There are many ways to preserve a language. Governments pass legislation. Schools develop curricula. Universities create programs and archives. Yet perhaps the most enduring act of preservation begins much earlier, in the intimate geography of childhood: a parent reading a story before bed, a grandparent pointing to a picture and naming the world in a language carried across oceans, a child discovering that words can belong simultaneously to two homes.
It is within that delicate and essential space that Riso Books continues its remarkable work.
Founded by Angela Costa Simões, Riso Books has become one of the most creative and important initiatives dedicated to Portuguese-language children’s literature in the diaspora. At a time when heritage languages often struggle against the powerful currents of assimilation, these books offer something profoundly simple and profoundly necessary: the opportunity for children to encounter themselves in two languages, two cultures, and two worlds that need not compete with one another.
This summer, Riso Books expands that mission with a series of new offerings designed not merely to entertain young readers, but to strengthen the cultural bridges that connect generations. Among the newest releases is a Portuguese-themed activity book filled with puzzles, coloring pages, word games, and cultural explorations. It is the kind of book that transforms learning into discovery, inviting children to engage with Portuguese language and heritage through curiosity rather than obligation.
There is something quietly revolutionary about such projects. In an age dominated by screens, algorithms, and endless digital distractions, an activity book asks a child to slow down. To color. To read. To wonder. To encounter a language not as a classroom requirement but as an adventure.
Equally engaging is the newly released Would You Rather? Portuguese Edition, a bilingual collection of playful questions that turns language learning into laughter. Built around familiar cultural references—from azulejos and sardines to football, beaches, and the iconic Galo de Barcelos—the book demonstrates that heritage can be both educational and joyful. Culture survives not only through solemn remembrance but also through play, imagination, and shared family moments.
The beloved legend of the Rooster of Barcelos also returns through a special promotion of the beautifully illustrated bilingual hardcover edition of Galo de Barcelos / Rooster of Barcelos. Such stories matter because they carry more than narrative; they carry memory. Legends are among the first passports children receive into the cultural landscapes of their ancestors. Through them, distant places become familiar and inherited traditions acquire new life.
Meanwhile, families subscribing to the Riso Books newsletter receive a complimentary digital edition of the Miracle of the Roses Coloring & Activity Book, inspired by the enduring story of Queen Saint Isabel. Here again, literature becomes more than reading. It becomes a way of transmitting values, history, imagination, and cultural memory through the accessible language of childhood.
The growing visibility of this work was recently highlighted through television appearances by Angela Costa Simões on both Good Day Sacramento and KCRA 3 Morning News. During these interviews, she spoke eloquently about the importance of bilingual literacy, cultural preservation, and the unique role children’s literature can play in helping younger generations maintain meaningful connections to their Portuguese heritage.
Such recognition is well deserved. For years, educators, community leaders, and cultural organizations have spoken about the urgent need to preserve Portuguese language among younger generations. Riso Books has chosen to answer that challenge not with speeches but with stories.
And stories endure.
Long after policy debates fade and demographic studies are forgotten, children will continue to remember the books they held in their hands. They will remember the voices that read to them. They will remember the first Portuguese words they learned through games, illustrations, songs, and legends. Those memories become identity. Those identities become communities. And communities become the future.
In this sense, every bilingual children’s book is much more than a publication. It is an act of cultural continuity. A small vessel carrying language across time.
For the Portuguese diaspora, scattered across continents yet united by memory, such vessels matter enormously.
The work of Riso Books reminds us that preserving a culture does not begin in institutions. It begins in living rooms, classrooms, libraries, and family conversations. It begins when a child opens a book and discovers that the language of their ancestors is also a language in which they can dream.
Filamentos -arts and letters – from PBBI-Fresno State celebrates the ongoing work of Angela Costa Simões and Riso Books in nurturing Portuguese language, literacy, and cultural identity among younger generations. In every page they publish, there is an invitation to remember, to learn, and above all, to continue the story.