

Click here and send us your question. We would love to hear from you!