Salsa Stories

by Lulu Delacre, Lulu Delacre (Illustrator)

Overview

An evocative collection of short stories by a three-time Pura Belpre honoree. Now available in paperback!

When Carmen Teresa receives a notebook as a holiday gift, the guests suggest she write down their own childhood stories, which they tell. But Carmen Teresa, who loves to cook, collects their family recipes instead! With energy, sensitivity, and warmth, Lulu Delacre introduces readers to a symphony of colorful characters whose 9 stories dance through a year of Latin American holidays and customs. Countries include Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Guatamala and Peru. Seventeen delicious and authentic recipes are included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545469623
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2012
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	760L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Lulu Delacre was born to Argentinian parents and grew up in Puerto Rico. Her award-winning books for children include GOLDEN TALES: MYTHS, LEGENDS AND FOLKTALES FROM LATIN AMERICA; ARROZ CON LECHE: POPULAR SONGS AND RHYMES FROM LATIN AMERICA; and her Scholastic Pura Belpre Award Honor Book, THE BOSSY GALLITO (text by Lucia M. Gonzalez). You can visit her online at www.luludelacre.com!

Table of Contents

	New Year's Day	1
	A Carpet for Holy Week: Flor's Story	8
	At the Beach: Abuelito's Story	18
	The Night of San Juan: Abuelita's Story	28
	Teatime: Abita's Story	37
	Birthday Pinala: Uncle Robert's Story	44
	The Lord of Miracles: Dona Josefa's Story	55
	Aguinaldo: Tia Marilia's Story	62
	Carmen Teresa's Gift	71
	Recipes	77
	Glossary	101

Editorial Reviews

Delacre (Arroz Con Leche) serves up a mixed menu here, combining a rather strained collection of seven tales featuring Latin American foods with recipes for the dishes mentioned. At a New Year's gathering of Carmen Teresa's extended family, a guest presents the girl with a blank book. When the child wonders what she should write in the volume, her mother suggests she "collect stories from our family and friends." Relatives take turns relaying tales of their childhood in diverse locales such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and Peru. Carmen Teresa's grandfather recalls fearing that he would not be allowed to partake of his mother's tortilla dish as punishment for lying to her. And in one of the most touching vignettes, her aunt describes a school field trip to a nursing home, where she met a blind woman who shared her forbidden sweets. In the end, Carmen Teresa decides to fill her new book with the recipes at the core of the storytellers' reminiscences. The recipes, most of which require significant adult participation, range from main dishes (chicken with rice, codfish stew) to desserts (nougat candy, coconut flan). Though Delacre's narrative shapes an appealing portrait of several generations from all over the globe, uniting in a close-knit family, the tales' organizing premise--food--grows repetitious and forced (e.g., "We are helping Mam prepare the sofrito sauce for her arroz con pollo. This is the rice dish for which Mam is famous among all our friends and family"). Despite a text spiced with exotic words and locales, youngsters may find this rather bland fare. Ages 9-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 4-6-The New Year's celebration at Carmen Teresa's house is a time of warmth and family closeness. Aunts, uncles, and grandparents from both sides of the family come, as does Do-a Josefa, a friend, and Flor, the housekeeper. When Carmen Teresa receives a journal as a gift, the adults all share stories of their childhoods in Latin America for her to enter in it. Covering two generations and spanning Guatemala, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, and Peru, the seven stories they tell, enhanced by accomplished black-and-white linocuts, re-create time, place, and culture in readable prose. The only slightly weak link in an otherwise well-integrated chain of stories is the bridge to the recipe section, which follows Carmen Teresa's declaration that, since all the stories involved wonderful food, she intends to write down the recipes, rather than the tales themselves. The 20-page recipe section, with detailed ingredients lists and exemplary directions for creating dishes ranging from "Mam 's Arroz con Pollo" to desserts such as "Susana's Alfajores," includes clear instructions on getting adult help. Indeed, this is a necessity, as the dishes would be too difficult for most upper-elementary-school cooks. Whether the recipes are actually used or not may be a moot point, as the stories are worth sharing for their warmth and for what they say implicitly about cross-cultural similarities.-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

School Library Journal

Salsa Stories-Americas Award Commended Title-NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts-NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies-Children's Crown Award Nominee"Kids will respond to both the warmth and the anxiety of the family life described in the vivid writing, and in Delacre's nicely composed linocuts."—Booklist (review of Salsa Stories)"A fresh and appealing volume."—CCBC (review of Salsa Stories)The Bossy Gallito (retold by Lucia Gonzalez; illus. by Lulu Delacre)-Pura Belpre Honor Book for text and illustration-CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies-American Bookseller Pick of the Lists-NYPL 100 Best Children's Books for Reading and Sharing-Aesop Accolade List"The text reads just as well in English as it does in Spanish....[T]he mixed-media illustrations are intriguing."—School Library Journal (review of The Bossy Gallito)Golden Tales: Myths, Legends and Folktales from Latin America-CCBC Choices List-Americas Award Commended Title"Delacre weaves in contextual introductions and historical afterwords throughout. Her retellings are done in a clear and confident voice and are accompanied by her robust, colorful oil paintings."—Booklist (review of Golden Tales)Vejigante Masquerader-Americas Book Award Winner-NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts

From the Publisher