Last Updated on September 3, 2021 by Bilingual Kidspot
Spanish Books For Kids – Baby, Toddler, Child & Teen Books in Spanish
An extensive list of Spanish books for kids. Including Spanish board books for babies and the best Spanish books for toddlers. A range of Spanish picture books and story books for young children, and also books in Spanish for older children and teenagers including novels.
Kids Books in Spanish
Lately, I’ve been trying to read more in Spanish with my kids. Our family lives in the USA. English is our first language and we are learning Spanish. We have access to lots of Spanish books for kids for all ages. From our local library, to the WORLDCAT interlibrary loan system, to Amazon and the internet, I can usually find any book I’m looking for.
The tricky part sometimes can be knowing what books to look for.
Teaching kids to love reading is a major job—well worth the effort—but time consuming nonetheless, especially when you add multilingualism into the mix.
In hopes of saving you some time, and maybe helping you discover a few new gems, I have compiled a huge list of Spanish books for kids all ages below including Spanish books for babies, Spanish books for toddlers, and Spanish books for older kids.
Spanish Book Recommendations
I went on a long and hard search to find some great kids books in Spanish for all ages to get you started. Find below:
- Spanish books for babies and toddlers
- Spanish Books for Preschool & Early Elementary Kids
- Spanish Books for Kids ages 6-9
- Spanish Books for Kids Ages 9-12
- Spanish Books for Teens
Some of these are original Spanish, and some have been translated. If you are looking for original Spanish books make sure to check out our full post on Authentic Spanish Books.
Spanish Books for Babies and Toddlers
Board Books & Lift-the-flap Books
Little Chickies | Los pollitos from Cantícos
Cantícos (of Nick Jr.) has a lift-the-flap bilingual series of Spanish nursery rhymes, including Los pollitos. You’ll get a fun surprise when you open the book—not only are there flaps, but the pages are made in accordion style so you can see the entire song in linear form. One side is in English, and one side in Spanish, and both rhyme! This series is a perfectly fun way to introduce your kids to some classic Spanish children’s songs. (Also in the series: Ratoncitos, Elefantitos, Las mañanitas.)
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
SEARCH HERE ON BOOK DEPOSITORY
Alrededor del mundo con Cantiflas by Patty Rodriguez & Ariana Stein
Put out by Lil’ Libros, this board book introduces your youngest readers to geography with Mario Moreno at their side. Moreno, better known as Cantiflas the Mexican comic actor, takes kids around to the world to places like Japan, Mexico, France, by way of train, hot air balloon, or boat. Though the text is simple, the colorful illustrations and maps open up a world of conversation and exploration.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Azul el sombrero, Verde el sombrero by Sandra Boynton
My two-year-old LOVED this Spanish board book. She would ask to sleep with it at naptime. Sandra Boynton is well-known for her silly and funny board books. In Azul el sombrero, verde el sombrero, kids follow around a silly turkey that can’t figure out how to wear clothing articles the right way. It is sure to delight everyone in the family.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Buenas noches, Pepe y Mila by Yayo Kawamura
Pepe and Mila are an adorable dog-cat duo. It’s the end of a beautiful day and Pepe and Mila are tired. As kids read the story of the duo getting ready for bed, they can lift and pull flaps to help Pepe and Mila clean up their toys, brush their teeth, take a bath, and more to get read for a good night’s sleep. If you fall in love with this duo, which I’m sure you will, you’ll be happy to know author Kawamura has written a whole collection about them.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Cucú-tras by Francesca Ferri
In case you didn’t know, like me, ‘cucú-tras’ is the Spanish way to say ‘peek-a-boo!’ Cucú-tras is the first of this lift-the-flap “peek-a-boo” series by Francesca Ferri. Hiding behind paws or feathers or hooves you’ll find a dog, a cat, a cow, a hen, and many more! Ferri’s other peek-a-boo Spanish books for toddlers include Cucú-tras de mascotas, Cucú-tras de la selva, and Cucú-tras del mar.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Looking for more Spanish books for toddlers? Check out our full post: Spanish board books.
