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Grandma's
Chocolate/El
Chocolate de
Abuelita
by Mara Price
Piņata Books,
2010
here is a reason why
Piņata Books, an
imprint of Arte Publico
Press is one
of the leading
publishers of
quality children's
literature in the
country. And
this book is proof
that this tradition
will not be going
away anytime soon.
It's impossible to
read Grandma's
Chocolate/El
Chocolate de
Abuelita by Mara
Price without
getting a craving
for some authentic
chocolate made by
Grandma.
This book is told
from the chocolate
brown-eyed girl,
Sabrina, who
welcomes her
grandmother home
upon her visit from
Mexico. As children
are wont to do,
Sabrina asks her
grandmother what she
has brought for her.
And as grandmothers
are wont to do,
Sabrina's
grandmother goes
through her suitcase
and shares the
various gifts she
has brought from
Mexico. Among this
assortment are:
drums, a whistle
shaped like a dove,
colorful hair
ribbons, a huipil,
and Mexican
chocolate.
The huipil,
"a traditional
blouse worn by Mayan
and Aztec women,"
sets off a series of
questions from
Sabrina about these
cultures and their
traditions.
Sabrina gets a
lesson from her
grandmother on Mayan
princesses, cacao
seeds and most
notably, chocolate.
This section of the
book is
what gives it its
identity. Combined
with the colorful
illustrations by
Lisa Fields, the
story is sure to
appeal to children.
Aztec and Mayan
images are
juxtaposed against
images of Sabrina
and her grandmother
in various
settings--at school,
at the outdoor
market, and at the
dinner table. The
reader gets
fascinating lessons
on the process of
making chocolate,
and the author
describes it in a
manner that would
make any reader
crave for more.
Sometimes, it's
fairly easy to
predict a book's
future, and in this
case, I can't help
but think that
Grandma's
Chocolate/El
Chocolate de
Abuelita will
win awards.
The bilingual book
is unique, the
character
interactions are
touching, and most
importantly, the
plot will captivate
any child who has
ever taken a joyous
bite of chocolate.
Mara Price has
written a
delightfully
delicious tale that
will educate and
entertain.
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