Salsa: Un poema para cocinar / A Cooking Poem

by Jorge Argueta, Duncan Tonatiuh (Illustrations), Elisa Amado (Translation)

In this new cooking poem, Jorge Argueta brings us a fun and easy recipe for a yummy salsa. A young boy and his sister gather the ingredients and grind them up in a molcajete, just like their ancestors used to do, singing and dancing all the while.

The children imagine that their ingredients are different parts of an orchestra — the tomatoes are bongos and kettledrums, the onion, a maraca, the cloves of garlic, trumpets and the cilantro, the conductor. They chop and then grind these ingredients in the molcajete, along with red chili peppers for the “hotness” that is so delicious, finally adding a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of salt. When they are finished, their mother warms tortillas and their father lays out plates, as the whole family, including the cat and dog, dance salsa in mouth-watering anticipation.

Winner of the International Latino Book Award for Guacamole, Jorge Argueta has once again written a recipe-poem that families will delight in.

Each book in the cooking poem series features a talented illustrator from the Latino world. In Salsa the text is complemented by the rich, earthy illustrations of Duncan Tonatiuh, winner of the Pura Belpré Award. His interest in honoring the art of the past in contemporary contexts is evident in these wonderful illustrations, which evoke the pre-Columbian Mixtec codex.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Food, Childrens, Family, Latinx, Spanish Literature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 10, 2015

About the author

Jorge Argueta is a celebrated award-winning poet and author of many highly acclaimed bilingual children's books and short stories, covering themes related to Latino culture and traditions, nature, and the immigrant experience.
A native Salvadoran and Pipil Nahua Indian, Jorge spent much of his childhood in rural El Salvador. He immigrated to the United States in the 1980s during the Salvadoran Civil War.
Jorge lives in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salsa is a bilingual cooking written as a poem that shows the reader how to make authentic Mexican salsa. In this poetic recipe, a brother and sister gather the ingredients to make homemade salsa. As they gather the ingredients we learn small snippets of Mexican culture while they cook. Well known author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh add his traditional touches of Mexican flare to each page he has created. Salsa is one of 3 cooking poem books written by Jorge Argueta- Tamalitos and Sopa de Frijoles/Bean Soup are written in similar style and showcase more authentic Mexican culture. This book is written in English and Spanish therefore making it a perfect choice for many different classroom settings. Metaphors and similes on almost every page bring the text to life and add to the lighthearted vibe of the story. This book would be suitable to use in a variety of ways and for different purposes. Integration into a unit on figurative language, learning about Mexican culture, or even a cooking class could all be valid uses for this poem. Salsa can be found electronically on Epic, a read aloud on YouTube, local libraries, and for sale on Amazon.

[Grace Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the history of the molcajete to the traditions of the family, this is a great book to learn vocabulary. I would have this in my class for dual language learners.

[Emily Scolaro]

This was a story about making salsa. The siblings gather the ingredients and they imagine the ingredients as instruments. This would be a good book for a classroom so that children can learn a little bit about Mexican culture. I think it is helpful that the book is written in English and Spanish so that more people have the chance to read it.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Salsa roja, sabor de amor." A beautiful bilingual poem, written in Spanish and English, that uses despricptive language to tell the process of making salsa from the creation of the molcajete and tejolote to the picking of the chiles to the first taste of salsa. Tonatiuh's illustrations beautifully company this vivid poem. "[S]alsa, it tastes like love."

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A joyful celebration of cooking a traditional dish together as a family.

[Patricia]

Read for Librarian Book Group
Have fun learning how to make salsa in two languages. Enjoy Tonatiuh's illustrations.

[Sara Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the blending of history, food and dance in this fun salsa book. I'm inspired to host a salsa contest with bilingual reading at our upcoming culture night!

[Beth P · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love? Poetry, how-to, bilingual book comparing making salsa to music and tying in Nahua, Mayan and Aztec culture.

[Emily Sauther · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book, Jorge Argueta, is an award winning poet of many different bilingual children's books. He grew up in El Salvador, and shares with us this book, Salsa, which poetically teaches us an important dish in his heritage and culture. Told simultaneously in English and Spanish, this procedural text takes readers through the steps of how to make salsa. All along the way, the author weaves in the cultural significance of all parts of making salsa starting with the molcajetes used by the Nahua, Axtec, and Maya people, all the way to the family fun that happens today around the traditional food.

While this is a procedural text, it is told in rhythmic verse which holds the reader's ear and adds the same fun tone making salsa must bring. The author calls it a cooking poem. There are many instances of onomatopoeia in this book, and because it is told in both english and spanish at the same time, I was able to compare the onomatopoeia words in both languages which was very interesting.