Spanish Books for Preschool & Early Elementary Kids
Lulú tiene un hermanito by Camilla Reid
Another book from another collection! This time, Lulú gets to meet her new baby brother. She learns to care for him, change his clothes, and teach him all the fun things she knows around the house. This is a lift-the-flap book, but for slightly older children, as there are 24 pages. Have fun reading about how Lulú’s family adjusts to becoming a family of four!
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Pete el gato by Eric Litwin
Have you met Pete the Cat? He’s no less cool in Spanish! Kids get a kick out of this story where Pete the Cat loves his white shoes, and learns to adapt to changes when his shoes get wet or dirty. This Spanish book for kids is one of those fun repetitive stories where preschoolers can predict the text and help parents “read” the story!
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El monstruo de colores by Anna Llenas
Monster starts the day mixed-up and confused, his colors all jumbled up together. Thankfully his friend helps him sort things out by separating each color, identifying the feeling it’s tied to, and talking about what each is like with beautiful metaphors (and illustrations!) What I love about this charming approach is that no feeling is depicted as bad! A great read for emotional development, to help kids have words and pictures to talk about these big topics.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El pastel está tan arriba by Susanne Straber
Oso has a problem. He’s hungry, and the cake he wants to eat is way up high in the window of the house! Each animal friend that passes by climbs up on top of the previous trying to help reach the cake. Will their efforts stretch far enough!? Another fun story with simple text and repetition, great for learning prepositions, names of animals, cooperation, and sharing.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Looking for more? Check out our post:
25+ Spanish board books for babies and toddlers
Spanish Books for Kids ages 6-9
Los tres bandidos by Tomi Ungerer
Originally written in German, this delightful tale will warm your heart and make you laugh. Three ferocious bandits have a terrible reputation. They always come out at night seeing how much they can scare and steal. One night they happen upon a carriage with nothing in it but a sad orphan girl, on her way to a grumpy aunt’s house to live. With nothing else in the carriage to steal, they decide to take the orphan Úrsula. You have to read the story yourself, to see what twists and turns happen next! If you can’t find this book to buy where you live, you can see it read aloud on YouTube. Netflix also adapted this into a movie that you can watch in English, German, or Spanish.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Ada magnífica Científica by Andrea Beaty
This is the recently-released (May 29, 2018) Spanish edition of Ada Twist, Scientist. It’s the third of a book series by Adrea Beaty which focuses on S.T.E.M. related topics and careers. Ada, our inquisitive protagonist, questions and wonders about everything around her. She will inspire the little scientists in your home to be curious and to keep testing all the little hypotheses they come up with. And heads up, the Spanish edition of Iggy Peck, Architect is set to release this July!!
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Lola (Islandborn) by Junot Díaz
Another newer release from an amazing, award-winning author. Lola is like magical realism for kids. It’s the story of a young girl with a school assignment to tell about where her family is from. She can’t remember the island where she was born, but when she starts asking about it from her family and neighbors it starts to come to life right before her eyes. The lively narrative finds its perfect match in Leo Espinosa’s illustrations. I read the English version of this book with my eight-year-old the other day. It’s one of those books that makes you think even after the book is closed; it will spark many conversations about community, memories, family bonds, war, resilience, and so much more.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El Principito (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
This universally renowned tale is a must-read in any language. When a pilot crashes down, he happens upon a new acquaintance. Through the course of their conversations we not only learn about the strange and distance place his young acquaintance is prince of, but more importantly about how grown-ups sometimes get it all wrong. Wouldn’t this one be perfect in audiobook form?! You could buy the text to go along with the audio too if your kids are Spanish learners like mine. Netflix also created a movie version of this tale, which you can find in Spanish.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Papelucho by Marcela Paz
I just ran across Papelucho this summer. I had never heard of this classic character of South American kids lit. Created by Chilean author Marcela Paz, the Papelucho books are from the diary of an 8-year-old boy who creatively keeps himself from being bored, which doesn’t always keep him out of mischief. Think Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes or Ramona the Pest. If you live in the US, I know you can easily order Papelucho (the first of Paz’s popular series) or the entire Papelucho set from www.booksdelsur.org. You can also find the audio version on Audible.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Ramona la chinche by Beverly Cleary
