Elyse Marshall

Mónica Mancillas wrote "How to Speak in Spanglish" follows Sami, who speaks both English and Spanish – sometimes at the same time.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently in Arizona about how English language learners are taught to speak English. But a new picture book for kids takes a different approach to that question.

Over the past year, The Show has heard from authors of books for middle-grade and young adult readers dealing with issues of race, gender, disability and socioeconomic differences, among other things. It’s a series called Lit Squad — and in this episode, The Show spoke with author Mónica Mancillas. 

Her book "How to Speak in Spanglish" follows Sami, who speaks both English and Spanish — sometimes at the same time. But not everyone in his world, or in his family, appreciates and approves of that.

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