Macmillan Collaborates with Encantos for Creation and Publishing Partnership

Category: Education/Family

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. conquer / ˈkɒŋ kər / (v) – to successfully deal with a problem, a fear, or a difficult situation
    Example:

    She conquered her fear of speaking in front of a large crowd and delivered her speech confidently.


  2. underrepresented / ˌʌn dərˌrɛp rɪˈzɛn tɪd / (adj) – not represented or spoken for sufficiently
    Example:

    The exhibit highlighted the works of artists from underrepresented communities.  


  3. thrilled / θrɪld / (adj) – extremely pleased
    Example:

    Her family was thrilled to see her high grades this semester.


  4. diverse / ˈdaɪ vɜrs / (adj) – including people or things that are different from each other
    Example:

    The university offers diverse subjects of study, including agriculture and philosophy.


  5. multicultural / ˌmʌl tiˈkʌl tʃər əl / (adj) – relating to different cultures, especially traditions and practices
    Example:

    The multicultural presentation featured Asian, European, and American performers.


Article

Read the text below.

Macmillan Publishers is collaborating with Spanish and English education technology company Encantos to publish existing products and create new ones.


Founded in Culver City, California, in 2015, Encantos specializes in creating storytelling products that make learning 21st century skills, life skills, and literacy fun for children. The company’s products include apps, cartoon series, books, puzzles, and games. Encantos began with a series of YouTube videos that featured traditional English and Spanish songs with accompanying books.


Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group will be in charge of publishing and distributing Encantos’s products.


Since its establishment, Encantos has received numerous awards from CNN, Publishers Weekly, and Univision, among others. Its award-winning titles include Canticos, which are bilingual tools that help children prepare for kindergarten, and Tiny Travelers, which focuses on teaching geography, language, and cultural traditions through storytelling and games. Another title, Skeletitos, was inspired by the Mexican event “Day of the Dead” and teaches children how to conquer their fears.


Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group President Jon Yaged said Encantos is an industry leader when it comes to introducing diversity to children through entertainment and education. He praised Encantos for their creativity and for consistently giving opportunities to underrepresented creators. Yaged stated Macmillan was thrilled to work with the edtech company.


Steven Wolfe Pereira, Encantos CEO and co-founder, said the company works with authentic storytellers because they recognize that there is a bigger need for more diverse voices as over 50% of children in America are multicultural. Pereira added that Encantos goes beyond simple storytelling and brings its stories to life through Storyteaching, which involves using stories to teach skills in a way that is easy for learners to understand.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think children in your country would like materials similar to Encantos’s? Why or why not?
• Do you think bilingual or multicultural educational products would be popular in your country? Why or why not?

Discussion B

• Do you think teaching children about other cultures is important? Why or why not?
• Aside from using stories, what do you think are other ways to teach children about other cultures? Discuss.