Author : Becky Chavarria-Chairez,
Illustrator : Anne Vega, Translator :Gabriela Baeza Ventura
Preschool - 2nd Grade
Las tortillas de Magda - Magdas Tortillas
Las tortillas de Magda - Magdas Tortillas, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Becky Chavarria-Chairez, Anne Vega, Gabriela Baeza Ventura, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9781558852860, $16.95
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Seven-year-old Magda Madrigal remembers when she was a little girl and watched her abuela making tortillas. Having studied closely the techniques of a master, she now feels confident of her own ability to turn out beautiful, delicious, and round tortillas. But somehow the rolling pin and the kitchen comal still hold a few surprises for the perplexed Magda and her delighted family.
"The book has a celebratory tone blended with gentle themes of individuality and acceptance." —School Library Journal
Publishers
Weekly :
Grade 2-4-Magda Madrigal is turning seven years old and her grandmother has
promised to teach her how to make tortillas. She knows it is important to copy
her grandmother's every move so that her tortillas will turn out round and
perfectly formed. But it isn't as easy as it looks. All of Magda's attempts
result in fanciful shapes: stars, hearts, bananas, hexagons, and lakes. She is
very frustrated by what she sees as her failed attempts until she hears her
family's delight and bathes in their praise of her first tortillas.
Unfortunately for this heartwarming story, the Spanish text does not read as
smoothly as the English. The translator tried too hard to render the English
phrases into Spanish, resulting in stilted syntax. Despite this weakness, the
translation is serviceable, and the subject covered will be well received by
Mexican American readers for portraying their culture. The full-color
illustrations feature a wide-eyed Magda in every scene. The artist has done a
wonderful job of depicting a handsome Hispanic American family. A great pick for
story-time activities in school and public libraries. Recommended for all
bilingual collections. M.O.B.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
School Library Journal :
Kindergarten-Grade 2-On Magda's seventh birthday, her grandmother gives her a
cooking lesson. The child struggles with the warm, soft dough, but cannot
produce perfect, round tortillas like Abuela's. When the woman points out that
the girl's pancake is shaped like a heart, her granddaughter is surprised, but
still determined to make a round one. Subsequent efforts turn out other shapes-a
star, a banana, and a hexagon, among others-all of which are served at Magda's
merienda (afternoon snack in honor of a birthday). Though she is embarrassed by
her creations and afraid everyone will laugh at her, her family is delighted
with the shaped treats. Her Mam' calls her a "tortilla artist" and her
uncle takes pictures. When Magda's cousins beg Abuela to teach them to bake,
too, she tells them that she can only teach them how to make the dough, but that
Madga holds the secret for making the special designs. The story is told in
English and Spanish. Single-spread illustrations, generous in shape and color,
capture the girl's exhilaration and enrich the flavors of the story. Abuela and
Magda's periwinkle aprons and bright-colored clothing stand out against the warm
butterscotch shades of the kitchen. The book has a celebratory tone blended with
gentle themes of individuality and acceptance. Pair this with Gary Soto's Too
Many Tamales (Putnam, 1993) for a festive ethnic treat.
Booklist :
Magda is excited about her seventh birthday; her aubela is showing her how to
make tortillas. But no matter how hard Magda tries to roll the dough into round
spheres, she can't. Stars, hearts, and birds appear out of the dough, but no
circles. Magda is embarrassed when the family comes in to celebrate her birthday
with tortillas, but everyone is intrigued by the super-shaped edibles--and
Grandmother puts a shine on the party by proclaiming Magda an artist. The warmth
and affection between Magda and her grandmother will resonate with children who
have similar relationships. The oversize artwork is colorful, though the
characters are often on the stiff side, and unfortunately many of the pictures
feature family members just standing or looking at each other. The English
appears at the top of the text page; the Spanish translation, by Julia Mercedes
Castilla, appears at the bottom, with the text blocks separated by a small
charming cameo of Magda's tortillas. A glossary might have been nice, but most
of the Spanish words in the English text can be gleaned through the context.
Bilingual
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