When I received a message from Mikayla Ruvalcaba asking if I’d be interested in narrating the ‘English’ version of her kids’ audiobook, I was immediately intrigued. I loved this idea! She already had the Spanish narration of her book, by Narrator Nairoby Reyes, and intended to post both version on her website for free! So that kids everywhere could listen along to her book.
In her own words, “I wrote the story in English and knew I wanted it translated to Spanish because the story stems from my personal expe
rience being pregnant with my first son. My husband is Mexican and we are both fluent in English and Spanish, and are raising our boys to be bilingual, so I felt the book should be bilingual.”
When I asked what prompted her to provide the audio for free on her website she said, “I honestly never even considered having the audiobook for sale. I think learning another language is such an important skill that doesn’t get the attention that it could here in the US. So, knowing (hoping?) my bilingual book would be read by people who only speak one of the languages, I wanted the correct pronunciation in both languages easily available. If my bilingual book and free audio can encourage someone (parents or kids!) to learn even a few words in another language, to me that is a huge win. So, I guess I just wanted as few barriers to learning as possible.”
To aid with that, I added page turning sounds (a service I provide for free for all of my children’s book authors) so that children who may be reading along in the physical or digital version of the book know when to turn the page.
I'm very happy to have bene able to contribute to this beautiful vision.
About the Author from Amazon.com:
“Mikayla was born and raised in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. She currently resides in Woodland, California with her husband and two tiny dino lovers. By day she is in charge of all the nerdy parts of making wine. At night, she writes children's books about science-y things and family. She has been writing since she was first able to hold a pencil, and celebrated the release of her first book in 2022. Instead of picking one thing to be when she grew up, Mikayla has found a way to merge all of her childhood career dreams (and there were many!) in her children's books.”
Book Summary from Amazon.com:
“Journey through the milestones of pregnancy with this sweet picture book about waiting for the arrival of a new baby. The perfect gift for baby showers and new and expecting parents.
Ultrasounds, baby’s first kick, decorating the nursery…There are so many exciting things to look forward to when expecting a new baby. But nothing compares to when baby finally arrives!
This bilingual English/Spanish book takes the reader on a journey through the milestones of pregnancy, all the while waiting for baby. The beautiful illustrations invoke the wonderful feelings of anticipation, excitement, and love for a new baby.
Waiting For You is the perfect gift for new parents or parents to be. And with a blank birth stats page in the back, you can personalize this book to make it your own!”
Get your hardcover, e-book, or paperback copy here: Amazon.com
You can listen to my narration and the Spanish narration by Naiobi Reyes, find out more about Mikayla, and visit her blog on her website:
mikaylaruvalcaba.com or follow her on social media @mikaylar_author
Did you read or listen to this book? Leave your own thoughts in the comments below!
Need a narrator for your next book? Contact me through the form on my website for a free quote!
Or send me an email at kmiraclevoices@gmail.com
Thanks for stopping by!