After more than two years in the making, Patri and I did it again. Our second collaboration is here: Tonia Patagonia y la caja mágica. This beautiful book is very special. Funny and full of heart, it is not only a great story for your Spanish classroom library, but also an illustrated Spanish reader designed to teach true beginners step by step. Tonia is a pleasure to read, and it also works as a simple curriculum for Spanish 1.
One girl, a magic box, seven missing crystals
Tonia Patagonia is orphaned and alone in the world. Her only legacy is a magical box that holds her family’s unique treasure. There’s just one problem: the box won’t open.
To unlock it, Tonia has to find seven crystals hidden across South America. She’s determined. She’s Tonia Patagonia, after all. And she’s never cold, hot, thirsty, hungry, sleepy… or scared!
She sets off on a wild adventure through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. But as she goes from one scary surprise to the next, she finds out that the real treasure isn’t gold or jewels. It’s something far more powerful and nothing like she expected. Because the most important things in life aren’t things.
Why you and your students will love it
Tonia Patagonia is so easy. We wrote it with accessible language that stays kind to new readers. The story introduces 84 word families and 65 familiar cognates, gradually introduced chapter by chapter.
Patri and I piloted the book with our beginning Spanish students, and we designed the comprehension support right there on the page. This way students enjoy a one-page reading experience without flipping to the glossary. They feel confident. They understand, they laugh, and they keep reading.
Tonia Patagonia explores important, feel-good themes. The narrative gently encourages reflection on what makes us truly rich: love, family, and friendship. That is why students succeed quickly and why teachers love to teach with it. It’s easy and heartwarming.
What students will meet in the story
Students meet numbers and colours in context, along with essential spatial expressions like EN, ARRIBA, ABAJO, DETRÁS, DENTRO. They follow Tonia’s path across a political map of the Andes, learning the geography of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.
The story uses the most common Spanish verbs in the present tense: HAY, ES, ESTÁ, TIENE, QUIERE, VE, MIRA, DICE, VA, ESCUCHA, PIENSA, AGARRA. It also builds all the key expressions with TENER: TENER FRÍO, TENER CALOR, TENER HAMBRE, TENER SED, TENER MIEDO, TENER SUEÑO, TENER PACIENCIA.
All through the book, students get playful practice with the Spanish rr, in words that invite them to roll the sound again and again, like ¡Qué rabia! ¡Qué rrrrrabia! and all the ‘REQUETE” words: Requetecaliente, Requetefrío, Requetetriste and ¡Requeterrequetefeliz!
Pictures that carry meaning
The book includes more than 45 full-page colour illustrations by Chilean artist Ignacio Antonio Vergara Fuentealba. Colour is a key element of the story. Each chapter connects one country, one crystal, and one colour, so the illustrations do more than support comprehension, they anchor meaning. Students see the scene, follow the action, and connect language with visual cues. The vivid, expressive artwork brings characters and settings to life and helps readers build a picture in the mind while staying grounded in the Spanish text.
Where to get it
Save the date! Tonia Patagonia y la caja mágica will be out on 25 September 2025 at CPLI, Teacher’s Discovery, and Bryce Hedstrom. Want to be the first to know when it’s ready? [Join my mailing list] to get updates, teaching tips, and a free preview chapter as we count down to launch. Until then… grab your map and start imagining what your students would put inside their own magic box!
Grab your map and get ready for the journey!
Want to bring Tonia Patagonia to your classroom?
Sign up for a chance to win 5 free copies of Tonia Patagonia y la caja mágica. Several winners will be announced on 9 November 2025, just in time for the book’s release!
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