Grandma's Chocolate / El Chocolate De Abuelita (English and Spanish Edition)

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From School Library Journal --------------------------- Grade 3–5—Sabrina recalls a visit from her Mexican grandmother. Abuelita tells her about the history and culture of the Mayans and Aztecs through such activities as unpacking her suitcase with "surprises from México," shopping at the market, eating ice cream, and taking the girl to school. Children will enjoy reading about their own customs or learning about new ones, such as making hot chocolate with a molinillo, braiding colorful ribbons into their hair, wearing a huipil, and playing with traditional Mexican toys. Fields does a wonderful job of blending images from the pre-Columbian past with Sabrina's modern present. The emphasis on the characters through the use of warm colors set against dark yellow backgrounds helps to convey the caring relationship between the main characters. The English text is printed on the top of the page with an excellent Spanish version at the bottom. Both languages are enjoyable reading and easy to understand. A spot illustration dividing the two texts highlights important elements from the story. Pair this book with Braids/Trencitas (Lectorum, 2009) for a family storytime honoring abuelas.—Rebecca Alcalá, San Mateo County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) From Booklist ( /gp/feature.html/?docId=1000027801 ) ---------------------------------------------------- Sabrina is excited about the special gifts that her grandma has brought back from her visit to Mexico. As they play with the ribbons, clothes, and music makers, Abuelita explains each item’s role in their cultural heritage. Sabrina also learns that cacao was important to her ancestors, who grew it on ations, used it as currency, and developed it into chocolate, and together Abuelita and Sabrina celebrate cacao’s delights further by making hot chocolate together from scratch. Price’s language lacks rhythm, and a recipe or additional material about the cultural details discussed in the bilingual text would have been welcome. Still, with the high demand for bilingual books about Mexican culture, this will likely attract an audience, while the full-page, mixed-media artwork celebrating family heritage and togetherness will show well to a crowd. Grades K-2. --Andrew Medlar Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) Review ------ "A gentle, well-translated bilingual text infused with a wise and loving family elder's teaching is accompanied by earthy, gouache paintings … A sweet and loving way to introduce history through family connections." --Kirkus Reviews "Children will enjoy reading about their own customs or learning about new ones, such as making hot chocolatate." --School Library Journal "There's no shortage of princess books on the shelves, but few, if any, like this… [with] the influence of cultural roots and the strength of intergenerational bonds." --Publishers Weekly Read more ( javascript:void(0) ) About the Author ---------------- MARA PRICE is a native of Mexico and now lives in Southern California. A member of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, her work has been published in Iguana, a Spanish-language children's magazine. This is her first published book. LISA FIELDS is the illustrator of The Triple Banana Split Boy / El niño goloso (Pinata Books, 2009). She received her BFA in illustration from the Ringling School of Art and Design and attended the Illustration Academy. A member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, she lives in her hometown of Katonah, New York. Read more ( javascript:void(0) )