Abro y cierro

Abro y cierro, abro y cierro,
¡mis manos van a sonar!
Abro y cierro, abro y cierro,
¡bajan para descansar!

Que se arrastren, que se arrastren,
¡hasta el mentón, tón, tón!
Van entrando a tu boquita,
¡cierra el portón, tón, tón!

This is our translation of the bona fide storytime classic: Open, Shut Them. For this translation we took a few liberties with figurative language and implying actions using verbs. Instead of saying “clap” which would be “aplaudir,” we went with “sonar,” which means to “sound off.” Instead of translating “put them in your lap,” we opted to say “they’re going to take a rest.”

We also used the standard Spanish for “chin,” which is “mentón” and rhymed it with “cierra el portón,” which means to “close the gate” for when children need to close their mouths to keep their hands out. It’s a little more poetic!

translated by Sheridan Cazarez