Arroz Con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America

by Lulu Delacre

A collection of traditional Latin-American songs and rhymes, in Spanish and English, with the music included.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Spanish Literature, Picture Books, Cultural

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Three-time Pura Belpré Award honoree Lulu Delacre has been writing and illustrating children's books since 1980. The New York Times Bestselling artist was born and raised in Puerto Rico to Argentinean parents. Delacre says her Latino heritage and her life experiences inform her work. Her many titles include Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America, a Horn Book Fanfare Book in print for over 30 years. Her bilingual picture book ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! Descubriendo el bosque nublado; Olinguito, from A to Z! Unveiling the Cloud Forest and her story collection Us, in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos have received multiple starred reviews and awards. Among her latest works are the art of Turning Pages by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Luci Soars. Delacre has lectured internationally and served as a juror for the National Book Awards. She has exhibited at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, The Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators in New York, the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, and the Zimmerli Art Museum among other venues. Reading is Fundamental honored her with a Champion of Children’s Literacy Award. For more visit her at www.luludelacre.com.

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of Spanish songs and nursery rhymes with correlating English translations right beside. Good for bilingual children, those learning, or those just wanting to read some nursery rhymes from another culture. The book is a little outdated, but still great content. Included in the back are several of the songs with the musical notes written out.

[Ceci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorites that my mom read to me growing up and I have truly enjoyed reading it again and looking at the illustrations that I enjoyed looking at.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards received?
n/a

Appropriate Grade level?
K and up

Original Summary:
Lulu Delacre introduces her readers to twelve catchy Latin American Rhymes and Songs. The songs/rhymes discuss a variety of topics ranging from the hand of a child to heaven’s gate. Each verse is written with english on one side and Spanish on the other, with wonderful, vibrant visuals surrounding them.

Original Review:
Lulu Delacre beautifully portrays twelve popular Latin American Songs and Rhymes in both English and Spanish. This book is wonderful for diverse classrooms. With the book being dual written, Delacre allows her readers to read the book in the language of preference, or both languages for a learning experience. The back of the book has the musical melodies to enhance the experience even more!

1-2 possible in-class uses:
Students view learning languages as learning secret codes. This book allows for students to compare English and Spanish. Having students sing along to the Spanish and english verse will have them engaged and excited. This could be an in class discussion, especially if the class is going to be welcoming a Spanish speaker, or if the class already consists of a Spanish speaking individual.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ages: Kindergarten- 5th grade

Summary: Arroz con leche is a compilation of various nursery rhymes and songs of various latin american countries but focuses on Puerto Rican and Mexican nursery rhymes. With beautiful illustrations bilingual students are captivated by the rhythm and rhyme of other languages as well as the illustrations.

Review: Arroz con leche is a beautiful book that centers on Puerto Rican and Mexican songs. Readers are captivated by the beautiful colors of the illustrations and the songs that are also translated in english. Students, bilingual or not, have the opportunity to create connections.

Uses: cultures, rhythm, rhyme,

[Ardyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this collection. Most of the nursery rhymes are from Puerto Rico, a few from Mexico and one or two from Argentina.

Note the English is not a technically-exact translation. It seems like the translator wanted to go for a similar feel, which is good. But... the English edition of the poems isn't nearly as catchy or lovely as the original Spanish.

The final few pages of the book are lead sheets for the nursery rhymes / songs. So, in addition to being achievable content for young Spanish learners, the melodies and cues for improv harmonizing are here for families to plunk out on their instrument(s) of choice.

[Jessica]

Tres ideas de canciones para usar en la hora de cuentos:

Qué Linda Manito

Qué linda manito
que tiene el bebé
qué linda, qué mona
qué bonita es.

Pequeños deditos
Rayosas de sol,
que gire que gire
como un girasol.

-

Aserrín, Aserrán

Asserín, aserrán
los maderos de San Juan.
Los de Pedro comen queso,
Los de Enrique, alfeñique...
¡Ñique, ñique, ñique!

-

Qué llueva

¡Qué llueva! ¡Qué llueva!
La virgen de la cueva,
Los pajaritos cantan, las nubes se levantan,

¡Qué sí! ¡Què no!
¡Que caiga el chaparrón!

