BIBLIOGRAPHY
Argueta, Jorge. 2010. Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem. Ill. Fernando Vilela. Toronto, Ontario: Groundwood Books; Bilingual edition. ISBN-10: 088899981X ISBN-13: 978-0888999818
PLOT SUMMARY
Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem is a book that provides step by step instructions for making this decadent desert. This is a Hispanic recipe that is shared through the eyes and voice of a young boy. The joy he feels while making this pudding is conveyed in the poetic description of his preparation of this desert. Rice pudding has never been experienced with such emotional joy. Every step from going to the market, preparing the ingredients and the finished product has the reader feeling that they are in the kitchen with the young boy. His excitement in preparing his favorite dish and the anticipation of sharing it with his family is contagious. Read the book, make the recipe and be sure to prepare it with the same passion as the boy in the book. Enjoy the results!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Jorge Argueta’s cooking poem has many cultural markers that exemplify the Mexican-American culture. The market vendor, clothing, skin color, hair color and their home portray the Hispanic culture. The story is told in Spanish and English concurrent on the pages. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn some words in Spanish. It is also great for students to hear the poem in its original form.
* indicates where supervision of an adult is required.
Fernando Vilela illustrated this book. He captured the Hispanic home and family with his unique style of ink drawings.
Poem Excerpt
I like all kinds of rice.
I like white rice,
brown rice,
fried rice,
stewed rice,
watery rice,
chicken and rice,
beans and rice.
I guess I like rice with anything.
But what I like best and love the most
is rice pudding.
(Jorge Argueta, p. 1)
REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3 ;A boy goes to the market to buy ingredients for rice pudding. What ensues is a poetic journey of making the sweet treat, step by step. The bilingual text is not a straightforward recipe, but could be followed to make the traditional dish. With his mom in the background, the boy adds rice to the pot and soon "the kitchen is raining little white grain drops." Parent supervision or participation is required for parts of the story, as indicated by an asterisk, as when it's time to "take the salt cellar and dance around." The remarkable illustrations are the perfect complement to Argueta's lush language. Vilela uses a printmaking technique to bring to life the simple action and turn it into something quite extraordinary. A first purchase for schools and libraries. ;Shannon Dye, Peoria Public Library, Peoria, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* A lyrical, lovely bilingual ode to rice pudding? Well, lovers of that creamy confection won’t be surprised at the emotion it engenders. After first telling readers how he likes all kinds of rice—white, brown, fried, stewed—award-winning poet Argueta proceeds, making every step in preparing the dish sound like a great adventure. When you sprinkle the rice, it doesn’t just hit the pot: little white grains “rain music and sing / as they fall.” The flames on the stove are “rainbow hands,” and as the rice cooks, “foamy waves and clouds turn the pot / into sea and sky.” While the words are evocative and dreamy, Vilela’s ink drawings, incorporating collage, rubber stamps, and digital elements, are not only polished and attractive; they put the focus on the fun, including the way the boy dances around the kitchen as the steam from the pot expels white birds. A similarly lyrical Spanish translation appears alongside the English text, making this a wonderful book to use across cultures. One quibble: an actual appended recipe would have been nice. You’ll want rice pudding after this. Grades 3-5. --Ilene Cooper
Awards/Honors
2011 USBBY Outstanding International Books
2011-2012 Tejas Star Book Award
CONNECTIONS
This book is an excellent choice for cultural awareness. After reading this wonderful story, the class will make and enjoy Arroz con leche. This would be an opportunity for each student to share a family recipe. A classroom cookbook would be fun with the recipe and a story as to why it is important in their home. Great Christmas gift or end of the year book.
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