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Guacamole

Author: Jorge Argueta 

Region: North America, U.S., Mexico

Original Language: Spanish

Translator: Elisa Amado 

Illustrator: Margarita Sada 

Genre: Poetry, Songs, and Rhymes

Descriptors: Avocados, cooking, families, guacamole, and recipes.   

Age: 5-10 years old

Programming: Guacamole Storytime

Review 

“Yummy, yummy guacamole!” Jorge Argueta has written a catchy cooking poem to teach young chefs how to cook a Mexican side dish known as guacamole. The story, Guacamole, is told from the point of view of a young girl who wants to make guacamole for her mother, father, brother, and sister. Our young chef gathers her ingredients, ties her apron, and dances around the kitchen. After all, “food tastes better when you sing and dance.” Then, she walks the audience through picking four large avocados, slicing them, removing the pits, and adding their flesh to a dish. She adds salt, cilantro, and lime to her dish before mixing everything up. The end result is delicious guacamole that will make any reader’s mouth water. Argueta ends the story by telling the children to plant their avocado skins and pits, along with the lime’s skin and seeds so that one day the world will have more ingredients to make guacamole. Illustrator, Margarita Sada has created art that jumps off the pages in pops of greens and reds. The lyrical writing of this picture book and bright illustrations invite young readers to enjoy a story. However, the directions on each page encourage older children to follow along and make guacamole alongside our main character. That being said, Argueta does include warnings in parts of the story that require adult supervision. For example, asterisks are seen over the words where the chef must slice open the avocado or the lime. Therefore, though children are encouraged to participate in creating guacamole, they are not intended to work with knives directly. Aside from this warning, the book is fun for the whole family. Guacamole is available bilingually through eBook or print.

More About This Book

Reviewed: print book by Groundwood Books; Bilingual edition (2016). ISBN 9781554981335.

Reviewed by: Raquel Martinez 

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