What Can You Do with a Paleta?

by Carmen Tafolla, Magaly Morales (Illustrator)

Where the paleta wagon rings its tinkly belland carries a treasure of icy paletasin every color of the sarape . . .

As she strolls through her barrio, a young girl introduces readers to the frozen, fruit-flavored treat that thrills Mexican and Mexican-American children. Create a masterpiece, make tough choices (strawberry or coconut?), or cool off on a warm summer's day--there's so much to do with a paleta.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Food, Spanish Literature, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about summer and the flavors that are part of memory. The paleteros would come through neighborhoods with a wagon filled with paletas (fruit popsicles). I use to go to pick them up in San Jose (CA) when I went to the movies (watermelon was my favorite). A fun trip down memory lane.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bright and colorful tale talks about the common experience of enjoying a paleta or “popsicle” on a hot day. The characters in the story are shown in modern day settings wearing modern day clothing which makes the story feel current or "up to date". The depictions of a Hispanic village can be seen which offers many similarities to our own communities. Each page offers a rainbow of colors that catch your eye with every turn of the page. While the book is written in both Spanish and English, the English translation does have some Spanish words incorporated. I enjoyed the incorporation of because I feel that often times there are two translations on a page that do not seem to connect in any way. While reading a story about Hispanic people in a Hispanic setting, I think it is more impactful on the readers to get to experience Spanish words as well.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Can You Do with a Paleta? is a very cute, cultural picture book. The illustrations are mostly in orange, red, and pink tints and uses a lot of swirls and curves. The characters are centered around kids, but also mentions adults along the story. There is cultural vocabulary used, but besides that the vocabulary is simple. I think the book is cute, but I do not feel that there was anything that stood out about it to win an award. The story line was focused around paleta's, but did not seem to hold my interest nor do I feel like it would for a class of students. It may be a fun little book to read over the summer to introduce new words, but other than that I don't see a theme or directional point to go off for a class reading. I do enjoy the colors and prints in the illustrations, very interesting patterns and pretty designs. At the end of the book is a little section that gives some information about paletas and the different flavors there are, I think this is a good component since not everyone will have a background history of what a paleta is, though I do think having this information at the front would be more beneficial. Overall, it is a cute simple book, but not one I would use in a classroom.

[L13F_Jana Wilkening · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing about this book in class on Saturday, and briefly skimming through a classmate’s copy, I had to check the book out for myself. The story follows a young girl who is proud of her barrio (“THAT’S my barrio!”) and especially loves when the paleta cart comes to her block. She then describes with beautiful imagery all of the wonderful things you can do with a paleta, such as “paint your tongue purple and green and scare your brother.” The language (written in both English and Spanish) is rich, descriptive, and fun! However, I was most struck by the illustrations. The colors and illustrations in this book are astounding! The rainbow of color on every page is captivating. By the time I was done reading this book my mouth was watering for a paleta. No wonder this book won the top America's Award for 2010. I would use this in K-1 classrooms to teach word choice and description. However, this is a book I will buy for my future baby because I think it is also a great parent-child read aloud.

