The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred

by Samantha R. Vamos, Rafael López (Illustrator)

A farm girl prepares a cazuela (pot) of rice pudding, the animals on the farm eagerly help. Key English words change to Spanish as the cumulative verse builds. Includes a glossary and a recipe for arroz con leche.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Samantha R. Vamos is the author of "Alphabet Boats" (2018), "Alphabet Trains" (2015), "Alphabet Trucks" (2013, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke), "The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred" (illustrated by Rafael López) – 2012 Pura Belpré Illustration Honor – its companion book, "The Piñata That The Farm Maiden Hung" (2019, illustrated by Sebastià Serra), and "Before You Were Here, Mi Amor" (2009, illustrated by Santiago Cohen). Samantha previously worked as an attorney, practicing in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, IL. Samantha was born in the Midwest, grew up on the East Coast, and lived in the Pacific Northwest before moving to the Bay Area with her husband, son, and their rescue pup. Visit Samantha online at www.samanthavamos.com.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau]

Wonderful story, wonderful art, great Spanish vocabulary builder! Books like this are very helpful if you are trying to learn Spanish. Happy to say that I understood every Spanish word in this book and did not have to go to the glossary once! How I wish I had been exposed to another language when I was a child!

[Lindsey]

I loved this silly cumulative story. The glossary in the back and the progression from introducing a word first as English and then throughout the remainder of the text in Spanish make it a great bilingual read aloud for me.

[Betsy]

I am lucky to work in a children’s room with a significantly sized bilingual section. The books you’ll find there cover a wide range of languages. Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, you name it. Of them the largest section by far is the Spanish language section. Of course, what we don’t really include in this section are books that integrate Spanish words into English text, though the stories are predominantly in English. There really isn’t a name for this kind of book, which is a real pity since they serve a definite use. Now you can go about integrating Spanish and English any old way you prefer, but Samantha Vamos has you beat. According to the back bookflap “Samantha R. Vamos was cooking one day when the idea for this book popped into her head.” The idea goes beyond a mere food related plot and ends up being one of the most creative ways of working Spanish elements into a work of English I’ve seen in years. Top off the fact that the art is enough to give your jaw a downward plunge, and I’d say you were dealing with one of the cleverer picture books of the year.

Are you familiar with the cumulative tale format? Well Ms. Vamos takes the idea and twists it a little. A variety of different farm animals aid a farmer and a farm maiden as they work together to make some rice pudding. A donkey picks limes, a duck buys sugar, a hen grates, and by the end everyone has done their part. Of course, in the midst of some dancing the pudding almost gets out of hand, but our heroes are able to save it in time. The end of the book includes a Glossary of Spanish Words and a recipe for the pudding.

I’ll say right here that the way in which Vamos has seamlessly integrated Spanish words into her text is extraordinary. Until now the standard method of doing this was just to throw the words into random sentences and cross your fingers. Best case scenario, you end up with something like Gary Soto’s Chato’s Kitchen. Worst case scenario and the words become jarring and needless. The trick Vamos uses here is to take the cumulative format and make it work for her. Normally a cumulative story doesn’t shake up the words. It’s the old House That Jack Built idea. This did this, that did that, it did it, etc. But Vamos has a different idea going on here. She starts out with an English word on the first reading, then switches that word to its Spanish equivalent when it’s repeated. So the first sentence in the book reads “This is the pot that the farm maiden stirred”. Fair enough. Turn the page and suddenly you read, “This the butter that went into the Cazuela that the farm maiden stirred.” You see what she’s done there? The pot is now the capitalized “Cazuela”. On the next page the butter then becomes the “Mantequilla” that went into the “Cazuela”. It took me a couple pages to figure out what was going on since I’ve never encountered a book that worked in this way before. Once I got a grasp on it, though, I was delighted. What a novel method of teaching kids! Best of all, if the reader doesn’t understand what’s going on, there’s a helpful Glossary of Spanish Words at the back of the book to clarify everything for them. And I would take issue with anyone who says that these words don't flow. I'm sure that if you pick up the book for the first time without first reading it through you might stumble, but as a whole these lines work nicely with one another.

