Sopa de Frijoles (2010) & Arroz con Leche (2011) by Jorge Argueta (Grades PreK-2)

This week, I chose to take a look at two bilingual books by Jorge Argueta -- Sopa de Frijoles and Arroz con Leche -- that made the USBBY Outstanding International Book list in two consecutive years.  Both are charming poems about cooking and contain recipes for delicious recipes, bean soup and rice pudding.  (I've made both of the recipes and can vouch for them -- they're delicious!)

Since Argueta is originally from El Salvador, we can see how these books reflect aspects of his home culture, as the dishes depicted in the poems are well-loved comfort foods that are popular throughout Latin America.  Also, the presence of both Spanish and English in the text shows the connection between Argueta's first language and the language of his adopted country, the United States.

Here are reviews from Kirkus:

Argueta, J. (2009). Sopa de frijoles / Bean soup. Toronto: Groundwood Books.

This free-verse cooking poem is more than a simple recipe for bean soup. Argueta’s lyrical Spanish translated into its counterpart English is filled with visual and aromatic imagery that turns soup-making into art. Describing ingredients such as water “whose caresses give us life,” garlic cloves each “in a little white dress” and salt sprinkled “as though it were rain blossoming from your hand,” Argueta’s metaphorical instructions produce bean-filled water that doesn’t just boil, but sings as it turns brown, “the color of mother Earth,” making the house smell “like the earth after the first winter rains.” Yockteng’s parallel earthy-toned paintings oppose each new instructive page, illustrating an animated boy performing each step of the recipe until the inviting scent and warmth of the kitchen beckons a loving family to the table. Starred cues appropriately indicate adult help where needed in this eloquent rendering of a nutritious and delicious meal.

Argueta, J. (2010). Arroz con leche / Rice pudding. Toronto: Groundwood Books.

A lyrical recipe presented in the form of a free-verse poem, this bilingual (Spanish/English) selection combines the fun of cooking with the tenderness of a mother-son relationship. Subtle, stylized illustrations convey a sense of joy and excitement in this paean to rice pudding as a boy embarks on a culinary adventure with help from his mom. Asterisks indicate when an adult’s help is needed, and young readers will delight in following the simple-to-prepare recipe. The text sparkles with clarity and purpose in both languages, and youngsters will appreciate the very accessible yet graceful and gently humorous poetic descriptions ("The little white grains of rice / rain music and sing / as they fall"). Naturally, the last part of the poem deals with the serving of the delicious pudding to the whole family. The warmth and love put into the dish radiates out over the dinner table to the boy and his parents and sister and then rises in clearly fragrant ribbons outside their cozy home. A nice introduction to the joys of cooking, as well as a strong bilingual addition to any collection.

When I was searching the USBBY Outstanding International Books list for these titles, I noticed something strange -- both books are listed as Canadian.  Yes, they were published in Canada by Groundwood Books (a wonderful company that focuses on quality multicultural children's literature), but are they Canadian?  No!  

Jorge Argueta is Salvadoran, and I think that USBBY should list the titles as such.  This discrepancy might be confusing for parents or teachers who are skimming the list looking for award-winning children's books with Latin American roots.

What do you think?  Why would USBBY choose to label books with their publishing origin rather than the author's or story's origin?