[Lisa Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Can You Do with a Paleta? is a cute story about a Hispanic girl who is proud of her barrio (town or village) and anxiously awaits for the paleta (popsicle) cart to come through her barrio. She then goes into great detail to describe the different flavors you can get and all of the different things you can do with them. Like "paint your tongue purple and scare your brother." The illustrations are curved, kind of like how you would see fudge swirls in your ice cream, or even how it comes out of the ice cream machine in the restaurants. They enhance the story a great deal too. You can actually imagine what the sweet watermelon would taste like as you see the bright pink paleta (my sweet tooth is aching just thinking about it). It is written in both English and Spanish. What is really cool is that the author is Mexican- American and puts a cute spin on a common topic for all young readers.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you do with a Paleta? is a book about the excitement of the people when the paleta wagon is in their barrio. This colorfully illustrated book describes what people do with their paletas (Popsicles) and the many mouth watering flavors to choose from. I like how the spanish words in the book, although few, do not repeat themselves in English. However, because of the wonderful illustrations, one is able to decipher the meaning of the words without it needing to be written for them again in English. I do think it would have been helpful for a short glossary though, to translate the words. I feel most children would relate to this book because even though a paleta wagon may not come through their neighborhood, an ice cream truck may have and they can relate their excitement to that experience.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young boys and girls who love ice cream will really enjoy "What Can You Do With a Paleta?" The text introduces the Mexican ice cream treat, paleta. The text is rich in describing the various things a child can do with the paleta while eating it, from having to first choose a flavor and then watching it turn your tongue different colors to using it as a paint brush as it melts to cooling yourself off on a hot summer day. The bright colors and drawings give a wonderful child's perspective of life in a barrio and the joys of eating a traditional treat. It is the 2010 Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Winner.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audience: Primary
Genre: Picture book-Cultural
Text-to-world connection: This book contains worldly connections because it takes the concept of the ice cream truck that we have in America, and relates it to the Hispanic culture. The colorful pictures would excite students and help them understand that people all over the world eat popsicles, play outside, and think of creative things to do with objects around them. These creative things might include painting their tongue with their popsicle, making a mustache, or cooling off with it on a hot summer day.

[Yareli Arellano · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Can You Do with a Paleta by Carmen Tafolla and illustrated by Magaly Morales. This book won the Thomas River Book Award. This book about a child telling her story about where she lives and the different actions or activities that you can do with a paleta. I would recommend this story because it has great description and also can help students learn about different cultures. This book can help with teaching students about diversity.

[Carolyn Vandine West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright colorful imaginative bi-lingual primary level. I have been reading these books to help with my vocabulary and pronunciation. This one was tricky, google translate couldn’t remember paleta was a popsicle. So that made for some interesting translations. This was a library book.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about the magic of an ice cold paleta. I loved the vibrant pictures and the way that the author connected the paleta to a feeling of connectedness amongst neighbors.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read aloud with great vocabulary in English and Spanish (e.g., lick, slurp, munch, sip, gobble). The illustrations are vibrant and engaging.

[TIA BUONAVOLONTA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paleta is basically a fruity popsicle. They are popular in Spanish neighborhoods where vendors go to sell them. The book has random Spanish words scattered throughout the book, which is a nice and easy way to introduce that there are other languages in the world to children. The book is about what flavor the kids will choose today, or will we create a masterpiece with the paleta, or will we just cool off today. The book talks about the different things you can enjoy with paleta. A nice read especially when trying to introduce common Spanish words to a child.

[Yesenia Cazarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can you do with a paleta is a cute Hispanic story about a little girl who is proud of her barrio, especially when the ice cream cart comes around her neighborhood. She uses many great imagery to describe all the things you can do with a paleta.

[Elizabeth Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade/interest level: Primary (K-2)
Reading level: Lexile, 450L
Genre: Picture Book, Realistic Fiction, Multicultural (in English and Spanish)

Main Characters: Two young girls (possibly sisters)
Setting: The girls' neighborhood (barrio)
POV: First person, from the girl's point of view (the older girl)


This book is written in both English and Spanish. After the English excerpt, the same excerpt is written in Spanish immediately following. The book features two young Latina girls, who appear to be sisters, as they describe their neighborhood (or barrio). Their neighborhood is described with descriptive detail using phrases like, “… carries a treasure of ice paletas in every color of the sarape…” Within the English texts, there are still a few Spanish words incorporated that represent an aspect in Latino culture that does not have a proper equivalent in English such as paleta (ice cream/popsicle), sarape (traditional poncho), and senora (respectful term for a woman). The book continues by addressing its title and explaining all of the things that one can do with a paleta. The girls explain that a paleta can be used to paint, make decisions (which flavor), cool off, share with a neighbor, etc. The book closes with a similar statement about the neighborhood that the book opened with. The illustrations are very colorful and feature different Latino people in the neighborhood.

