The magic of place: Silvio Sirias’s expansive portrayal of Nicaragua in Bernardo and the Virgin

June 13th, 2010 | By Joshua | 21 Comments »

The Tranquilo Traveler is proud to host Silvio Sirias’s book tour today. FREE GIFT: Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win crafts by Panamanian Kuna artisans [[gift is closed, congratulations monica!]]
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The first book I ever read about Nicaragua was Blood of Brothers, by Stephen Kinzer. It was 1997 and I’d just received my invitation from the U.S. Peace Corps to work in Nicaragua as a forestry volunteer. All I knew about Nicaragua was that it was in Central America, it sounded exotic, and I would be living there for the next two-and-a-half years, little else.

Kinzer gave a sharp, alluring portrait of a country during its hottest hours (the Sandinista revolution of 1979 and subsequent social experiment and civil war that lasted till 1990); but I was looking for more. The second book I read about Nicaragua was also non-fiction, by a Nicaraguan this time, also about the war. And the third. You get the picture. It took some digging to find other periods of Nicaraguan history, and still I found few descriptions in the literature about the life in store for me, about modern-day, small-town Nicaragua. (more…)

Jose Luis Orozco—one of my new Spanish children’s song heroes

October 8th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

My new job requires me to learn (and invent) a steady stream of songs in Spanish. I’m teaching to ages 7–13, and they are ripe for lively songs, especially those tied to games, movement, puppets, and anything else that reaches the various senses of the students. Songs that tell stories are also successful at engaging my students. Jose Luis Orozco offers all of this—the music and the movement—in his many books and CDs, which have been a huge part of my daily lessons as I teach myself how to teach Spanish. Enjoy the samples on his site:
[LINK]->

Putumayo Records Releases Round-the-World Sesame Street Disks

September 19th, 2008 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Putumayo Records has produced some of my favorite world music compilations. Ever. (Their Kids’ division’s recent release, African Dreamland, is particularly amazing and tranquil.) Sesame Street is a global phenomenon that has entertained and educated children in 120 countries and scores of languages. I can’t wait to hear what this collision of goodness brings. I just ordered Sesame Street Playground, a two-disk CD/DVD of Sesame Street productions from Brazil, France, China, India, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Palestine, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, and the U.S. We’re talkin’ “Rubber Ducky” in Chinese and “Galli Galli Sim Sim” in Hindi. I just love that it’s now part of my job to track this stuff down. I’ll let you know how it sounds when it gets here. In the meantime:

[LINK]: Making-of “Sesame Street Playground” video

[LINK]: NYT article on Sesame Street going global

[LINK]: Putumayo Kids

[LINK]: Putumayo Presents Music Videos from Around the World