Janet Balletta, AWA

  Highlights of The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid Read Aloud at Barnes & Noble  in  St. Lucie West, PSL, Fl on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Synopses: The story is based on La Sirena del Hurtado in Valledupar, Colombia, telling the story of a young girl who turned into a mermaid for swimming in the river on Good Friday. Judith and Tomas live in the town where the legend takes place and their mother warns the children about the dangers of the river. Judith and Tomas promise their mother to always come home before dark. When Tomas goes missing from the river on Holy Thursday, Judith has to rescue him from La Sirena before it is too late. The Read Aloud took place at noon and was well attended by the local children and families. I  engaged the children by asking questions before, during, and after the story. Their favorite part of the story was when the rainforest animals helped Judith rescue her brother. After the Read Aloud, there was a book signing, followed by a ...

  Mujeres del pasado Agentes del presente written by  Maritza M. Mejia is a book about the women of the bible. This Spanish version is available now at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GL3SCLDT.  The book includes a reflection section after each chapter to journal. It makes an excellent read for Lent or anytime of the year.   Enjoy exploring the women of bible. More information can be found at https://www.luzdelmes.com/blog/ 

  The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid is the perfect book to teach children about Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. How do you keep this Christian tradition alive in your family? In my family, we observe Lent by focusing on our spiritual life, drawing closer to God, and celebrating his resurrection power on Easter. If you are looking for a book to explain these concepts to young children, you just found it. This hundred year old bilingual legend with themes of obedience, family values, and cultural traditions fosters a love for Holy Week and Easter for children. Visit my learning activities page for projects to go along with the book at Janetballetta.com.  Happy Easter y Feliz Pascuas from my family to yours! 

  Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Oceans  is a great book to read with your children to celebrate World Water Day on March 22nd. Travel around the seven continents and meet the  mermaids with super powers who are on a special mission to save the ocean habitats. These mermaid sisters will teach your children the importance of keeping the ocean habitats healthy for the animals, people, and environment. This book has a strong message on water pollution, conversation, and recycling.  More importantly, it raises awareness on environmental stewardship and preservation of Earth's natural resources on a global level.  Ocean in a Bottle  is a fun activity for World Water Day the children will love!   S upplies: 1. empty 16 oz. water bottle 2. blue food coloring 3. small ocean animals 4. small sea shells 5. glitter 6. Elmer's glue Directions:  1. Put the animals, shells, and glitter into the empty bottle. 2. Fill up the bottle with water & add a ...

  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season for Catholics. Lent is the forty days leading up to Easter when we practice almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. It begins with receiving ashes in the sign of a cross on our foreheads, symbolizing that we are dust and to dust we will return. The tradition of using ashes to show repentance for sins is biblical. Lent is a time to draw closer to God for transformation, restoration, and renewal. It’s more than abstaining from meat on Fridays; it’s an opportunity to practice self-denial on a deeper level. Ultimately, Lent is a time to reflect on repentance, increase our faith, and grow spiritually. The number forty represents a period of testing, trial, and preparation before a major change or renewal. It requires fasting and prayer, as we can see in the following six (6) bible stories. In Genesis, we have a fine example in the story of Noah’s Ark. In this narrative, we see God sending rain for forty days and forty nights. This exam...

Celebrate Black History Month  with three great reads for grades K-2. These books are perfect to teach history, fables, and arts and crafts. I am Harriet Tub man by Brad Meltzer is a must read . It is the story of the young Harriet who plays a key role in the abolition slavery. Her courage to lead slaves up north from the south through the underground railroad helped many slaves reach freedom. The pictures are beautiful and words easy to read for young children. L ittle Red and the Crocodile by Suzan Johnson is a gem. It is the story of Little Red who v isit s her aunt in the Louisiana Swamps. Little Red must contend with a hun gry crocodile instead of a big bad wolf. Luckily, Randy the Forest Ranger saves the day for Little Red and her aunt. A heart warming story with adorable pictures and for the little ones. Tar Beach by Faith Rin g gold is a classic. It is the story of young Cassie who dreams of freedom from the roof top of her Harlem apartment in New York City. O...

  Florida celebrates Literacy Week from January 26 to 30th. This event raises awareness of the importance of making reading a daily routine for students and families. T he theme for this year is Read, white, and blue to honor America's  250th Anniversary of signing the Declaration of Independence. It's a great time to dive into history to learn about two important presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In grades K-2 read, I am George Washington  and I am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer. Here  are five (5) Fun Facts for each president.  Another exciting activity is to have the kids  dress-up as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln or they can show their spirit by wearing  red, white, and blue.  George Washington Fun Facts: Born on February 22 in Virginia Chopped down a cherry and told the truth Fearless Army General for the U.S. in three (3) wars Picture on the quarter and dollar bill First person to sign the U.S. Constitution Abraham...

  The Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings’ Day , is also known as the Twelfth Day of Christmas. It’s celebrated on January 6th, marking the wise men’s journey to Bethlehem to pay homage to Jesus. Casper, Melchoir, and Balthazar bring baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold represents Jesus’ kingship and royalty, the frankincense symbolizes Jesus’ divinity and priesthood, and the myrrh, an expensive spice, points to Jesus’ burial. For some, the Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas Season. Others continue the celebrations until February 2nd for the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemas. In Hispanic and Latin American countries, it is a tradition for children to leave a shoe box under the Christmas tree for the wise men. The shoe box contains grass, black coffee, and a letter. The grass is for the hungry camels, black coffee for the tired wise men, and a letter of good behavior. The shoe box is left out on the night of January 5. The next morning the childr...

