The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred

Cleverly written and beautifully illustrated, The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred is the story of a young farm girl and a group of helpful animals who join together to make a large pot of rice pudding ~ arroz con leche.  Each new character adds a needed ingredient or cooking supply for the dessert recipe.

Written in the fashion of The House that Jack Built, Samantha R. Vamos introduces children to Spanish by first presenting a word in English and then replacing that word with its Spanish equivalent.  The result is a lyrical, bilingual book that engages children by using language in a fun, musical way.

The illustrations are rich and colorful and vividly portray the culture of Latin America.  Rafael Lopez is the artist behind these vibrant pages.  His magical style brings life to the farm maiden and animals, and the color and detail add excitement to every scene.  It is no wonder Rafael has won many awards for his art including the Pura Belpre Award - an award given annually to Latino authors and illustrators whose work captures and celebrates latino culture through children's literature.

I read The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred to my six year old daughter.  A young lover of music and language, she was interested and engaged in this poetic story.  There's a rice pudding recipe at the end of the book that we've decided to try.  It sounds delicious!  She and I both recommend this wonderful book.

Blog you later!

Ali B.