by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris
Illustrations by Mariyah Rahman
Antheneum Books for Young Readers
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
2023
40 pages
ISBN: 9781665902731
What a beautiful book about love, food, culture, tradition and family!
Plántanos Are Love is is love letter to Puerto Rico and ancestors who passed down family recipes that not only feed the stomach but feed the soul.
A young girl learns to cook at her abuela's side and listens to stories about how the plantanos were harvested by her ancestors. She tells the girl that the recipes had to be memorized and passed down in secret since their ancestors were not allowed to write, read or draw.
At the mercado, Abuela explains, "Plantanos are love." The granddaughter sees this love in their family and friends. Sharing a meal brings them together and there is love. Abuela writes down the recipes in their family cookbook, so the recipes will go on in the future.
Many Spanish words in the text that add depth to the story. Those kids who don't know Spanish will learn new words. A glossary of terms as well as three family recipes from the author's family are included.
While not a bi-lingual book, it does contain almost fifty Spanish words. By using illustrations and context clues, even the youngest reader should be able to understand the word without using the glossary.
Illustrations by Mariyah Rahman capture the colors and food of the island. Author Alyssa Reynoso-Morris captures sounds of the kitchen as Abuela cooks: cracks, mashes, chops, fries, peels and sauté are words that must be read aloud. This picture book MUST be read aloud.
Highly recommended for every child's bookshelf.
Ages 3 and up.
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