[Library Lady Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that each song or rhyme had an attribute to the country from which it came. There is also sheet music in the back if you wanted to attempt to play/sing the songs and rhymes. I loved the soft edges of the illustrations.

*One note - At the end of the author's note it mentions that you can make the recipe for Arroz con leche after you are done reading. I read the paperback version and there is a small image of a recipe on the back cover. I'm thinking the full recipe is on the endpapers of the hard back version.

[Kathy]

1.None
2.Preschool-3
3.This book has songs both in Spanish and English. All the songs included are from Latin America. There are some that you can use your body to move along too it.
4. I like that it has the songs in both languages, traditional songs that latinos have listen too. The songs are not long songs so they are easy to share with the class. At the end, it even has for someone to play an instrument making it more entertaining.
5. Transitions, learning another language, rhyming

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, but the title is misleading. Claims to include popular songs from Latin America even though it only includes songs & rhymes from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Argentina.

Out of the 12 rhymes, 7 are Puerto Rican, 3 Mexican, and 2 Argentinean. No other Latin American countries are included.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very imaginative poem about cooking rice pudding/arroz con leche. It is written in Spanish and then English. The woodblock paintings are full of movement and fun.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) No awards
2) ages 4-8
3) The book Arroz con leche is a great song book that incorporates different elements of life such as nature and animals. The songs are short, written in English and Spanish. This book can benefit students whose native language is Spanish.
4) I thought this was a great book to use with students because it is written in English and Spanish. This is a great way for students to learn a second language by referring to the illustrations and to the other language that appears side by side. The illustrations can become very useful for english learners to understand the text.
5) This book can be used to create an assignment where a Spanish speaker has to interpret the poem written in English and vice versa. This book can also be used throughout the day during transitions.

[Nicole Raabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) Awards: No awards

2) Age Range: Preschool-3rd grade

3) Summary: This book offers both rhymes and songs. On one side of the page is the Spanish version, which is accompanied by its english translation. At the back of the book is the sheet music, allowing for someone to play the tune while you sing the song.

4) Review: I enjoyed this collection as it could be useful for children that are learning english, providing them with a text that they can relate to. They can learn a lot from the translations, and feel apart of the classroom. The songs/rhymes are short but sweet.

5) In Class Use:
-building classroom community
-beginning the day

[Daniella Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. N/A
2. Pre-K -2nd
3. This book is a song book filled with songs in Spanish and English. They have the Spanish songs first and then next to them the translated English version. This book is easy to read and has nice pictures.
4. I like this book because it reaches a new audience. Students who speak Spanish can enjoy this book and learn the songs in English as well. Some of the songs that I was taught are in this book and it was nice to see them and have good memories come back.
5. Rhyming, dual language, singing.

[Alysses · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on Arroz Con Leche the Blog. Visit for a chance to win your own copy of this book.

I absolutely love this book! I remember buying this book years and years ago and being in awe with it. Being a Puerto Rican in the diaspora, I tend to grasp at anything that involves my culture and/or history. My family has always tried to maintain our roots alive and kicking even if we do live so very far from the island.
Now, being a mommy to a multi-racial child, I find that not only do I have to teach him about our history/culture, I also have to find ways to incorporate both Spanish and English in every way I can too.

This book is perfect for both tasks. In the pages of this book you will find rhymes that children all over Latin America play and dance to. They are not only in Spanish but in English too!

This I find absolutely wonderful since many of our kids are already learning Spanish or some other language other than English in school.

I do have to say that the illustrations are not true depictions of our people but the songs truly are. I found memories of my parent's childhood and of mine too within these pages. Perhaps you can too. :-)

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arroz Con Leche Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America selected and illustrated by Lulu Delacre
Award Winning Children’s Book
Grade Preschool-3 or Age 4-8
Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America is a book comprised of various songs from Latin America. It has twelve songs and a few melodies in it. Each song gives both the words in Spanish and English.
Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America is a book with beautiful pictures that go along with whichever song has been picked on that page. It also gives the origin of the song under the Spanish translation.
This book could be used for a variety of reasons. It could be used for a multicultural classroom, to bring students together. It could also be used to help struggling English Language Learners. If the ENL’s read this teachers can see if the student is having trouble reading, or just having trouble with his or her English.

