SOPA DE FRIJOLES/BEAN SOUP

This free-verse cooking poem is more than a simple recipe for bean soup. Argueta’s lyrical Spanish translated into its counterpart English is filled with visual and aromatic imagery that turns soup-making into art. Describing ingredients such as water “whose caresses give us life,” garlic cloves each “in a little white dress” and salt sprinkled “as though it were rain blossoming from your hand,” Argueta’s metaphorical instructions produce bean-filled water that doesn’t just boil, but sings as it turns brown, “the color of mother Earth,” making the house smell “like the earth after the first winter rains.” Yockteng’s parallel earthy-toned paintings oppose each new instructive page, illustrating an animated boy performing each step of the recipe until the inviting scent and warmth of the kitchen beckons a loving family to the table. Starred cues appropriately indicate adult help where needed in this eloquent rendering of a nutritious and delicious meal. (Picture book. 5-8)