“Can’t, Ma. It’s a poem. Have to read it in Spanish.”
“But, then I can’t understand it!”
“Look at the pictures and I will translate as we go.”
“But, I can’t understand!”
“Just listen to the rhythm and keep your ears open, you’ll get it.”
“OK, but then you have to read it in English, please.”

It is not possible at all to capture the lyricism of the Cuban poet’s Los Zapaticos in my choppy translation. “And so the girl and her mom walked toward the beach.” “And a Russian woman and an English woman pulled out their hankies…”

I have known this poem since I was a little girl, and it feels like sacrilege to read it in English.

The translation showdown between my daughter and I pretty much sums up what is going on with our Spanish, our quest for bilingualism. It is slow. It is choppy. She gets the simple sentences, and her teacher insists she understands everything he says, but when we read Spanish books together, the complex sentences seem to basically just piss her the hell off. She wants to get it, but she doesn’t want to do the work.

She’ll grab a Spanish book off her shelf, but attempt to bribe me into reading it only in English. No guay, I tell her. Both. She doesn’t like it when I read in Spanish, and then quickly translate it to English. She wants it all  in one language at a time.

My fault, for sure. I speak more English than Spanish to her these days, and when we hang with other bilingual Latinos, guess what language we speak? Jes. Ingles.

I am figuring out how to survive this downward spiral, wondering how to give her a boost this summer. Maybe it will be Miami for an extended period, or I may have to invite myself to Mexico with friends who head south of the border for weeks and weeks every summer.

Or maybe I just have to speak more Spanish to her. There’s a thought.

From Los Zapaticos de Rosa by Jose Marti:

Se vio sacar los pañuelos
A una rusa y a una inglesa;
El aya de la francesa
Se quitó los espejuelos.

Abrió la madre los brazos,
Se echó Pilar en su pecho,
Y sacó el traje deshecho,
Sin adornos y sin lazos

And by the way, the first Blogs by Latinas Awards are going on now. Bilingual in the Boonies and Tiki Tiki Blog, my other blog, are nominated. I’d love the vote! Street Cred and all.

Plus, there are some awesome sites nominated. Go look, find some gems, and vote.

You know what we did? We chopped Mami’s name off on second attribution. So, if the guy’s name was Jose Perez Prado (’cause I can’t remember the real name), we used Perez the next time he was quoted in the story. And no doubt we did 100 different other versions in subsequent stories, and of course how we did it depended on whom was writing the story and whom was editing it. I have no idea what the policy is these days, as I have long since fled the newsroom. But, I bet plenty of the Latinos in town now know that the Americans don’t understand the two last names thing and they only give one during interviews.

Which brings me to this book: René Has Two Last Names/René Tiene Dos Apellidos, a bilingual children’s book about a boy from El Salvador who teaches his American classmates why he has two last names. They come from his father’s side, and his mother’s side. Without both — Colato Laínez – he would feel like “a hamburger without the meat.”

The book is written by an author of the same name, René Colato Laínez. Colato Laínez, a teacher, has written several picture books including the award-winning I Am René, the Boy / Soy René, el niño. The author has told other bloggers during his book tour that he writes to preserve and celebrate his culture. As a child he longed for books about children like him — immigrant children with two cultures. And these days it is common for Latino parents to thank him for writing their story too.

His next book is The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez — American fairy meets her Latin American and Spanish counterpart, who happens to be a mouse. The release date is March. The author tells a hilarious and scary story about a child telling friends about the mouse who visits his house regularly and a teacher who believes the child is living in filth and needs to call social services. Hence, the idea for the book.

Now, I loved reading the René book to Maria — and she enjoyed it — because my American child of Latino descent has two last names too. Yes, we gave our child four names. In between her Middle Name and Paternal Last Name is her Maternal Grandmother’s Last Name. We did it to honor my grandfather, whom I loved and adored, and the strong, courageous and crazy Cubans in her bloodline.