Speaking of Ramona, she is by far my favorite character from a children’s book of all time. Probably because Ramona the Pest is the first chapter book I ever read. The fact that you can get Ramona books in Spanish has me pretty excited. I think I’m going to order them for myself (since my kids aren’t quite ready for that reading level in Spanish). Ramona get into a lot of predicaments, and finds a way to innocently annoy everyone around her. Cleary does such a good job getting into the mind of a child and helping us to remember what it’s like to be little again.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Spanish Books for Kids Ages 9-12
Una Arruga en el Tiempo (A Wrinkle in Time) by Madeline l’Engle (Ages 10-14)
I love to read any book that has a movie version, and with the recent release of Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time, I thought this Spanish book would be a great suggestion for your family to read. Word on the street is that the Disney movie version of the book will be release to Netflix around October, so if you haven’t read this exciting sci-fi tale yet, that might be good motivation! Meg, the main character, goes on a journey to find her father who has been missing for over a year. She gets help along the way from her brother, a friend and three celestial creatures. They travel through space and time facing challenges that require courage, intelligence, and ultimately love.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
La invención de Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Ages 9-12)
Another book-turned-movie! Hugo, an orphan, secretly lives in the walls of a train station in 1930s Paris. When the book begins, we find Hugo sneaking into a toy store to steal some toys. He has a mysterious notebook in his pocket with mysterious drawings. Hugo gets caught in the act of stealing and the owner of the toy shop confiscates his notebook too! What do the drawings mean? Why is Hugo stealing? Will he get his notebook back? This book is 500+ pages, but many of those pages are filled with intricate charcoal drawings that tell the story sans words. Probably a great read for Spanish learners who are ready for a ‘big’ story but maybe not quite ready for tons of text.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Eco by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Ages 10-14)
I actually just bought the English version of this book from Audible. Sarah Mackenzie of Read Aloud Revival recommended it so many times (the audible version) that I finally decided to read it for myself. The story begins with Otto, a young boy, lost in a forest and meeting three characters from an enchanted tale he is reading. They give him a special harmonica that eventually ends up in the hands of three different people across the world and across time. Set in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the characters confront big issues of their time like nazism, world war, and internment camps each of the stories drawn together by the special harmonica and music. You also might want to check out other Spanish titles from this author like Esperanza renace.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal by J.K. Rowling (Ages 9-12)
I don’t think this story needs an introduction, but just in case: a young boy Harry has been orphaned and now lives with his intolerable uncle and aunt. They hold a secret about Harry that even Harry doesn’t know: he’s a wizard! Soon adventure knocks at his door when he is summoned to wizardry school and discovers a mystical realm he didn’t even know existed, and in which he might even hold an esteemed role.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
La lección de August by R.J. Palacios (Ages 8-12)
In the words of the author herself, this books is “a meditation on kindness.” Main character August Pullman was born with health issues that caused him to have facial abnormalities. Up until the 5th grade he was homeschooled, but now he’s entering mainstream school. This book takes an authentic look at what it’s like to navigate life in elementary school finding who you are, being brave to be different, standing up to bullying, and what friendship is truly all about.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El chico de la flecha by Espido Freire (Ages 9-12)
This Spanish book for pre-teens sounds so intriguing! Marco, a sweet and sensible young man finds himself between the world of childhood and becoming an adult—in the first century. Marco is an orphan but lives with his aunt and uncle as a privileged child in the capital city, where there are two types of citizens: free and slaves. His best friend is a slave that helps him with chores while Marco teaches him. We see the fourteen-year-old growing into his own person shifting between acting very generously, then sometimes egotistically, and even sometimes taking refuge in lies. Author Freire meticulously takes care to make the historical setting feel very real, while also touching on timeless subjects like love, friendship, justice, and education.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
Spanish Books for Teens
SEARCH HERE FOR MORE SPANISH BOOKS FOR TEENS
Of course you don’t want to skip over books like Cien años de soledad by Gabriel García Márquez or Don Quijote or Como agua para chocolate or La casa en Mango Street. But I also wanted to find a few books that maybe you haven’t heard of or read yet.
