May's Libro del Mes: Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre

Salsa Stories

Illustrated by Lulu Delacre

The LBBC’s recommendation for January’s Libro del Mes, is Lulu Delacre’s Salsa Stories.

We’ve had several requests for reviews of more books geared towards older children. And while we plan to continue to share with you new picture books for younger kids, we are planning to add a section for those of you with older children. It has been a delight to watch the Latino children’s literature market expand over the last few years, but there continues to be a need for more Latino children’s books and authors.

We are pleased that our Libro del Mes reflects the diversity within the Latino culture.

Salsa Stories is a collection of stories held together by one main character, Carmen Teresa, who receives the gift of a journal one New Year’s Eve night. To help her fill the pages, family and friends from all over Latin America each share a story from their childhood. Each story centers around either a typical food dish or a holiday celebrated in their respective country: Holy Week in Guatemala; tortillas from Cuba; the Night of San Juan in Puerto Rico; alfajores in Buenos Aires; the procession for the Lord of Miracles in Peru; and so on.

And the best part of this book may be that Delacre has included a chapter in the back with recipes from the stories! Yum!

While this is not a children’s picture book, Delacre has included illustrations in the form of linocuts, a type of relief printing which is created using similar techniques and tools to those used in the woodcut process. This style gives the book a very folkloric feel and allows older children to enjoy the illustrations without feeling baby-ish.

Salsa Stories is written in English with embedded Spanish text. Delacre does, however, include a glossary in the back of the book.

Parents and teachers: this book is perfect if you are discussing diversity within the Latino culture. It provides seven stories, reflecting different stories from six Spanish-speaking regions: Peru, Puerto Rico, Buenos Aires, Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala. Other topics include extended family, food and culture, holidays, Latin America, and more. This book is best suited for children ages 7 – 12.

Last year we were lucky to share with you our interview with Lulu Delacre - she is a talented and fascinating author and illustrator. You can also visit her website to learn more about the linocut process and for an additional student activity related to Salsa Stories.

If you would like to buy your own copy of Salsa Stories, please click here. Or you can follow the link in our sidebar to the LBBC’s on-line store. We have both new and gently used copies available.