The character development in this book is a bit thin as the main purpose of the story is to show how to make the salsa. However, one can see the cultural importance of the dish both historically and for family which adds depth. At the end of the book, the text highlights how every member of the family gets involved to enjoy a meal together, and the illustrations show them all dancing and enjoying each other's company. The illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh, is known for his pre-Colombian traditional art style which is present throughout the story. The textures used to create the characters, and style of the characters are very unique in result, and really draw the reader into the story.

[Juliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salsa: Un poema para cocinar is a book that gives a glimpse of what is it like being apart of Spanish culture, during the duration of this book they are making salsa homemade and they talks about the ingredients and the importance with those ingredients. This book is an amazing way for children of all ages and adults to learn about the Spanish culture and what is important to them and how they show it. I feel that this book is a great one to have in the classroom library, it is a word focused book so older children would have a better time following along and understating it. I would 100% have this in my classroom even though my children are not the focused age group of this I would simply have this standing up in the classroom so that children can see and look through it and possibly create questions based off of that. I would also love to do an activity based off of this book. One thing that I will take this book and apply in my classroom is that it is ok to have books that are geared towards a higher age group than you may have because it can allow them to push them selves further.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salsa: Un poema para cocinar by Jorge Argueta, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh and translated by Elisa Amado, is a creative take on an informative book for a salsa recipe. After reading it on Epic!, I was immediately impressed with the images and choice of words that were authentic to my culture and my heritage.

The metaphors used to describe different ingredients that go into the salsa make great comparisons that students can understand and relate to, as many of our students have heard music while they cook, help cook or watch their family members cook. There are many aspects of good, quality poetry that could be used for students to discuss and use as a mentor text to write their own versions of recipes in a poetic writing style. Students at the elementary and middle school level will enjoy this book!

[Dayanara Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it really resonated with me. It is a book in Spanish that talks about how salsa is made in a Hispanic household. They use the same ingridients and cooking utensils that my family at home uses to make spicy salsa. It also talks about how many years ago, the Mayans and Aztecs also used molcajetes for the same reason. This book can be used in my classroom to teach students about the Mexican tradition of using a molcajete to make salsa. It is a book in both English and Spanish so it can be read in both languages. The hispanic students in my classroom would probably be able to relate to this book as well, and it can also be used to have conversations about different types of salsas students eat or different ways their parents make it at home.

[Shelby Schrock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bilingual poem which combines cooking and music. The story follows a young boy as he gathers the ingredients to make salsa, a culturally significant dish in Latinx households. He discusses the importance and significance of this delicious dip and walks the readers through the steps of making it. This book is in both English and Spanish, with the English translation incorporating bits and pieces of Spanish vocabulary. I would love to incorporate this book into a unit where the class walks through the steps of making salsa, learning vocabulary terms, and makes salsa together to try. This is a great book to keep in a classroom library as it contains both English and Spanish which makes it very accessible for English language learners.

[Abby Pandina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an average of 3.96 stars, the copyright date is 2015, and the major themes include cooking, salsa, and food as connection to family and culture. My favorite part of this poem is when the different salsa ingredients are compared to instruments in an orchestra. So beautiful! I would love to use this book as a tool to "marinate" my classroom in poetry. This would be a great read aloud for my class. I love that each page includes the verse written in both Spanish and English. I would love to have my Spanish speaking students read the Spanish parts to the class while we read it in English together as well.

[Maggie Cabral · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows the whole journey of how salsa is made going back to techniques used by their ancestors. It also shows the different ingredients and steps to make different salsas. I really enjoyed this book for the educational but also an accurate depiction of making cultural foods. I resonated with this book as a Mexican and wish I had it when I was young. I think this book would be very beneficial for my students (since I intend to teach in a large latino population) for them to see themselves in their books at school and learn more about their culture. I also would use this book to educate children about another culture.

[Emily Ramos-Niaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! I cook with my great-grandmother and learn about all of our families recipes, including salsa, all the time. It was so fun to recognize the ingredients and how they use a molcojete! I actually still have one at my house and it was great to see that represented in a children's book. I highly recommend this to anyone! You don't have to be of Mexican descent to understand the tale. It would be a fun read for children interested in cooking or for introducing different cultural foods and traditions.

[Meghan]

This is a bilingual poem that talks about making salsa. This book starts off by describing a mortar bowl and where it came from. The cultural history is then shared. They then describe making salsa with their family, using the same ingredients as their ancestors. They sing and dance to make their salsa and grow their limes through a lime tree. This book is representing their culture and history of their culture and traditions. This would be a great book to show representation of the Spanish language in the book as well as share different languages to those who may not know any Spanish.