I am ashamed to say that prior to this book I’d never paid adequate attention to the illustrations of Rafael Lopez. This in spite of the fact that he’s won the Pura Belpre Award for Illustration (as well as an Honor) in the past. The book makes a couple strategic choices with his art that set it apart from the pack. Open the first page and even before you get to the title page there is a gorgeous image of the farm maiden selecting a pot for her cooking. There’s not a word in sight, a rarity. This is followed closely with a two-page title page spread of her leaping through the air, the pages fairly glowing in this yellow/orange riot of color. After that, Lopez scales everything back. There’s just a pure white page standing there with the image of the pot on the table as the only thing in sight. This white background lasts an additional two pages, making me wonder what Lopez is up to. If I read him right, as the reader figures out what the book is doing, Lopez starts his images off slowly. He’s not going to overwhelm you with busyness when the text is so simple. It’s only when you catch on that the colors all leap onto the pages once again. Lopez is working with acrylics painted on grained wood to get these effects. The result is art that explodes in a riot of energy and color. I dare say that this is one of the loveliest picture books I’ve had the pleasure to read all year. I did wonder why the artist chose not to show the animals eating the food they’d taken so much time to prepare, but it’s a minor question.

Unlike a fellow delicious food-related picture book this year (Hot Hot Roti for Dada-ji) this book has a recipe for rice pudding a.k.a. arroz con leche that I would like to try. It’s definitely intended for adults, what with its whisking and stovetop cooking. Oddly the recipe gives no indication of how many people you might be able to serve with it, but that’s okay. Even if it serves just one it might be worth it. It looks tasty.

2011 is turning into a strong year for cumulative storytelling. Between The Book That Zack Wrote and this title, we’re seeing a range of different authors taking a seemingly rote format and giving it a delightful twist. The pairing of Lopez with Vamos also appears to be inspired. This is a book that combines use with beauty. Fun with substance. Think of it as a kind of anti-Little Red Hen. Instead of animals passing the buck, everyone gets involved in the making of the arroz con leche, and everyone gets a taste. You’ll want to too after reading this book. A winning combination of clever writing and striking art, this is one of a kind.

For ages 4-8.

[Haley Simmons]

This book tells the story of a farm maiden who is making rice pudding. All of the animals are helping her, and they each play a specific role. Once the farm maiden's rice pudding begins to boil over, then the animals all pitch in to help. I would recommend this book, due to its use of Spanish words and diversity. This book also has a dictionary in the back to assist readers with the language. I think this book would be an excellent tool for teaching sequencing.

[Lydia]

A tale of a group making rice pudding. The story builds on itself (a la "The House that Jack Built" style) and adds in Spanish vocabulary, so fun and informative!

Also contains the recipe for Rice Pudding, so bonus activity if wanted.

No content issues.

[Kathryn]

This was probably a "three star" for me as I didn't personally find the "story" riveting and the artwork wasn't my especial cup of tea, but I can really appreciate the intent behind the work and feel that it would make an excellent choice for bilingual families or families wishing to introduce some Spanish vocabulary to their children.

This is a Latin American version of "The House that Jack Built" with various farm animals adding ingredients to the pot (cazuela) that the farm maiden stirs. What's really cool is that, even as the story is repetitive, with each repetition, a Spanish word supplants the English one, so that, while on the first page the farm maiden stirs the pot, on the next page she stirs the "cazuela" and so on. I think this make the learning very intuitive and there's also a vocabulary list at the back. The artwork is acrylic on wood and is very interesting; I think there is some Caldecott buzz. Again, it wasn't my personal favorite style, but I do admire the work.

[Sean Albright]

1. Opening: Hola! ¿Como estas? Are any of you wondering what I’ve just said? Well, while we read The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden stirred by Samantha Vamos, we will be walked through the preparation of a traditional Mexican dish and the author will teach us several Spanish words along the way. Do any of you know any Spanish words? Follow along as we learn a bit about the Mexican culture and their language.

2. Opening Moves: Lay the groundwork for children’s understanding of diverse settings and people, Raise questions to spark curiosity, Draw attention to the language of the text and Invite personal connections.

3. I chose this book because it focuses on a specific culture, while providing a simple understanding of the language and a popular dish. This book also provides English to Spanish translations so that the students may learn a few Spanish words while they read.

4. (2011, March 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint2.com.leo.lib....#

[Heather Pool]

This book appeals to any gender around the grades preschool to second grade. This book is great for a spanish lesson, because it's a continuation story. So it says one line, then on the next pages repeats that line then adds another and so on. But when the lines repeated, one of the words would change to spanish. I thought this book was fun, I liked learning the new words in spanish! There was a glossary in the back to help with the spanish words incase a student didn't understand the words and what they meant. And the illustrations were really really great. The illustrator used warm colors, it felt like it was set in Mexico where it's warm and has beautiful colors. This book is a 2012 Illustrator Honor book from the Pura Belpe Award.