Sometimes, I have wondered if we saddled her with too much nombre, but she says her name in a sing-song way and matter-of-factly to anyone who asks for her full name. She tells them that extra name comes from her mom’s abuelito.. And, I just stand there and grin.

So, we have appreciated René and his two last names around here. He has given us the opportunity to discuss how people in different countries name their children, and he’s given us more time to talk about members of our family she never got to meet, hear a little more about where they came from — a place so different from the one she calls home.

I can especially see how important this little book would be to children whose families have recently immigrated to the United States, and to the people they encounter at school, church and activities.

As much as I’m glad to have the book on our shelf, gotta tell you, I’m thinking of dropping off my copy of the book at my old newsroom. Just in case they’re having the same discussion from the ’90s.

Ojala que no.

OK, win a prize:

Leave a comment or question for the author and you will be eligible to win an autographed copy of RENÉ HAS TWO LAST NAMES/ RENÉ TIENE DOS APELLIDOS. Make sure you check back the following day to see if you won and for directions on how to receive your prize. The winner will be selected using Random.org.

This review is part of a virtual book tour sponsored by BronzeWord, a great resource for Latino books and authors.

(How many names do you have, by the way?)

But, among members of my mom’s group in Nashville — co-sleepers, Diva Cup-wearers, CSA members — I’m just a run-of-the-mill chick. It’s all about perspective and the lessons for me in this dual identity is that there’s always somebody more crunchy, and less crunchy, than thou.

That said, I probably do a lot of the stuff that you already do too: I use cloth bags for shopping, bake my own bread, read all labels (You get used to it when your child has a food allergy). I compost and recycle everything, mostly use natural shampoos (can’t quite break up with John Frieda yet), soaps and cleansers. I’ve tossed the deodorant with aluminum and the sippys with BPA. (Of course, after Maria had drank out of them goodness knows how many times.)

I don’t see any of these things we do as crunchy, by the way. Just common sense and a consideration for our health and our environment.

So, when my daughter was a toddler I tossed the rubber duck she liked to chew on because I suspected it was toxic. So, imagine what I thought when I received a book for review titled: Slow Death by Rubber Duck? The subtitle: The Secret Dangers of Everyday Things.

Ay, que grito!

The book has just been released in the U.S. Between the covers, I didn’t discover so much that I already didn’t know, or suspect. When I was pregnant, I loved the book Having Faith, which gives details about chemicals — like flame-retardant — that have invaded our bodies and our breastmilk.

But in this book by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, I got frightening details about the phthalates, lead, perfluorochemicals, triclosan, and other dangerous chemicals that are in everything from our plastic shower curtains, to our frying pans, to our children’s innocent-looking toys. (Remember the toy recalls of 2007? and what of the carcinogen cadmium in little girl’s jewelry now? It is more toxic than led, gente.)

Authors Smith and Lourie, both well-known Canadian environmentalists, conducted a non-scientific experiment they documented in the book. They locked themselves in a condo and used popular perfumed, chemical-laden everyday and common products. They microwaved food in plastic, sat on couches that had been sprayed with retardant and ate lots of tuna out of cans.

Their blood levels for most of the toxic chemicals in our environment went up. And the sad truth is, we as consumers would have a hard time avoiding most of the chemicals. Our food is processed and packaged in plastic, we like the ease of cooking on non-stick surfaces, we love the plastic shower curtain that can be tossed and cheaply replaced. And, seriously, personally can’t quite yet give up my bleach sink cleaner and the occasional use of pine-scented cleanser, which brings me joy joy memories of growing up cubanita. Progress, not perfection.

You can hear them next week on the Diane Rehm show and google them for other interviews and videos on YouTube.

The tough choices we face as consumers was highlighted in a passage that described the quandary one of the authors faced while buying ketchup: buy the organic in plastic, buy the local product that also came in plastic, or buy the non-organic international name brand packaged in the glass jar?

If you’re feeling your way through these issues about health, consumerism, green living and modern choices, grab this book. It will give you a better understanding, and a vocabulary, about the challenges we face as consumers who want products for ourselves and our children that will not potentially cause health problems — everything from cancers to diabetes to impaired brain function. Here’s a more detailed overview by chapter and if you don’t fee like getting a book, read these great Green blogs like the Smart Mama and Organic Mania.

