Tamalitos: Un Poema Para Cocinar / A Cooking Poem (bilingual Cooking Poems) [Paperback]

In this bilingual cooking poem for young children, Jorge Argueta encourages more creativity and fun in the kitchen as he describes how to make tamalitos from corn masa and cheese, wrapped in cornhusks.

The book opens with an homage to corn — white, yellow, blue, purple, red and black. In Maya mythology the first men and women are even said to be made of corn. It has been an important food for people in Central America for centuries, and one of the most delicious things you can make using corn masa and husks are tamalitos, or little tamales.

In simple poetic language, Argueta shows young cooks how to mix and knead the dough before dropping a spoonful into a cornhusk, wrapping it up and then steaming the little package. He once again makes cooking a full sensory experience, including beating on a pot like a drum, dancing the corn dance, delighting in the smell of corn masa … And at the end, he suggests inviting the whole family to come and enjoy the delicious tamalitos “made of corn with love.”

Domi’s vivid paintings, featuring a sister and her little brother making tamalitos together, are a perfect accompaniment to the colorful text.

• Combines reading with a fun activity the whole family can participate in; steps that require adult supervision are marked.
• Bilingual text appeals to parents who want to expose their children to another language at an early age.
• Written by an award-winning author and poet who is very active on the speaking circuit at schools and libraries.
• The final book in the successful Cooking Poems series to be released in paperback.
• Lexile: AD820L
• Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2-3.1,2,3,4,5,7,10

“Even for novice chefs (and readers) the ‘Ummmm’s are easily attainable.”Kirkus Reviews

“Domi’s paintings communicate plenty of enthusiasm, and readers may feel the pull to ‘Baila la danl³’