[Stephanie Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great little book of songs and rhymes from Latin America. First, Delacre includes the English translation for each poem and puts it next to the Spanish verse. This makes it a great book for ELL students. Secondly, the author includes notes for how to gesture with the hands while singing/saying the verses, which makes this a great read loud book to younger children. Finally, the sheet music is also included in the back of the book in case children are interested in singing the tunes. Needless to say, the author includes many elements in the book that makes the verses engaging and interactive.

Perhaps what I love most about this book of verses is the beauty of the Spanish language. As I was reading the poems out loud, it dawned on me how musical Spanish is. It certainly makes one appreciate the language even more.

[Colleen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Arroz con Leche" by Lulu Delacre is a collection of songs and rhymes listed in both Spanish and English that discuss different practices of the Latin American culture. It is best suited for 2nd through 4th grades. Each rhyme is accompanied by a small illustration along with their country of origin. At the end there are more structured songs that are presented with music notes. I love that this book has songs in both languages. I think this is a great way to instill an acceptance of different cultures onto the students in the beginning of the year. Having the countries listed is also a great classroom conversation starter. This book could be used in upper elementary classrooms for an early Spanish lesson by learning to read and recite the songs/rhymes. It could also be used in a lower elementary classroom as an introduction to a unit about cultures and their customs or traditions.

[Callie]

Grade/interest level: Early childhood/Primary (PreK-3rd)
Reading level: reading level equivalent approx. 1.5
Genre: Poetry/Multicultural

Main Characters: Various
Setting: Various
POV: Various

Summary:
This is a collection of twelve songs and poems from across Latin America. The text is in both English and Spanish. The watercolor illustrations of Latin American locations and cities are beautiful and bring the poems and songs to life.

Classroom use/theme:
The fact that the text is in two languages makes it ideal for English language learners. The songs within the book also provide opportunities for collaboration with the music teacher (if your school has one).

I would use this book to incorporate culture into my classroom and foster the language skills of my bilingual students.

[Ckorbakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

We began to use this with social studies this year. We have been learning the continents and focusing on a continent every week. During South America, the music teacher was pushing in with my class. We selected several of the songs and games and sang them and played them with her. Each one tells which country it comes from. It was fun trying to interpret them with the students. They came up with some great ideas.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me think of my own childhood. Not because I'm familiar with the songs and rhymes, but because my own collection of nursery rhymes, clapping games, jump rope songs were essential to play. What a wonderful way to tap into children's store of rhyme and poetry! Delacre includes the music for many of the selections along with translation. Of course, all of the rhyme and rhythm is in the Spanish. The colorful, sun-drenched illustrations give cultural context and hints about content.

[Sam Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked that it had the music written out and that it identified where each song was from (that is, most of the songs are "from" everywhere, but each place has its own variation, so this told you which variation you were getting). The illustrations weren't memorable for me, and I wish there had been more versions/countries represented, though.

[Miriam Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book about Latin American rhymes and songs reminded me of when I was little and my mom taught me the songs. This book is sure to relate to many Latin students in your classroom and as a teacher you can also teach thoes students about rhyming and culture.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bilingual books are so important, and a bilingual poetry book even more so. Definitely glad I ran across this one.

Wish I had a CD so I could hear the melody that goes with each of these since they all were unfamiliar. Hopefully there will be children in the class that know them.

[Amanda!puertorico05b · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS ONE OF MY TOP 10 BOOKS :)

Ilike this book because it has songs that my family used to sing to me when i was little and its songs that most of them realate to me and my culture very well,and having a family that is very big on are culture.,this book means alot.

[Zoila Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of rhymes and songs from Latin America, mostly from Puerto Rico, Mexico and Argentina. A few I was familiar with from my childhood so I enjoyed reading them. they are written in both Spanish and English. I think this would be good for children who are English learners.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My one year old calls this book "leche" with hilarious one-year-old pronunciation. Fun pictures, has the “un elefante se balanceaba” song, has written music at the back of the book so you know the tune.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good companion book for Jose Luis Orozco CDs in a Spanish classroom.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept: SPanish songs and rhymes.
Not sure if this right for TRC or not.
More of parent book. Maybe good for playgroups?