I would definitely use this text with grades K-2, and with students of any race and background. I think a significant part of multicultural education is not only including the students’ cultures in the classroom, but also other cultures. This would be a wonderful addition to a unit on community, or a discussion of culture that would lend itself well to a personal writing piece. I also really appreciate the Spanish language use in the book, as well as having both English and Spanish located right next to one another. The only issue I have with this book is the depiction of various people in their neighborhood. I am pleased that there is Latino representation, but I am not fond of when illustrators depict people of the same culture in the same way. Most of the characters in this book have the same faces, but simply with different clothing and hair. I think it is important to show that people within the same culture also vary, physically and internally. However, this could also be used as a point of discussion to recognize this issue of generalization. All in all, I would definitely be interested in incorporating this book into a primary classroom in the future.

[McKenna Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very cute for a cultural picture book. The colors they use are really eye catching and easy on the eyes. It is a very up lifting book to read. The author incorporated Spanish words throughout and the way they did it was clever. This is good to show and read with an English language Learner.

[Lauren Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literature Requirement Award Winner – Charlotte Zolotow
Carmen Tafolla has created a lovely illustrated book to introduce people to life in this lovely barrio or neighborhood of a little girl. In this barrio the little girl proudly announces you can hear sassy sweet music being played and the smell of crispy tacos and buttery tortillas and juicy fruta that hangs in the air and delights the senses floating in and out every window. The Paleta wagon arrives and the man rings it's bell and everyone knows the sound of that bell. Its no stranger in that neighborhood all the people welcome its tingly golden sound that rings out icy cold freshness in the form of a frozen treat similar to Popsicle's only this sweet treat is made with the freshest fruits and ingredients is ready to be gobbled up. A paleta is a common regional treat found in many Latin American/ Hispanic neighborhoods. The paleta wagon arrives and has many different flavors in the colors of a serape a traditional brightly colored long blanket or shawl worn in Mexico especially by men. The little girl hurries along to get herself a paleta while exclaiming having the music, crispy and salty smells of foods combined with the sweet icy treats in the forms of Paleta's are what make up her Barrio.
You can dance to the music and sway to beat and eat up the tacos but what exactly can you do with a Paleta?
The little girl suggests you can beat the heat and cool off with it you can also make new friends with it or you can give yourself a bright blue mustache.
The Very Best Thing To Do With a Paleta is to lick it, slurp it, munch it and gobble it all down. This book a is a lovely tale to introduce to students cultures apart from their own and help them start to learn Spanish and continue to respect and acknowledge just like their neighborhoods and cultures are unique this culture discussed in the book is just as unique.

[Sarah Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: What Can You Do With a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla

Description: Carmen Tafolla uses repetition to describe many creative things to do with a paleta (a popsicle). A few include making new friends and giving yourself a big, blue mustache,

Focus:

1) Repetition: Authors can make a story more memorable by repeating a line many times.

Teach:

CCSS.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

1) Prior to the writer’s workshop, read aloud the book. List all the things you can do with a paleta.
2) Focus: “Today we will try the same technique that Carmen Tafolla tried in her book. We will repeat an important line to help our reader better understand the main idea of our story.”
3) Teaching Point: a) Show a long list of common objects. Have students help add to the list. b) Model taking an object and creating a story with the same pattern as What Can You Do With a Paleta?
4) Guided Practice: a) Have each child select an object from the list, close his or her eyes, and think about creative ways to use that object. b) Have students turn to a partner and tell what they can do with the object.
5) Independent Practice: Students try out the pattern of Carmen Tafolla’s story, starting with a question such as, “What can you do with a baseball?” They will then use several “You can” statements and end with, “But I think the best thing to do with a ____________ is to…”
6) Share/Closure: Have a student share. Allow other students to suggest more ways to use that student’s object.

Expected Outcomes:

Students will create a story with repetition and understand that stories do not always have to follow the beginning/middle/end format.

Students will be able to use creativity as they come up with alternative uses for a common object.

