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A Song of Frutas
A brown-skinned girl speaks glowingly of her abuelo, who works as un pregonero, or singing street vendor, in his Cuban town. As he pushes his cart through the town singing out the names of the fruit he has for sale, his song is “as powerful as an opera singer’s glorious voice.” The girl describes other sights and sounds she witnesses, from customers arguing about prices to other pregoneros selling tamales, herbs, sweet potatoes, and, best of all, candy, each one with a special name and song. On New Year’s Eve, people rush to buy their 12 grapes per person so they can make a wish for each month of the coming year. Palacio’s sprightly illustrations bring the busy streets to life, as the story concludes with the narrator describing how difficult it is to visit her grandfather in Cuba, and how they keep in touch through letters, each syllable “a hug made of words.” An author’s note provides more information about Spanglish, Cuban street vendors, travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba, and the Latine tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve. ©2022 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-7
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
City Life
Cubans and Cuban Americans
Food and Cooking
Grandfathers
Music and Musicians
Diversity subject:
Latine
Publishers:
Atheneum, Simon & Schuster
Publish Year: 2021
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9781534444898
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Engle
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