Proud to be Latino (Food/Comida)
Author: Ashley Marie Mireles
Illustrator: Edith Valle
Familius
Ages: 3-5 years old
Savvy high school Spanish teachers might enjoy giving this book to their students to practice translation.
Beautifully illustrated, and clearly written, Proud to be Latino: Food/Comida reads like a food encyclopedia for the Paw Patrol set. Each colorful page has English text on one side, and Spanish text on the other. Author Ashley Marie Mireles takes readers through some foundational ingredients found in Latin cooking, and includes interesting tidbits for each. (Did you know the Maya, Aztecs, Incas, and Moche all used corn images to symbolize life? It makes perfect sense to this Iowa-born reviewer!)
The enticing illustrations by Edith Valle will have everyone’s mouths watering, but will appeal especially to the youngest readers. However, the detailed descriptions of various Latino dishes, and the cross-cultural connections that can be made for each ingredient will require the concentration of older children. In fact, savvy high school Spanish teachers might enjoy giving this book to their students to practice translation. Although formatted as a board book, teachers from pre-kindergarten through high school will find a use for this handy little guide to food across Latin America. Now pass the pupusas, por favor.
Proud to be Latino (Food/Comida) (Support an Independent Bookstore)
Proud to be Latino (Food/Comida) (Hardcover at Amazon)*
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Emma Gillette–Contributor
Emma has been, variously, a dancer, a singer, a lawyer, a writer, and a teacher. However her best job remains mom. She has a variety of advanced degrees she doesn’t use. She lives with her husband, their three teen-aged children, her nonagenarian father, a dog, and two cats, in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she reads, writes, and plays tennis. Not all at once.
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