Friday, May 17, 2019

Picture Book Friday


Holy Squawkamole! By Susan Wood with illustrations by Laura Gonzalez is a lively twist on the traditional tale, The Little Red Hen.



In this rollicking Southwestern-themed story, the Little Red Hen hankers after some guacamole and tries to enlist the help of Coati, Armadillo, Snake, and Iguana to gather the ingredients from her garden and then mash and mix them in her cocina. True to the original plot, everyone has an excuse to avoid the work, but each is quick to offer to share in the treat. So, the Little Red Hen, la gallinita roja, gathers avocados, plucks tomatoes, digs onions, and snips cilantro all by herself. She mashes and mixes all by herself. Then … she adds a secret ingredient and invites all the lazy animals to share in the dish.

The lively text utilizes Spanish terms that are cleverly integrated into the narrative. Gonzalez’s vibrant illustrations are detailed and warmly appealing.

Wood enriches the content with two author notes: The History of Guacamole traces this delectable dish back to ahuacamolli (avocado sauce) first made by the Aztecs of Mexico in the 1300s. And there is also, La Gallinita Roja’s Guacamole Recipe with some helpful hints.

A glossary provides definitions for the Spanish terms.

Recommended for young readers or as a read aloud.

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