[Whitney]

I'm trying to read to my baby boy before he's born and while doing so, find the books I really like that I want to add to my registry and eventually his little library! This was such a cute little bilingual story about a campesina and animals that help her make rice pudding in a cazuela. Various words are in spanish that help the story flow, from the vaca that brings the leche, etc. Everyone helps make the arroz con leche and then they get to enjoy it together! The illustrations were brightly colored and engaging as well. I think it will be a great book to start introducing my little one to Spanish. Also included at the end is a recipe for arroz con leche and a glossary of the Spanish words used.

[Tasha]

This is a fresh, fabulous cumulative tale that is made spicier and more interesting thanks to the Spanish sprinkled liberally throughout. It is the story of a farm maiden who stirred a pot. Once she started stirring, all of the animals wanted to help with what she was cooking. The cow gave milk, the hen gave eggs and zested the lime which was picked by the donkey who was carrying the duck to the market. Eventually everyone is waiting for the treat to be finished until they started playing music and dancing. Then no one was watching or stirring the pot! Thank goodness that they returned just in time to enjoy the arroz con leche that they had all cooked together.

When I read this book to myself silently it really didn’t work, but read aloud it merrily dances along, even with my very imperfect Spanish pronunciation. For classes in our community, the blend of Spanish and English is very desirable. Happily, the Spanish here forms the real foundation of the story rather than just being extra words that are thrown in.

Lopez’s art is so vibrant and warm. The sun shines when you open the book, thanks to the use of a beautiful yellow for the majority of the background. Add to it the purple clouds tinged with red, the orange ground, and the vibrant green of the plants, and you have a book where the colors are filled with heat and spice.

A rollicking picture book that celebrates Spanish and English mixed together sweetly, just like the perfect arroz con leche. Appropriate for ages 3-5, and in language classes for older children.

[Kelsi]

Throughout my time in the Elementary Ed proram at NCSU I have developed a love for #diversereads! Through projects such as good reads and biblionasium I have discovered the genre of bilingual books, and I am hooked! I can only imagine the power these books could have in my diverse and most probably bilingual classrooms in the future! This specific Mexican Folktale, while simple in construction, would be a wonderfully fun way to engage students learning Spanish or fluent in Spanish as it is a bilingual text. The story is a fun, upbeat, and repetitive narrative that follows the process of creating arroz con leche, which turns into a whole village affair. This would be such a fun book to use when studying traditions of different cultures and could even be concluded with a cooking demonstration from the teacher or a parent! Additionally, this book would be a great choral or echo read as it has a great repetitive pattern. This book was a WOW for me because, despite it being relatively simple, I think this book, as with other bilingual books, has great power and potential for bringing students together no matter what their first language is, what their culture is, or what they look like!

[Victoria Bottoms]

This is a book that tells the story of how a farm maiden made some rice pudding. All of the animals worked together on the farm, in order to bring ingredients for the rice pudding. The book was fun to read because it slowly incorporates more and more Spanish, by the end of the book, the reader is reading a lot of Spanish.

Evaluation: I think that this book was so fun to read! The Spanish made it very engaging because the reader had to pay attention to the English words on the page, because some of them would be used in Spanish on the next page, and if you were not engaged, you would not know the words, unless you know Spanish.

Teaching Idea: I think I would use this book to work on math. I would have the students multiply, divide, add, and subtract, multiple ingredients from the recipe in order to practice math skills. Then, at the end, we would sample some rice pudding.

[Monica]

Audience:PreK and up. Could even be used in upper level Spanish classes.

Appeal:Bright, colorful pictures. Some humorous pictures. Written in the style of "The House that Jack Built" the story builds Spanish vocabulary as it uses English words when a new line is introduced, but replaces one key word with the Spanish version in all the lines after. Sometimes, I had to go back and remind myself what the Spanish word meant! Recipe for Rice Pudding (Arroz Con Leche)is included in the back of the book as well as a Glossary of Spanish words.

2012 Pura Belpre Award Illustrator Honor book

[Beth]

Audience: Pre-K and up, Spanish speakers/ESL students or children learning Spanish
Appeal: This book has a lot of repetition and the first time a word is used, it is in English, but then is replaced in Spanish each time after. The illustrations are bold and vibrant and I think Spanish learners would really enjoy trying to remember what each Spanish word means.
Award: Pura Belpre Award 2012 Illustrator

[Alyson]

This is a tribute to the classic nursery rhyme "The House That Jack Built." The words don't flow as smoothly as I would have liked, but the illustrations are stunning. It is a fun book with the added bonus of a recipe and glossary of the Spanish words used.

