Maya's Blanket/ La manta de Maya

By Monica Brown
Illustrated by David Diaz

Ebook

View the Teacher's Guide
View the Interviews

Little Maya has a special blanket that Grandma stitched with her own two hands. As Maya grows, her blanket becomes worn and frayed, so with Grandma’s help, Maya makes it into a dress. Over time the dress is made into a skirt, a shawl, a scarf, a hair ribbon, and finally, a bookmark. Each item has special, magical, meaning for Maya; it animates her adventures, protects her, or helps her in some way. But when Maya loses her bookmark, she preserves her memories by creating a book about her adventures and love of these items. When Maya grows up, she shares her book—Maya’s Blanket - La manta de Maya—with her own little daughter while snuggled under her own special blanket.

Inspired by the traditional Yiddish folk song “Hob Ikh Mir a Mantl” (“I Had a Little Coat”), this delightful bilingual story puts a child-focused, Latino spin on the tale of an item that is made into smaller and smaller items. Maya’s Blanket/La manta de Maya charmingly brings to life this celebration creativity, recycling, and enduring family love.

Here's a great post from Spanish Playground on using Maya's Blanket - La Manta de Maya with Spanish Language Learners.

Building Connections with Monica Brown
Books and Authors: Talking with Monica Brown.
Maya's Blanket - Video Book Review