Ole! This Chicks and Salsa book review is one of my new FAVORITE bedtime book — written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Paulette Bogan. This colorful, lively, book is SO FUN to read and it’s so relatable. And while it wasn’t created for any specific holiday, it’s one of the children’s books about Cinco de Mayo that’s surely to be well loved and long remembered!
It starts off with the chicks tired of eating the same old chicken feed… and the rooster, sits on a fence, and catches a glimpse of Mrs. Nuthatcher, the farmer’s wife, watching a cooking show on TV. He has an idea! He’ll make the chicks some salsa. So the rooster goes back to the hen house to talk with the chicks and get them to help gather garden ingredients to make salsa. At my house, mom and dad see a recipe in a video or a website and then we go buy the ingredients at the supermarket. So, I really liked that I understood there were some steps involved in preparing to make the salsa. I really loved looking at the pictures of the chicks eating chips. There’s a line in the book that says “though nobody was quite certain where the chicks got the chips.” I don’t think that’s true. There’s a bag of chips near the corner of the page. Every time my parents read this book they now say “though nobody, but Rosie, was quite certain where the chicks got the chips” because I get very upset that I KNOW where the chips came from.
After the smell, or the aroma (I learned that word in this book!), of the food reaches the Nuthatchers, they get hungry for tamales and use the ingredients the barnyard animals were planning to use for their own food. Actually, they were planning a fiesta, that’s the Spanish word for party, but the lack of ingredients changed their plans. But that rooster, he doesn’t give up so easily… a cookbook and some quick thinking lead him to discover a new cuisine.
I really really really love this book; my whole family does. Mom loves the rooster’s resourcefulness and ambition. I love listening to how the words are put together, like: “tasty tang” and “gathering garlic.” I also like how the rooster learns from TV and books, because I do that too. There are some words that repeat every so often, so they’re my responsibility to say aloud. I don’t want to give anything away, but one of those words, so you can better understand what I mean, is “ole.”
Mom bought this book as a way to explain Cinco de Mayo for preschool but it’s really a great book any time. I think you’ll like it very much. Tell me your favorite part here! And if you get a chance, make the “QUACKAMOLE,” you’ll find the yummy recipe on the back inside cover, along with others.
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CHICKS AND SALSA BOOK ACTIVITIES
Nachos Recipe Game — This FREE nachos recipe game has you pretend to work in a restaurant and create nacho chips based on recipe cards. It’s a great building activity for preschoolers. There are some Spanish words in the recipes with a quick definition — maybe you’ll learn a new palabra (word) today?
Make a Banner – Print, color, and string together your very own banner using our free make a banner template. You’ll be ready for your fiesta in no time!
Color a Map of Mexico— Grab some crayons and learn more about the country of Mexico with this coloring page. While Chicks and Salsa isn’t specific to Mexico, we love it and it features many foods that are popular in Mexico and since we’ve chosen to highlight the book for Cinco de Mayo, which is a Mexican holiday celebrated every year to celebrate Mexican-American culture on the fifth of May, we thought a map would be nice 🙂
HOW TO MAKE A SHAKERS FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES – Find some empty plastic bottles and tiny things to drop inside to make your very own super easy maracas!
LEARN TO SAY ‘PARTY’ IN SPANISH – Can you say party or FIESTA in Spanish? This video will show you how to say it, letter by letter!
TALKING POINTS FOR CHICKS AND SALSA BOOK:
- What was your favorite part of Chicks and Salsa
- Why did the rooster look to make a different food for the chicks?
- Do you ever get tired of eating the same food? Which food?
- Have you ever followed instructions to cook a recipe? Do you prefer to come up with your own improvised meal?
- Where did the rooster get the idea for salsa?
- There were many words that described the salsa. These words are called adjectives. Do you remember some of the adjectives? Savory is one example that comes to mind.
- Do you like trying new foods?
- Did you like the “ole?” Why does the rooster at one point say ooh la la?
- Do you remember what fiesta means?
- Is there anything that you didn’t understand in this book?
- Is there anything specific about this Chicks and Salsa book you’d like to talk about?
USEFUL INFO FOR GROWNUPS
- Book: Chicks and Salsa
- Written by: Aaron Reynolds
- Illustrated by: Paulette Bogan
- Age Range: 5 to 7
- Illustrated edition: 32 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; (May 1, 2007)
- ISBN-13 : 978-1599900995
Hope you love this Chicks and Salsa book review!
