Letter from the Author

A boy wants a dog. The boy gets a dog. The boy wants to teach some commands. Does this sound familiar? It’s a very common theme in children’s books. But in José and El Perro, there is an added dimension. The boy happens to be bilingual.

So, what language will he use to teach his dog? The answer is … both!

The idea for this book came from my personal experience with my own dog. My Latina pet sitter’s family knew little English. Everyone — including her little boy José — spoke to Brady in Spanish. When I joked that he was going to be bilingual, I realized that this could very well be true. I’d just finished reading an article indicating that dogs have the ability to learn up to three-hundred words, about the same as a young child. Children can learn more than one language. Why do the words we teach our dogs have to be in a single language?

I decided to create a story about José, a young boy who is at first excited about adopting a shelter dog and then slightly disappointed when Feliz doesn’t seem to understand any commands. Since José’s own family is bilingual, he quickly realizes his new pet does know commands. He just doesn’t know Spanish! José then makes a choice. He will make sure Feliz is bilingual, like himself. Within the simple boy-dog theme, the warm, sweet story of José and Feliz became a great opportunity for children to become exposed to a second language.

I’d never written a book before, but I produce Broadway shows and believe in the beauty of collaboration. I was interested in partnering with a published Latina children’s book writer. When I met award-winning children’s book writer Silvia López, she convinced me that José and Feliz’ story would be better off as an Easy Reader for ages 4-8 rather than a picture book. That way, emerging readers could follow the story’s simple vocabulary even as they learned Spanish words first-hand.

It has been a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to work with Silvia, an accomplished writer who can perfect my story ideas. She and I just love Gloria Felix’s lively, colorful illustrations, so full of child appeal. Gloria was able to bring to life our vision of a loving family and the sweet bond that can exist between a child and a pet. We’re also thankful for the encouragement and assistance from our editor, Renee Kelly, who believes that a good story can not only be valuable in expanding children’s vocabulary, but also their knowledge of another language.