Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida

by Ashley Marie Mireles, Edith Valle (Illustrator)

Did you know that there are over 5000 types of potatoes sold in South America? Or that in Honduras, a song about conch soup reached the Billboard Top 100 Charts?

Latino culture spans Southern and Central America as well as the Caribbean, but often when we think of Latino foods, we think tacos, burritos, and other common Mexican dishes. Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida teaches children how different Latino countries use similar ingredients to create unique regional dishes.

The dishes and their descriptions are given in both English and Spanish, and parents will enjoy the sidebars with additional fun facts about Latino food and culture. This bilingual board book takes the reader beyond a basic language primer and dives deep into the heart of Latino culture . . . which is the food, of course!

Genres: Food, Picture Books

20 pages, Board book

Published September 1, 2019

About the author

Ashley Marie Mireles is an author and publishing professional living in California’s Central Valley. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as well as the co-chair of IBPA’s DEI Committee and currently serves on the IBPA Board of Directors. She has published over 13 children’s books including 100 First Words for Little Californians, O is for Ocean, S is for Snow, Rock Legends Who Changed the World, and Little Fingers Ballet. As a child, she could be found in the local library or participating in the Young Author’s Fair. It was this early love of books that lead her to her career in publishing.

Ashley hopes that the books she helps to create, write, sell, and promote, will bring happiness to readers everywhere. She currently lives with her partner and their two rescue dogs in a home full of books!

Reviews

[Scott Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful bilingual children's book. While reading Proud to Be Latino: Food/Comida, I found it to be quite informative, and I loved the layout. Upon finishing it, I was surprised at the number of new things I had learned. I hope to see more books in the future from this author.

This book was gifted for review through the Multicultural Children's Book Day event on January 31, 2020. MCBD is in its seventh year. This non-profit children's literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators. Seven years in, MCBD's mission to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids' books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. #ReadYourWorld

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explores Latino food traditions and gives some wonderful information about different culinary traditions from Latin America and the Caribbean. There are pages for rice and beans, meats, corn maize, potatoes, salsa, chocolate, and more. Each page has the text in English and Spanish, designed for bilingual children or anyone who is learning a new language.

I love how this book celebrates Latino culture, the rich foods, and the beautiful traditions surrounding food festivals and sharing a meal with friends and family.

It's a nice board book and a great concept.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential. I love the idea behind it. The English is written well. The Spanish, on the other hand, is a grammatical and structural mess. So disappointed.

[Leticia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright, happy colors, bilingual text, and lots of foods that Violet could recognize from our own kitchen.

[HILLORI MORSE · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a recipe book!!!

I thought this was a recipe book. It just states what different foods are. Not worth the purchase if you’re looking for more

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.