Virtual Book Tour: El chocolate de Abuelita *GIVEAWAY*

Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita

by Mara Price

illustrated by Lisa Fields

Spanish translation by Gabriela Baeza Ventura

This weekend my mother is coming to visit.

And, as usual, my children are beyond excited. Apenas pueden aguantarse a que llegue 'Buelita. Every day they ask me when ‘Buelita will get here and yesterday I heard them whispering in the back of the car, wondering what sorts of gifts she would be bringing them. So it is perfect timing for me to share this new title by author Mara Price.

Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita is the sweet story of young Sabrina and the lessons she learns about her heritage during one of her Abuelita’s visits. Together they explore the many gifts that Abuelita has brought in her yellow suitcase, discussing the history of the objects and imagining what Sabrina’s life would be like if she were a Mayan princess. Special emphasis is place on cacao seeds and the origins of chocolate.

Written with full text in both English and Spanish, this book is an excellent source of Mesoamerican history. And it is presented in a manner that young children will be able to understand.

This book would also be a wonderful supplement to the following topics/themes: cooking/chocolate; indigenous cultures; family and relationships; cultures and traditions; and Aztec, Mayan, or Olmec studies. It is a great read for children ages 4 and up.

The LBBC is so happy to be involved in this virtual book tour, which has included some other great blogs.

In her story this past Wednesday on La Bloga, Price stated that the inspiration for this story was her own childhood memory of making and drinking hot chocolate with her abuelita. And I think that perhaps some of the best books that we have featured here on the LBBC are often those that describe the personal experiences that many of us share.

For those of you interested in the history of chocolate, this past Tuesday, on her blog, On Beyond Words & Pictures, Megan discussed the importance of chocolate in Mesoamerica and even shared a recipe for traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

And on Monday, Yuyi Morales posted the video trailer for this lovely book. I encourage you to stop over there and watch it.

Be sure to visit Adriana Dominguez’s blog, Voces, on Monday for the final day of the blog tour and learn about writing a history-based fiction children’s story.

For more information about Mara Price, visit her website. You can also meet her in person.

THE GIVEAWAY:

Mara is generously offering a signed copy of Grandma’s Chocolate/El chocolate de Abuelita to a LBBC reader. To enter for your chance to win, please leave a message on this post letting us know what part of your own heritage you’d like to share with your children or students?

For an additional entry, you can also:

• Join our Facebook page (be sure to leave a separate comment letting us know that you did!)

The deadline to enter is November 26th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (So PLEASE be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.)

¡Buena suerte!