[Franki Sibberson]

A fun cumulative tale--lots of great Spanish words embedded in story. Great illustrations. Style of House that Jack Built/Cumulative Story

[Bethe]

Bookaday #49. Delightful illustrations and a sprinkling of Spanish will be a big hit with the 2x2 crowd at my school. Will definitely have to try the arroz con leche recipe at the back!

[Coach D]

Any story that requires the reader to say the word "mantequilla" a dozen or so times is a winner in our book!

[Steph]

Not too often do I give picture books five stars. Even when I love the picture book. La Cazuela stands apart as an exception. The bilingual nature of of this picture book allows the reader / parent / teacher to teach children Spanish. Children can learn not only how to identify farm animals, but also learn them in English and in Spanish. La Cazuela is clever and adorable. The repetition allows the parent or teacher to engage the lesson every single page. The book ends with the animals all contributing to a recipe called Arroz con Leche, and then the book concludes with the actual recipe for making Arroz con Leche.

The illustrations are brilliant, and quite frankly I can't wait to take this book home with me to read to my nephews.

[Melissa]

Artist Rafael Lopez created the amazing Book Fiesta, which is a book I pretty much want to live in, the illustrations are so phenomenal. He works his magic again in Cazuela: his red-and-orange palette makes me feel like I'm somewhere fun, sunbathing and happy.

I love how the text introduces the words first in English, then adds them to the cumulative tale in Spanish. But the story is a little long, and never quite builds up the chugging-along rhythm that the original "The House That Jack Built" does, so I'm not putting it in my "storytime" categories. But I'm very happy we have it on our shelves!

[Elizabeth]

This picture book is an 2012 honor book from the Pura Belpre Award list and is great for boy boys and girls. I would say the grade level for this book would be kindergarten through second grade. This book would be great for reluctant readers because it is fast-paced and fun to read. The book is so repetitive that the audience or readers will be able to follow along and join in if someone else is reading to them. The pictures are another appealing aspect of the book, they are bright and bold. The story has some words in Spanish, but the pictures tell the audience what is happening, so they will be able to understand the story. It’s a great book that will keep kids entertained.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

This was the 2012 Pura Belpre Award honor book for illustrations, and it is, indeed, colorful. The story, in a manner similar to "The House That Jack Built," describes the steps the farm maiden takes to make arroz con leche, or rice pudding. Along the way the reader learns Spanish words, and is even provided with a yummy recipe for arroz con leche at the end. Children should enjoy the colorful pictures and the bouncy rhythm of the text.

[Ashlee Christians]

This book is from the Pura Belpre Award.

The audience is younger to middle aged elementary readers. The reader learns many words in Spanish from reading this book. It is definitely appealing to the audience because the pictures are very colorful and younger students are sure to enjoy the repetition of the story.

[Kylie Svoboda]

Audience: 1st-4th graders who are bi-lingaul or whom have Spanish speaking backgrounds
Appeal: The story would intrigue young readers because of the bright and cheerful illustrations. The book also uses repetition so the children could predict the words on the pages. The book also uses humor with animals.
Award: a Pura Belpre Honor Book

[Camilla]

A bilingual story about a farm and its animals contributing to the making of rice pudding. The text teaches several Spanish words on every page and has a glossary in the back. The illustrations are contemporary Latin American folk (with mid-century modern stylization). It’s very folk meets mural meets contemporary.

[Allie Riley]

Read for free on The Internet Archive.

A stunning picture book, with vibrant illustrations. You learn Spanish vocab and it even includes a recipe! Utterly charming.

[Toni Chahine]

I liked this story. One thing I found very interesting about it was the author included a recipe for rice pudding in the end. This story was full of many Spanish words that I did not know, so having a glossary was helpful! This story was basically about how the farm maiden made her "Cazuela." It was a cute story with nice illustrations!

[Vamos a Leer]

This fun and engaging book tells the story of a young farm maiden who, by enlisting the help of various farm animals and the farmer boy, makes a steamy, delicious pot of arroz con leche. The book has a lively, festive tone and the cooking process is described as a fun, unifying celebration, emphasizing the cultural and communal importance of food. In preparing the arroz con leche, everyone at the farm, including the anthropomorphized animals, must do their part and contribute. This not only exemplifies good team work, but also shows how everyone has a valuable skill or asset to contribute.

