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Summary
Summary
In this new cooking poem, Jorge Argueta brings us a fun and easy recipe for a yummy salsa. A young boy and his sister gather the ingredients and grind them up in a molcajete, just like their ancestors used to do, singing and dancing all the while. The children imagine that their ingredients are different parts of an orchestra -- the tomatoes are bongos and kettledrums, the onion, a maraca, the cloves of garlic, trumpets and the cilantro, the conductor. They chop and then grind these ingredients in the molcajete, along with red chili peppers for the "hotness" that is so delicious, finally adding a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of salt. When they are finished, their mother warms tortillas and their father lays out plates, as the whole family, including the cat and dog, dance salsa in mouth-watering anticipation.
Winner of the International Latino Book Award for Guacamole , Jorge Argueta's text is complemented by the rich, earthy illustrations of Duncan Tonatiuh, winner of the Pura Belpré Award. His interest in honoring the art of the past in contemporary contexts is evident in these wonderful illustrations, which evoke the pre-Columbian Mixtec codex.
Author Notes
Jorge Argueta is an award-winning author of picture books and poetry for young children. He has won the International Latino Book Award, the Américas Book Award, the NAPPA Gold Award and the Independent Publisher Book Award for Multicultural Fiction for Juveniles. His books have also been named to the Américas Award Commended List, the USBBY Outstanding International Books Honor List, Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books and the Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices. A native Salvadoran and Pipil Nahua Indian, he spent much of his life in rural El Salvador. He now lives in San Francisco, California.
Duncan Tonatiuh is an author and illustrator of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin , Diego Rivera: His World and Ours and Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant's Tale . His most recent book is Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation . He has won the Pura Belpré Illustration Award (and three honorable mentions), the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award (twice), and his books are among the Américas Award Commended Titles and Notable Books for a Global Society. He lives in San Miguel Allende, Mexico. Elisa Amado lives in Toronto.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-A boy and his sister make the spicy sauce with the help of family members in the latest entry from Argueta's "Bilingual Cooking Poems" (Groundwood). The characters make salsa while dancing to salsa-the pan-Latin American musical genre. This lyrical, bilingual text (from Spanish to English) features an easy-to-follow recipe. The extended poem celebrates cooking as a family and cultural event, hearkening back to the Nahua, Aztec, and Maya traditions of using a molcajete (small black bowl) to grind ingredients to make the tasty treat. A symbol denotes tasks that require adult supervision and help. A suggestion for composting leftover materials is tied to fostering a relationship with Mother Nature. Complementing the heartwarming text are Tonatiuh's pre-Columbian, Mixtec-inspired illustrations. The earthy tones, onomatopoeic word art, and borders peppered with pertinent images, such as tomatoes; limes; and musical notes, work together to serve up a completely satisfying offering. VERDICT A delectable work of art perfect for food-themed, bilingual, and Día storytimes.-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In this latest addition to his series of bilingual cooking poems (Arroz con leche / Rice Pudding; Guacamole), Argueta plays on the multiple meanings of salsa to create a mouth-watering musical recipe. The poem begins with a young boy telling the history of the molcajete and tejolote, the mortar and pestle traditionally made from the volcanic rock that forms from cooled lava and used to grind vegetables and spices. As the boy and his family prepare their weekly salsa roja, the childs imagination runs wild. Ingredients become instruments -- an onion is a maraca, tomatoes are bongos and kettledrums. Arguetas use of onomatopoeia (prac-presh-rrick-rrick is the sound of the ingredients being ground in the molcajete) and detailed description of ingredients play on the various senses to convey the sounds, flavors, and feelings coming together as the boys family dances, sings, and cooks. Tonatiuhs illustrations, rendered primarily in greens and reds, complement the two types of salsa mentioned in the poem. The earthy tones and Mesoamerican-inspired drawings suit the poems combination of the traditional elements of salsa-making with the modern scenes of a family cooking and celebrating. The lack of measurements may leave some readers perplexed (exactly how many tomatoes are needed?), but the more important message of love and family gathering to create something special shines through. celia c. perez(c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Music, dancing and food unite in this giddy bilingual whirl.Ingredients are also elements in Argueta's "salsa orchestra": "Cloves of garlic are trumpets, / and the cilantro is the orchestra conductor / with his shaggy, green hair." Moreover, "For the music to be really spicy, / it's important to use chilies"red ones in particular, though hot chilies also come in green ("One bite and we turn into fireflies"), purple, yellow and "even little round chilies like green pearls." Though the amount of each ingredient is not specified, Tonatiuh's dancing figuresrendered in his digital collages in ancient Mixtec style with oversized hands and big, swiveling headsdemonstrate each step in stylized but easily followed ways. Components are diced (with adult help required, not suggested), smushed together in a lava molcajete with a thick tejolote, then stirred with a "saxophone spoon" while Mam warms up the tortillas. "Ummmm, qu rica / esta salsa. / Salsa roja, / sabor de amor." There is no glossary, but English translations have been placed beneath the Spanish free verse and follow it closely. Ummm, a delicious companion to Argueta's Tamalitos (2013, illustrated by Domi), Guacamole (2012, illustrated by Margarita Sada) and his other poemas para cocinar. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This poem invites readers to participate in the preparation of a popular dish through history and dance. We learn first that salsa originated with the ancient Nahua, Maya, and Aztec peoples, who ground the ingredients together in a molcajete made of volcanic rock. While the family chooses and cleans los tomates y los chiles, the other salsa the dance begins. Soon we do not know which inspired which! Illustrations unite past and present, offering vivid depictions of contemporary life in the style of the ancient Mixtec codex. Written in Spanish and English, the poetic rhythms are stronger in the Spanish, though both are filled with onomatopoeia and musical imagery, as garlic trumpets and literal flavor notes are stirred together with a saxophone spoon. Information heavy, this poem is useful for lessons on art and culture. Discerning readers will be able to look beyond the stereotypical association of Latino culture with music and spicy food and appreciate the bigger message: the timelessness of beloved traditions.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2015 Booklist
