Treasures in the Prairie: Tesoros En La Pradera (Paperback or Softback)

Poetry, oral folklore, and short stories have been a source of transfer of traditions and culture through many generations. Riddles and oral folklore continue to be a wealth of resources for parents to share with their children their history and traditions they inherited from previous generations.

In Treasures in Prairie, author Sylvia Ulmer presents a compilation of fun stories and folklore. Presented in a poem format in both Spanish and English, the selections include memories of the stories told to Ulmer by her father, as well as tales and rhymes she shared with her children when they were young.

From a wise turtle to the astute parrot and a hungry mouse, the selections help children learn about a variety of creatures and their habitat and traits. This anthology is geared for elementary children, but it also provides opportunities for all students to enrich their vocabulary in Spanish and English.

Sylvia Ulmer worked as a teacher in the San Joaquin Valley and as a principal and Director of Educational Services for the Stockton Unified School District in the City of Stockton in California. Her family emigrated from El Salvador, Central America, to the United States. She earned her citizenship and made California her home. During her career, she received many awards, including the recipient of the Administrator of the Year by Phi Delta Kappa Chapter of the University of the Pacific. As part of her education, she received her doctorate degree in Administration and Research. Her legacy and extensive work with children learning English was recognized and celebrated in the City of Stockton when she became the recipient of the Susan B. Anthony Award in 2012. She was also recognized in an international competition for poetry through the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Now retired, she focuses in writing, and compiling the many poems and stories she has written through her years in education. In this book, Dr. Ulmer attempts to focus on the children's imagination as they discover facts about each animal described throughout the book. As the author, it was her intent as each poem was written, to play with sounds and rhymes, adding humor, in order to spark the imagination and bring each animal to life.