¡Canta Conmigo! : Ten New Songs for Bilingual Storytime

Is your bilingual storytime in need of new content? Learn ten original translations of songs to refresh and revitalize your Spanish bilingual storytime! 

This program will present a hands-on approach to learn fingerplays, action songs, and songs for manipulatives, as well as ideas on how to adapt these songs to fit early literacy programming targeted to babies, toddlers, or preschoolers. Aside from new content, this program will also provide insight on how to approach translation for early literacy programming.

As a result of this webinar, participants will be able to:
• Incorporate new songs, rhymes, action, and manipulative songs into bilingual storytime programs.
• Understand how to adapt these songs for babies, toddlers, or preschoolers.
• Identify basic translation methods utilized to produce translations of songs and rhymes.

For optimal learning, participants should have a basic grasp of bilingual storytime and Spanish. For manipulative songs, participants should have an egg shaker, scarf, and rhythm sticks available.

Presenter: Sheridan Jay Cazarez is a Youth Services Librarian at the Long Beach Public Library. At LBPL, he coordinates Summer Reading, and other reading initiatives, facilitates early literacy programs, bilingual programs, and works on community engagement and outreach, both on digital platforms and in person. He has presented on translation and cultural competency for early literacy programming at the REFORMA National Conference, California Library Association Conference, Seguimos Creando Enlaces Conference, and the American Library Association Conference.

He graduated with a Master of Science in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is an American Library Association Spectrum Scholar, a Katharine Sharp Scholar, and an Illinois Library Association Sylvia Murphy Williams Scholar. His graduate studies examined bilingualism and early literacy, and culturally competent services to Latinxs and Spanish speakers. Sheridan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, completed at California State University at Long Beach, where he studied the histories, literatures, cultures, and politics of the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as basic translation and interpretation methodologies.  He serves with the Los Angeles Chapter of REFORMA, and is currently helping to plan the next REFORMA National Conference which will take place in Long Beach, CA in September 2025. Learn more at reformaconference.org.

For more bilingual storytime resources visit Sheridan’s and his colleague, Luisa Leija’s website, www.bibliocuentos.com.

The recording and handouts will be available on Niche Academy after the live event as well as our library of over 700 recorded sessions. To access Niche, go to: https://my.nicheacademy.com/floridalibrarywebinars

Register here via Zoom for the live event or through the link below.