  Why use fables, folklore, and legends to teach culture in the classroom? These stories are excellent resources to teach children about morals, traditions, and other cultures. Aesop’s Fables’ The Tortoise and the Hare and The Lion and the Mouse are laden with moral lessons. Grimm’s classic stories were written as fairy tales and folk tales inspired by local folklore. So what is folklore? People have used folklore through oral storytelling to explain history, traditions, culture, and human struggles since the beginning of time. Stories were passed down from generation to generation for posterity. Oral storytellers often worked in the king’s court as entertainers for their royal banquets. Some storytellers even used musical rhythm and repeated beats which was the beginning of ballads. Every country has its own unique folklore woven into its culture. Aesop’s Fables originated in Greece and Grimm's folklore started in Germany. The Legend of Robin Hood is from England, Romeo and ...

  Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Oceans   won   the International Latino Book Award for Best Educational Themed Book and 1st place in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Best Green/Environmental E-book  in 2018.   Th e  story teaches a strong message on environmental awareness, water pollution, and conservation of our blue planet. It also motivates children to care about the ocean as a habitat and natural resource for people, animals, and plants. For Ages 5-12 Mermaids on a Mission to Save the Oceans Book Activities: ​ - Ocean Oil Spill Clean Up Experiment:  https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/oil-spill-experiment/ -Story Map: https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/migrated/pdfs/storymap_complex3.pdf -Character Compare & Contrast: ​ https://teachingmadepractical.com/free-compare-contrast-printable/ -Mermaid Coloring Page:    https://yaycoloringpages.com/mermaid-coloring-pages/

  The Duckling in Boots:El patito con botas written by Camelia Kuhn is an amazing tale of friendship and acceptance. Ducky lives on a big farm with his family and friends. Ducky has a little problem, he has big shiny feet, and his peers tease him. Ducky’s mother gives him boots to disguise his big shiny feet. The teasing continues until there a big storm and they lose power. Now everyone is stranded in the dark except for the bright light from Ducky’s feet illuminating the way forward. Alas, Ducky saves the day, and he’s accepted by his peers! As a retired bilingual K-2 teacher, I want to commend the author for writing such an adorable story. The story teaches a strong message of friendship, tolerance, and acceptance. It also teaches children to embrace their differences as strengths. It’s perfect to incorporate into social and emotional lesson plans. An added bonus is the book is bilingual and great for an ESOL classroom library or anyone who wants to learn Spanish. Five Shiny St...

  The Legend of Robert Cofresi — A Puerto Rican Hero won the International Latino Book Award for Best Latino Focused Children’s Book in 2016 . It was translated into Spanish as La Leyenda de Roberto Cofresi — Un héreo de Puerto Rico by Ana Morris. In September 2017, it won 1st place in the International Latino Book Awards for the best translation. It teaches a strong message of generosity, loyalty, and cultural traditions. P.R. Pirate Book Activities: Pirate Teacher's Guide (Vocab & Reading Comp Questions): https://www.wrigglyreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pirate-teachers-guide.pdf Story Map: ​ https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/migrated/pdfs/storymap_complex3.pdf Character Compare & Contrast: ​ https://teachingmadepractical.com/free-compare-contrast-printable/ Roberto Cofresi Coloring Page: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/325033298088699610/ Pirate Cinquain Poem: https://pinterest.com/pin/325033298088699577/

There are multiple reasons to celebrate Hispanic Heritage with children. In school, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage to keep kids connected to their cultural traditions while learning new traditions. Teaching young children about different cultures and traditions is a great way to show kids how people from different parts of the world are the same and different. It also helps young children build respect and tolerance for living in a diverse world. Over the years, we have celebrated Hispanic Heritage in a variety of ways in the classroom. You can have children select a Spanish speaking country and bring in artifacts from the country such as art, books, clothing, music, food, etc. In K-2 children love making dioramas, singing Spanish songs, writing simple Spanish poems. Let the kids decorate the classroom with maps, flags, and animals. Invite the families into the classroom to see the children make mini presentations and have cookies and juice. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage at the begin...

  Janet Balletta, AWA Introduction  I am a mother, retired bilingual teacher, and author of three  children’s books with good values.   My goal is to inspire children to develop a passion for reading  books to preserve Hispanic cultural traditions  and to become responsible citizens of our  beautiful blue planet.  In November 2013, I published my first children’s book,  The Legend of the Colombian Mermaid . It was my favorite bedtime story as a  child, and I cherished hearing my mother tell the story. It teaches a strong message of obedience, family values, and cultural traditions.  In June 2015,  T he Legend of the Colombian Mermaid  won the Mariposa Award from the International Latino Book Awards for Best First Book. The book was translated into Spanish as  La Leyenda de la Sirena   Colombiana  by Maritza M. Mejia.  It was also a finalist in the 2015 Christian Literary Awards. In June 2016, ...

Join us for a Hispanic Heritage Month Read Aloud on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Jen’s Gift Shop, 1224 SW Gatlin Blvd, Suite 105, Port St. Lucie, Fl, at 11 am. Come enjoy children’s bilingual legends, environment, and animal tales by local authors Camelia Kuhn, Janet Balletta, and Maritza M. Mejia. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage and support local business in the Port St. Lucie area.