[Stephanie George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its summertime and there are so many tasty things to eat and delectable smells in the air. The best thing to eat in the summer is a Hispanic treat called a paleta! Paletas are fruity and delicious popsicle-like snacks that melt into a flavorful burst in your mouth on hot summer days. They can be bought at a paleta stand during the hottest and longest days of the year. There are so many flavors to choose from so the only problem you will have is choosing only one to eat at a time. Paletas are not only tasty, they are fun too! Join Carmen Tafolla as she argues why paletas are the absolute best summer snack and why everyone in the world needs to try them.

This book is really fun and teaches an aspect about Latino culture that most children and adults can relate to, food. Most people enjoy some sort of cold treat during the summer. This connects cultures with that aspect. I also enjoy the English to Spanish dictionary in the back that lists several common paleta flavors and how to say them in Spanish. This book also has a lot of fun ideas in it and has many funny parts. The illustrations are bright and colorful with good detail, reflecting a common style share among Latino books. The illustrations reflect the lively and vibrant Latino culture that is being shared. The cover features a beautiful and vibrant illustrations of the children in the book appearing to paint with their paletas. The title is written in bright red letters with a fun font. I would probably use this with any elementary grade to teach my students about culture and diversity. It would be a fun lesson because you could bring in actual paletas for them to eat. Eating delicious food is always an extra treat during a lesson.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This award winning book is as much a delight to read as it is to look at the illustrations. Winner of the 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award for Best Picture Book Text and the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, "What Can You Do with a Paleta?", is the story of a young girl getting a paleta (popsicle) from the vendor in her barrio. The text is in English and Spanish and shows all the things a child could do with a paleta, besides just eating it. She learns to make tough decisions such as what flavor to choose. She learns that she can paint her tongue purple and green, make new friends, give herself a blue mustache, paint pictures and one can even cool off her Mom when it is hot. Her brother Tio even won a baseball game by giving the batter a paleta when the pitcher was throwing the ball! Her favorite thing to do with a paleta is just to lick it and eat it in her barrio full of flowers and the smell of tacos and tortillas and the tinkling bell of the paleta wagon.

The end papers of this book are rosy pink with darker pink drops on them showing the roses in shades of red, pink and fuchsia that are in the barrio. It also looks like paleta drops! Magaly Morales' vibrant illustrations bring the sights of the barrio alive using all the colors of a serape just like the paletas in the story. The children are drawn with large heads and expressive faces that would appeal to younger children. The colors are so rich you can almost feel them, and smell the tacos and fruit.

I loved this book and would recommend it for preschoolers and up. I would even read it to toddlers because I think they would respond well to the illustrations.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audience: Preschool – 1st grade because of the simple words and bright pictures.

Appeal: It would most closely relate to preschool through 1st graders because of the hilarious account of all the silly things you could do with a paleta, a frozen Mexican treat. It also has the Spanish translation underneath the English so you could have the children try and detect what the Spanish words mean. It has brightly colored pictures and is a simple read aloud.

Application: There is a strategy called, K.I.D. that I would use with this book for the kids. It stands for key word, information, and drawing. After reading the book aloud to the kids, I would write the key word I on the board, in this case paleta, and have the students write it down, and we would discuss the word. The next part is information, have the students write down everything that they have learned about a paleta from the book, and maybe adding more silly things they could do with it. The next is drawing, the kids will spend the rest of the time drawing a picture of a paleta and the things that they could do with it. Spending a whole session on the word will help the children really understand the word. They will especially love at the end of the discussion, you brought them a paleta to enjoy! There will be such a diverse group of kids in your class that starting to teach kids early the differences between all the different groups will make them fully aware as they get older.

Award List: 2009 Tomas Rivera Mexican American
Copyright 2009

[Kim Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

1.)Reflection on ONE: Text to text, text to self, or text to world connection for each book
When the story talks about having a “paleta” man come down the street, it reminded me of the ding ding man who comes down our street and did the whole time I was growing up. Most of the times that I would get ice cream (or a popsicle like in the book) it was hot out, so I really related to her mama who liked to have a paleta to cool off on a hot day.

