Gift Guide 
The story behind the yarn
Doña Rosa is hosting a sleepover for her nephews. The boys eat dinner, play games, say good night, and go to bed. Your child will learn several useful Spanish expressions that are sprinkled throughout the tale.
Extend the Activity
1. Chat about the feature
- What are some things the family in the story does that we also do as a family?
- What type of animal appears in this story? (Answer: A flamingo)
- What do you know about flamingos? (The word flamingo comes from the Spanish and Latin word flamenco, which means “fire,” and refers to the bright color of the birds’ feathers.)
2. Encourage conversation
- Talk about the who, what, where, when, and why of sleepovers in general.
- Ask your child if she would like to have a sleepover at Grandma’s.
- Discuss where she would like her first sleepover to be.
- Ask about her favorite bedtime rituals.
- Find out if there are others she would like to add.
3. Read and learn
- Look at books and videos about flamingos.
- Discover the source of the flamingo’s unusual color. What does it come from? (Hint: You are what you eat!)
4. Add a Spanish language challenge
- Explore other Spanish words and phrases, such as muchas gracias and adios.
- Practice pronouncing them together.
- Learn what the new words and phrases mean.
More Activities to Share
- Plan a sleepover for your child’s stuffed animals, dolls, and action figures.
- Help your child make his own flamingo: Tear up pieces of pink construction paper and glue them to a blank piece of another colored paper. Show him the pictures in the story to help him draw the eyes, beak, legs, and feet.
- Have a “standing-flamingo contest.” See who can balance on one leg the longest.
- Encourage your child to compare what she does now to get ready for bed with what she needed someone else to do for her when she was little. For example, she might say, “Now, I can get a glass of milk for myself. When I was little, my mom made a bottle and held me while I drank it.”