OK, the down and dirty…here are some tips from the book:

1. Eat organic food, free of pesticides, which can cause cancer, impair immune and damage reproductive systems.
2. Avoid phthalates (tha-lates) which are found in PVC plastic and personal care items. The chemical makes plastic pliable and often is found in artificial fragrances. They mimic hormones and some scientists believe it is one reason why girls are menstruating at younger ages and linked to reproductive problems in men.
3. Replace non-stick pans with stainless steel or iron and say no to microwave popcorn, which are covered in perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). They are linked to cancer and can be found in everything from furniture, clothing, carpets and fast food wrappers.
4. Grow your own vegetables and herbs to avoid pesticides.
5. Avoid flame retardants (polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are found in furniture, mattresses, curtains, carpets and electronics. Instead use natural fibers such as wool, hemp, and cotton.
6. Eat fish in moderation to reduce exposure to mercury, a neurotoxin that harms the development of children. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant avoid all tuna, shark and swordfish. Smaller fish are safer than large fish.
7. Chuck the antibacterial soap, especially those with triclosan, which weakens the immune system and is suspected of causing cancer.
8. Get rid of anything in your house with BPA, or bisphenol A. The chemical found in plastics mimics estrogen and is linked to diseases such as breast cancer and diabetes. it is often found in plastic containers, baby bottles, reusable sports bottles and food can linings. Choose glass, non BPA plastics and pick fresh or frozen foods when possible.
9. Household cleansers often have chemicals in them that are unlabeled. Instead using harsh detergents try safer and cheaper alternatives such as baking soda, vinegar, vegetable oil and lemon juice.
10. Become an active consumer. Ask questions, read labels, call the company toll-free numbers

So, que dices tu, what are you doing to clean up the chemicals in your life?

Hey, amigos. Happy Monday.

My voice-over career has started.

I had the pleasure of doing the audio recording of the sweet new book, “Before you were here, Mi Amor”  by Samantha R. Vamos. The free download is available on the awesome site, Cody’s Cuentos, which offers Spanish podcasts of traditional children’s stories. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe.

To read more about the book and its author, Samantha, please visit Cody’s Cuentos and see what Eleena has written.

You also can find worksheets based on the book at Samantha’s website. Note she has a new book coming out next year, “The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred.” I have no doubt it will be fabulous.

I have to say that I loved doing the recording of this delicious and beautiful book. And, if I could make a living reading, I certainly would. Special thanks to my friend, Bob, who created the recording in his studio. Just another good reason to live in Music City — where everyone has a recording studio in the basement.

Enjoy!

And, thanks to Eleena and Samantha for entrusting me this job.
Anytime, amigas.

“The nonstop Castro-bashing mania over the airwaves, in restaurants, in people’s houses. The clannish provincial hysterics. All those things would have been my norm had my parents settled there instead of in our nation’s capital. And yet, sometimes I’ve been sorry they didn’t. Afterall, there’s strength in numbers, a sense of belonging and acceptance and solidarity.

A couple of days after I wrote about summer kicking my butt and my plan to peel out of Maria’s school parking lot on her first day, I sat down to read a wonderful book a friend just loaned me — The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.

From the dedication:

“Summer is like childhood. It passes too fast. But, if you’re lucky, it gives you warm memories from which you take strength in the cold days ahead.
Summer is also like childhood, in that you may not think what you are doing matters very much while you are doing it, but later on you realize it mattered far more than you knew.
Summer is hot days, picnics, roads under repair, and the chance to swim. Summer is slower than the rest of the year, and its days are longer than any others. Summer embraces children. But, like childhood, summer also warns: Love me now; I will not last.
Like a child, summer teaches us about the best in life. Summer asks us to do what we should help our children do: play, relax, explore, and grow.”

California, Summer 2008

We did have a glorious summer. Much to be grateful for.
I needed to read that.
Did you?