This Spanish poem for children is titled Una casa con un sol. It uses familiar, conversational language to describe the way sunlight enters and brightens a house. It is a summer poem with basic vocabulary that Spanish language learners understand.
Una casa con un sol is by the well-known Argentine author and illustrator Douglas Wright. His books are hard to get in the United States, but he generously shares his work on his blog El jardín de Douglas.
There is an illustration to accompany this poem on the blog. The drawing is a good way to engage children with the subject of the poem before they read it. Looking at the picture they can predict what the poem will be about. You can also talk about where the sun comes into their house and how it feels. You will find the drawing here: Spanish poem for kids – Una casa con un sol.
As always, many thanks to Douglas for permission to share his poetry with the readers of Spanish Playground. A word-for-word translation follows the poem. It does not attempt to conserve the rhyme or rhythm. I include it for meaning because it is helpful to parents who are learning Spanish with their children.
Una casa con un sol
Qué linda que es esta casa
con un sol en la ventana,
no tengo que irlo a buscar,
está ahí, cada mañana.
Qué linda que es esta casa
con un gran sol en la puerta,
él no tiene que llamar,
yo se la dejo abierta.
Qué linda que es esta casa
con esa luz encendida,
el sol de cada mañana,
ésa es la luz de la vida.
A House with a Sun
How pretty this house is
with a sun in the window.
I don’t have to go and look for it.
It is here every morning.
How pretty this house is
with a great sun in the door.
He doesn’t have to knock.
I leave it open for him.
How pretty this house is
with that light burning,
the sun of every morning.
That is the light of life.
You may also be interested in this post: Poem by Douglas Wright is Wonderful for Children Learning Spanish