2.)Rationale and evidence proving why each book is culturally specific
This book is culturally specific because it is set in a young girls barrio – or her neighborhood and it uses many Spanish words (paleta, fruita, sarobe, etc). It includes references to Spanish food including tacos and music coming from an accordion. It also tells of the way a little girl uses her paleta. The pictures include images of the Spanish people who live in the barrio and images of the barrio itself.

3.) Six discussion questions for each book using all six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
a. Remembering - What is a paleta?
b. Understanding – How would you characterize the barrio that the story is set in?
c. Applying – When would be a good time to get a paleta? What might happen if you get a paleta on a really hot day? A Cold one?
d. Analyzing – Compare your neighborhood and the barrio in the story.
e. Evaluating – Of all the ways the author suggests to use a paleta, which do you think is the best? Why?
f. Creating – Create your own ways to use a plaeta.

[Tessa Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the bright colors in the illustration that represented the Spanish culture. The story was very cute. I liked how they chose to use a popsicle because what kids does not love them? At the same time children reading will still learn a little bit about Spanish culture with things like some Spanish words, and traditions.

[Diana V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Main Character: A young girl
Point of View: First Person
Setting: El Barrio
Lexile Level: not found Primary Grade Level
Award: America's Award

Plot: "What Can You Do with a Paleta" portrays the fun of summertime in a barrio. A young girl gives a tour of her barrio while describing ways that you can enjoy a paleta. As a whole, "What Can You Do with a Paleta" vividly portrays Mexican heritage.

Main Idea:
Celebrating Heritage
Culture

Recommended: I would recommend "What Can You Do with a Paleta" this is a very fun and easy read for children. "What Can You Do with a Paleta" makes it very simple to learn and read Spanish words through recognition and context. Throughout this book, we follow two characters, in which one character gives a tour of the barrio (neighborhood). In doing this, students can learn simple Spanish words and can enjoy the festivities and importance of community.

Personal Reaction: Reading "What Can You Do with a Paleta" reminiscent childhood memories. The illustrations use bright colors, which are complimentary to the Hispanic tradition, as well as depicting the barrio setting, which many, but not all are familiar with. Through reading this book, I was able learn how a paleta can introduce you to new friends and help you create a masterpiece

Satisfying Concluding Statement: It is summertime so savor a PALETA.

[Amanda Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really think this is a nice fun, uneducational book for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade. The text and concept of this picture book is very simplfied. I think it would be a great book to read at the end of the school year, because it talks about a paleta, which is a popsicle in the spanish culture. A teacher could use this book, as a start of an assignment for the students to write about their favorite treat of summertime, and what it taste likes and use descriptive words to describe their treat. Therefore it can be encorporated into language arts assignment. It is a fun book, as it gives different ways to use a paleta, and it shows a journey of the young mexican girl who lives in a barrio wanting to expand her horizons with a paleta. Tafolla does an excellent job at describing the culture of the young girl and the importance of a paleta in her neighborhood. The pictures in the book, are very vibrant and stand out. This made the book interesting to read, just to see the use of colors in the book. Overall I found this book very sublte and interesting, and would like to add it to my list of books for a younger aged class. There are so many ideas that this book can give children, and will help them get even more excited about summer time. Tafolla really did an excellent job at bringing to life something as simple as a paleta and making it a joy to read about.

