About This Book:
- Endnotes feature other imaginative names of food around the world, facts about Cuba, Spanish vocabulary
- Includes two delicious recipes for ropa vieja and arroz con leche.
*Review Contributed By Connie Reid, Staff Reviewer*
Surprise for Dinner
Old Clothes For Dinner is a humorous story of a misunderstanding a little girl has with the food her grandmother is making for dinner. Now that Magaly’s grandmother from Cuba lives with them, the family speaks Spanish more and is being introduced to traditional foods. This gives Magaly just enough information to make a literal translation of the food, ropa veija, and become disgusted her grandmother is cooking their old clothes to eat. The colorful illustrations highlight the rich culture and vibrant hustle and bustle of the grandmother’s character. I love that the book contains the recipes of the food mentioned and more information about Cuba and other worldwide food misnomers to provide a better context for young readers. Thankfully, no old or new clothes were eaten but the mistake should make for a funny surprise for readers to discover.
