Description
Book SynopsisThis delightful recipe in poem form shows us all, young and old, how to make a heartwarming, tummy-filling bean soup
From gathering the beans, onions and garlic to letting them swim in the pot until the house smells wonderful and it’s time for supper.
A young boy helps his mother prepare a soup the whole family will enjoy using ingredients from Mother Earth. Onions are “yellow as the dawn,” beans are like stars spread out on the “sky of the table” and the water in the pot is “as deep as a little lake.” While the soup is cooking, the boy buries the cooking scraps under a tree in the yard “so Mother Earth keeps on growing flavors.”
Simply written, yet full of vivid imagery, Jorge Argueta’s verse and Rafael Yockteng’s animated illustrations make preparing bean soup a fun, almost magical experience. This book is a great family recipe/poem for those who already love bean soup — it is a comfort food for many — and for those who are looking for a delicious new healthy food.
Key Text Features
recipe
procedural text
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.4
Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
Trade ReviewArgueta’s lyrical Spanish translated into its counterpart English is filled with visual and aromatic imagery that turns soup-making into art. * Kirkus Reviews *
The earthy tones in the soft watercolor illustrations are pleasing to viewers...Kids will enjoy hearing the story read... * School Library Journal *
Reinforcing the strong connection between cooking and poetry, Argueta combines the two in a bilingual free-verse recipe for ‘una sabrosa sopita de frijoles,’ or ‘yummy bean soup’...Both versions have an easy flow that positively bubbles with the young chef’s elemental delight. * Booklist *