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I was going to enjoy this picture book, but i didnt like the way it was written at all. The illustrations were fantastic, and i loved the whole idea and the fact that it talked about paletas because this sweet treat is something i grew up with and still eat till this day. The book takes us into a small town, and shows small children doing all types of things with the Mexican ice cream pops. Just like the children in every household, they find ways to play and do different things with their food. The book asks the question, what can you do with a paleta, and gives us so many possibilities and ideas to have fun with the ice cream. Like this book, I love those that depict the Mexican culture, but i really disliked some of the words that were choosen for this book. I think this book would have been a whole lot better if it rhymed or if it had a smooth rhythm. As I read the book, I felt bored and kept wondering if it was ever going to get better. Unfortunately, I thought the book was boring from beginning to the end. However, I do have to mention the great illustrations that were full of color and detail. The illustrator did an amazing job at bringing the book to life and taking us into a small Mexican town that was full of happiness and cheer. Another aspect i liked about the book is that it incorporated Spanish vocabulary, which is great for young children to learn.

[Diana Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! In this well illustrated picture book, Margaret Irvine tells readers different things someone can do with a “paleta” (ice cream bar in Spanish). This story is not formatted in a traditional way, rather on each page, is an illustration and one idea the reader can do with a paleta. The book is based on Hispanic culture so there are a lot of references to the Hispanic culture. I found this book to be very interesting a relatable. Being Hispanic myself, I eat patelas all the time! There are even “pateteros” who walk with a cart full of paletas around my neighborhood at home.

I think a book like this is very beneficial to young students not only because it's associated with ice cream, which everyone loves, but because its a multicultural book that can be introduced to students not familiar with this part of Hispanic culture. As a future teacher, I can already think of a way to make a lesson around this culture. My classroom and I would read the story, discuss some similarities and differences they had with the story and once the lesson is learned, I would give each student a paleta! It would be a fun way to engage students to learn about different cultures while have a treat.

[Aide Acuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this story is a young Mexican girl living in her "barrio". She tells the story of how one can use a paleta for many different things. I personally could relate top this book because ever since I was a young girl our treat was always a paleta. When we lived in Chicago and heard the man ring his little bell, like in the story, we would get so excited! I loved the vibrant colors used in the book as it portrayed the Mexican culture in a very positive light. The young girl travels wround her neighborhood with her paleta in hand during the summertime. It is clear that paletas are something she and her neighbors thoroughly enjoy in their culture. I recommend this book for teachers who can have students write about a treat they eat in their culture and how they eat it. They can describe what it tastes like and what they can do with their treat. My personal reaction to this book was mouth dropping just because I have always ate paletas but I never thought anyone would ever write about them in a child's point of view.

Satisfying Statement: Yummy treats can teach us about cultures!

[Carol A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: Primary
Genre: Reality Fiction

Tomas Rivera Award

Text-To-Self Connection

What Can You Do with a Paleta? is a story about children playing with, sharing, and eating paletas, which would turn their lips and tongue the color of the paleta they were eating. Paleta is the Spanish word for popsicle. Paletas come in many, many different flavors, including coconut, guava, and jamaica. Children in the barrio, or neighborhood, were excited to hear the paleta man come with his paleta cart, ringing his bell to alert the neighborhood that he was in the area. As a child, I experienced something similar. I got excited every time I heard the popsicle man in his popsicle truck drive through our neighborhood, ringing his bell loudly, playing his "popsicle truck" music, and selling ice cream products and popsicles. The popsicles typically came in cherry, grape, and orange flavors, but I do remember also buying a few red, white, and blue bomb pops, which were big, round, cylinder-shaped popsicles. The popsicle truck still cruises through my neighborhood even today. Does it come through your neighborhood, too?

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Can You Do with a Paleta? is a charming story about a little girl who waits for the paleta wagon. The little girl describes her neighborhood or barrio as a place filled with bright colored flowers, sassy music, and the smells of tacos and fruta. The author does a great job bringing the senses to life in this story. The little girl loves her neighborhood and the things she loves the most is the paleta man. Readers can connect to this story no matter what their cultural background happens to be, since most cultures have some type of street vendors. I know when I read this story it brought me back to waiting for the ice cream man during the summer. The colors of the illustration draw the reader into the book and make the story "pop" off the page. The story is simple, but allows for more detailed discussion if wanted. It will also allow for children to exercise their creativity. What would they do with the paleta? What Can You Do with a Paleta? would make a great addition to any home or classroom library.