WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A PALETA?
by Carmen Tafolla and illustrated by Magaly Morales
In any Latino barrio, the highlight of a summer afternoon filled with the sweet and savory smells of flowers and crispy tacos is the arrival of the paleta vendor with his deliciously cool fruit popsicles. Made in a variety of flavors and colors, the paleta can be the inspiration for fun and creativity with old and new friends. Purple tongues, blue mustaches, a palette of swirly, drippy art—all are second to the real enjoyment of a paleta: “to…/ lick it and slurp it / and sip it and munch it / and gobble it all down.” Tafolla’s English text sprinkles easily recognizable Spanish words throughout, creating a parallel to the Anglo neighborhood ice-cream truck in a very Latin setting. Morales’s ethnically detailed acrylic paintings in earthen tones against primary colors help to identify the key Spanish words and augment the circular story pattern, in which the introductory verses repeat in the final pages. A simultaneous dual-language edition presents a parallel Spanish translation that accompanies the English text (ISBN: 978-1-58246-289-9). (Picture book. 3-6)