La ciudad de las bestias by Isabel Allende (Ages 12-17)
Chilean author Isabel Allende is famous for her novels like La casa de los espíritus and her short story collection Cuentos de eva luna which employ magical realism. La ciudad de las bestias is the first in her trilogy for young adults; Alexander Cold is sent to live with his fierce reporter grandmother who is about to set out on an ecological expedition into the Amazon in search of the infamous ‘Yeti’. Alexander must go with her and experiences magic and romance and more than he imagined he’d find in the untamed forest.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
…y no se lo tragó la tierra by Tomás Rivera (Ages 12-17)
A beautifully written coming-of-age story that depicts the hard life of Mexican-American migrant workers in the United States during the 1950s. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy in a collection of short stories. He struggles to decipher between his real, lived experiences and those of his dreams, everything clouded by the cruel living conditions and treatment of the people in his community. Readers follow his path to break through the confusion to make sense of the world around him and his place in it.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El secreto del espejo by Ana Alcolea (Ages 12+)
Spanish author Ana Alcolea has written this thrilling trilogy including: El secretos del espejo, El secreto del galeón, and El secreto de la esfinge. In the first of the series, Yilda escapes certain death at the hands of the druids whom she has been serving as a slave after they killed her family when she was a young child. She happened to have learned many things from her captors that she is able to use to save a Roman officer. In return they offer to take her to Rome so she can share her medicinal wisdom with the doctors there.
Since she has no ties to her homeland anymore, she accepts the offer. Then, present day, we meet Carlos whose parents have been chosen to investigate the ruins of an ancient Roman villa. In it they find a mysterious mirror with a Celtic inscription on it. Carlos and his girlfriend Elena are also facing a big decision in their relationship—she has been offered a job with a prestigious Dutch dance company and accepting it will mean long months without seeing each other.
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
El hereje by Miguel Delibes
El hereje is considered to be one of the greatest works of recent Spanish literature. Delibes tells of the life of character Sipriano Salcedo, who happened to be born in Valladolid in the same year that Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses were nailed to the door of the Wittenburg Castle church.
This coincidence effects his destiny. He becomes a wealthy merchant and ends up aligning with the clandestine protestant group that is slowly spreading throughout the Iberian peninsula. Delibes paints such an accurate picture of Valladolid in 16th century Spain under the rule of Carlos V, and through this lense makes the reader take a clear look into human relationships, passions, motivations, and liberties.|
FIND ON AMAZON HERE
SEARCH HERE FOR MORE SPANISH BOOKS
More Spanish Books for Kids
Since no book list can be exhaustive, and each family will have different interests/needs when it comes to reading—let me share with you a few tips I use for finding Spanish books for kids.
Spanish Books on Instagram
Find some bloggers or public accounts, for example @clubpequestlectores or @adivinaqueleemoshoy , who share great Spanish book recommendations for kids.
You can click on the black triangle/arrow in the upper right-hand corner and a list of related accounts will drop down. You can scroll through and find the ones you like which will recommend books for kids your ages.
Online Bookstores selling Spanish Books
AMAZON have a range of Spanish books which you can buy online. Products vary depending on where you live. Just type in Spanish books for kids and you will have a long list.
Another popular website for buying Spanish books online (or any other language) is the Book Depository. Here you can buy books from anywhere in the world with free delivery. Just pop over to the website, and either search the word “Spanish” or put in a book you know and on the site choose the language “Spanish” to see the results.
I have found that typing in the search bar “Libros para niños de X edad” doesn’t always produce books for those ages that I KNOW are out there. I have found better luck searching for specific titles in English and then typing “in Spanish.”
Books in Spanish for Kids of all Ages!
If you have any other recommendations for Kids books in Spanish, whether they be Spanish books for babies, toddlers, young children, or teens let us know! We are always looking for great Spanish books for kids to add to our collection. We also have a large list of resources on our Language Resources page on Bilingual Kidspot if you are interested in other Spanish resources and a fantastic Learn Spanish for Kids course!
Author: Kali Lin is a Spanish enthusiast sharing her love of the Spanish language with her four children at home. She writes about learning Spanish with kids on her website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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