[Alix Kopf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright Date: 2015
Genre: Poetry
Theme: Cooking, Food, Family, Bilingual
My favorite part of this book is at the end where the family is dancing salsa after they just got done making salsa. This would be a great book for my ELL students as it is a bilingual book. My ELL students could read this book to my students who don't know Spanish. This book could engage in a great learning opportunity. This would be a great read aloud book since it is fun and engaging.

[Hailey Crater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright 2015
Poetry
Theme: The importance of family traditions and cultures, food, and bilingual

My favorite part of this poetry book was when the different ingredients were being compared to musical instruments and how the family danced while making the salsa. In my future classroom, I would have this book available for my ELL students that speak Spanish, so they can read the book in their language and be able to see the translation below their home language's text.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star rating: 4
Copyright date: 2015
Theme: Cooking, poetry, culture

I really liked how this is a bilingual book. It shows a lot of culture and is fun to read. I think many students would feel a connection with this book. I also liked how descriptive it is, such as describing the types of foods. It gives you a very good image of what is going on. I would definitely have this in my classroom as I see it being a big benefit to emergent bilingual students.

[Brianna Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like that this book is bilingual and is written in Spanish and English. The book did a great job portraying a different culture, as well as demonstrating how the Aztec and Maya people use these stone bowels or Molcajetes to grind many different foods. The young girl and boy in the book explain how their family uses molcajetes to make red or green salsa. This book does a great job portraying cultural differences, as well as giving examples of other cultures' languages and backgrounds.

[Alexandra Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bilingual children's book shows the process of making salsa as a poetic and culinary adventure. It combines vibrant illustrations with simple text to guide readers through the ingredients and steps involved in creating salsa, while highlighting the cultural and sensory aspects of cooking.
In the classroom, this book can be used to explore diverse cultures and languages, and serve as a starting point to discuss the cultural significance of food and cooking in different communities.

[Erin O'Halloran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's book that combines poems and cooking. This book has the same poem twice on the page. The first poem is in Spanish followed by the same poem translated in English. This cooking poem is how to make salsa. It includes the culture and tradition of making this delicious dip. In the future after reading this book to children I will have children make their on recipe for salsa and have them pick their ingredients and measurements.

[Ashlyn Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a bilingual poem about cooking in Spanish. This book would best be used in a classroom where there are ESL students, but does not have to be limited to that and is a good way for students to explore other languages and cultures. As the teacher when reading this book, I should have some knowledge of what the Hispanic words are in English so I can translate or direct students to a baseline understanding.

[Emma Trader · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I love how the book is in both English in Spanish, which makes it more accessible to bilingual students. I love how the author shares the importance of family, food, and culture through this beautiful story about salsa. I love the details and descriptions as well. I would definitely share this story with my future students and maybe it could spark a conversation about cultures and different foods that are a part of those cultures.

[Haley English · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story compares salsa ingredients to orchestra instruments, celebrating cooking, Latin culture, and family. Because it's less plot focused and more poetic, and written in both English and Spanish, it could be a good diverse text to use as a teaching tool in mainstream elementary or bilingual classrooms, specifically for poetry or learning about similes / metaphors which appear throughout the whole book.

[Emily Bremer]

Salsa: Un poema para cocinar is a bilingual, Spanish and English, picture book of the process of making salsa by using rhythm to celebrate family, food, and culture. I will include this in my future classroom library and use an audio read-aloud version so that children can hear the Spanish words pronounced correctly. This book would be a great way to introduce new vocabulary and talk about food from different cultures.

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of both authors here, Duncan Tonatiuh for his art, and Jorge Argueta for his words. This story blends a real life recipe for salsa with the dance and music that is salsa. It's fun to read and has sound effects incorporated. It's bilingual and is firmly rooted in Latinx culture. Highly recommended for 1st grade and up.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in all of Duncan Tonatiuh's works are gorgeous. Whenever I put one of his books up on a display shelf, his books are ALWAYS checked out. Part instructional, part poetry, part environmental - this children's picture book fits well in the ISD library.

Makes me want to go to my green grocer and make some yummy salsa for tonight.

[TaNera Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting way to write a recipe, it was fun and entertaining and a way to get your children or students to cook something in the classroom. You could discuss with them different recipes they know or if they know any one who makes salsa or just buys it. The pictures are great, and overall my daughter enjoyed it so that's a plus.