This story is written in English with various Spanish vocabulary words peppered throughout. The narrative also repeats itself on nearly every page, which helps kids learn and remember new vocabulary words. The text lists the steps used to prepare the arroz con leche, and every time a new step is added, the entire list is repeated in a cumulative verse: “This is the duck/ that went to the market/ to buy the sugar/ to flavor the LECHE/ made fresh by the VACA/ while teaching the CABRA/ that churned the CREMA/ to make the MANTEQUILLA/ that went into the CAZUELA that the farm maiden stirred.” Because each step incorporates a new Spanish vocabulary word, this format is especially useful for young readers and novice Spanish-speakers to remember each new word. This format could also inspire an activity with students where they make their own list of how to make a certain recipe, focusing on incorporating and repeating new Spanish vocabulary words along the way. While many of the Spanish words used here in this story can be understood through the narrative context and the illustrations, there is also a list of the words and their English translations provided at the back of the book, which help clarify any ambiguities.

Although this story takes place on a farm, the frantic running around, asking for favors, and last-minute improvisation might remind many readers of the excited movement of a busy kitchen during the holidays. As mentioned by the author, Samantha R. Vamos, in a blog entry for School Library Journal, “The proverb ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ seems apt when I think about the creation of this story. I craved pancakes and I imagined ways to obtain the ingredients I needed.”

Vamos also describes how her story relishes in the mystery of what all of these unique ingredients could be used to make. The story progresses with the one-by-one inclusion of a new ingredient, without the reader knowing what the final product will be until the very end: “I wanted to incorporate a recipe that would be revealed at the story’s end. I hoped that readers would try to guess what the characters were making in the pot that the farm maiden stirred. Utilizing a recipe in this manner meant weaving the storyline around specific ingredients.” As mentioned by Vamos, this style allows readers to think about the different ingredients, how they could be used together, and guess what the final product will be, urging them to engage with the text and make connections. Used as a classroom activity, this could also be fun, engaging, and educational for children learning new vocabulary words, as each student would present a recipe while the others guessed what it could be based on the ingredients. At the back of the book, Vamos has also included a full recipe for arroz con leche, which children could try to make with their parents, or educators could make with their students.

López’ stunning illustrations could also inspire lesson plans and classroom activities that involve drawing different foods and ingredients based on sensory descriptions. Books about food are excellent tools for classroom activities focusing on descriptive vocabulary, poetry, art, and sensory observation. Food is a wonderful community-builder which is not only enjoyable but also educational.

For the full review, visit teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com

[Genesis Romo]

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred is a Pura Belpre Award Winning book written by Samantha R. Vamos. The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred is a multicultural book that represents the Latino community, which is also a bilingual book that includes two languages. This bilingual book is an easy reader book and a nursery rhyme book which includes illustrations that follows the flow of the words. The books main characters are the farmer maiden, the animals, and the campensino. The book takes place in a rural farm. The book starts off with the English language, and as the book continues, it begins to incorporate Spanish words. The book starts off with an empty cazuela, which mean an empty pot in English. As the book continues it begins with the first ingredient added by an animal in the book, and then every every page is followed by an animal adding a new ingredient into the cazuela. Throughout the book when the page is turned these particular animals in order are putting the ingredients into the cazuela the goat, the cow, the duck, the donkey, the hen, and then the campensino. A campensino means farmer in English. At first the ingredient is in English, and then is translated on the next page into Spanish. After all the ingredients are added the farmer maiden begins to stir all the ingredients in the cazuela. While all of the animals are waiting for the ingredients to cook they all begin playing instruments and the campesina and the campesino begin dancing. The book finishes with everyone saying, “Gracias”, which means thank you in Spanish. Finally, at the very end of the book the farmer maiden is translated to Spanish which is a campensina. The author finally surprisingly tells us what the ingredients made, and they made arroz con leche.
As a reader, the first time I read this book I felt warmth. At the end of the book it says all of the animals made a Latino dessert called arroz con leche. All of the ingredients in the book make arroz con leche. As a reader being a Latina it was different reading a book about one of my culture's most popular desserts. I picked out this book thinking it was going to be about a pot, and a farm maiden. Teachers should definitely have this book in their library. Since, I do student observation hours I will be recommending this book to the teacher I help out. I help out in a Chicago Public School which has a dual bilingual program in Spanish and English. The lesson behind this book is how all these characters used teamwork in order to make something. This easy reader book goes hand-in-hand with the illustrations and words in the book. Even if the reader is a non-native Spanish speaker the words match the pictures which make the book manageable for non-native students or readers.This book can also be the beginning for non-native readers to learn a few Spanish words.

[Keira P]

Amazing artwork. I am looking forward to reading this book to my classes in the library. It will be great for all grades, K-5th. I love the list of words at the end of the book, and the story is just so much fun.