Jalapeno Bagels

by Natasha Wing

Other authorsRobert Casilla (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 1996

Status

Available

Call number

E WIN

Publication

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (1996), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 32 pages

Description

For International Day at school, Pablo wants to bring something that reflects the cultures of both his parents.

Barcode

97

Language

User reviews

LibraryThing member MaryBethLingner
“Jalapeno Bagels” was a very good book with a great message. First, I liked how the author used food to help the little boy in the story discover his heritage. The little boy’s parents owned a bakery and the story chronicles him helping them bake one day as he was trying to figure out what to
Show More
bring to his school for International Day. The story first shows the little boy making Mexican sweets with his mother like pan dulce, empanadas de calabaza, and chango bars. The little boy then goes on to make Jewish baked goods with his father such as bagels and challah bread. The author described what all of these unique treats were, which is also something I liked because I wouldn’t have known what they were otherwise. At the end of the story it shows the little boy, his mother, and his father all making jalapeno bagels together. The boy’s father made the dough and his mother chopped the jalapenos up to put into the dough. When they were all finished baking for the day the little boy’s parents asked him what he was going to bring to school for International Day. After much consideration, the little boy said, “Jalapeno bagels. Because they are a mixture of both of you. Just like me” I really liked how the author had the little boy discover his heritage through food, because I believe food has the power to do this. Food is such an important part of culture and I believe the author exemplified this through the little boy learning about himself as he baked with his parents of very different cultural backgrounds. Secondly, I really liked how the author made the little boy have two parents from very different cultures. It was interesting to read about a child who was Mexican and Jewish because that is a cultural combination that I have never read about. It was also really interesting to read about the different foods Mexican and Jewish people eat, and how a jalapeno bagel is a mixture of the two cultures. The main idea of “Jalapeno Bagels” is to emphasize to readers to be proud of who they are and where they come from. The main idea is also to show readers how each culture has their own delicious foods and valued customs, but they also can be mixed together to create great things like the little boy (and the jalapeno bagels).
Show Less
LibraryThing member TastefullyJReef
In Jalapeno Bagels the reader gets to see a boy go through the decision process on what to bring to class the next day to represent himself along with his culture. His parents own a bakery and he helps them bake for the next day as a deal to be able to take the food for his class. In the end he
Show More
decides on a food thats a perfect blend of his mothers and fathers culture. This book has a great message that who you are and where you come from are very special. Jalapeno Bagels would be a great read for a variety of ages.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CarolinePfrang
“Jalapeno Bagels” follows a young boy who has a Jewish father and a Spanish mother. The young boy spends the day at his parent’s bakery trying to figure out what food to bring to school to best represent his culture. This books theme is very multicultural and about finding out who you are and
Show More
how to represent that. One of the ways the author did this was by showing the boy’s internal struggle. She often wrote sentences about what the boy was thinking in his head and how he was wrestling with what to chose. I think this was a great way to help the reader fully understand what the boy was going through. In the end, the boy goes through many traditional Jewish foods and many traditional Spanish foods before deciding on Jalapeno bagels. The boy says this is a perfect mix of both Spanish and Jewish cultures, just like him. I thought using was a fun and creative way to show how someone accepts their culture especially because food is such a large part of culture. The back of the book includes all of the recipes that the book talked about which I thought was a great way to involve the reader while also teaching about different cultures, and combinations of cultures as well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member vbarbe1
I liked this book for a few reasons. First I liked how the author made the characters believable. At certain points in the story you find the little boy helping both his parents prepare the pastries and deciding what he would take to school to share with his class. At some point in all our lives
Show More
we've helped our parents make something and have taken something to school to share with our classmates. So this story was relate-able. I also liked that the author not only told this story in a way that was believable but he made it so that you could actually be a part of it by putting the recipes of the treats that were made in the story in the back of the book. By doing this it made me feel like I could feel the same feelings that were expressed by the little boy. I would be able to smell the same smells and taste the treats and maybe even enjoy making them with someone else, giving me a sense of family closeness. What I felt was the big idea of this story was captured in one statement made by the little boy. He chooses the jalapeno bagels to take to school because it was a mixture of both of his parents. So I felt the message of this story was family togetherness or unity.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CatherineWillett
“Jalapeno Bagels” by Natasha Wing was a very culturally diverse book. Since I want to work at a school for the Deaf, most of the students will be biculture (Deaf culture and American culture), which is the main reason I think I enjoy reading books about diversity. The main character in this
Show More
book was a child who had parents with two different cultures. As the child is deciding what to bring for show and tell, both parents are showing him different foods that their culture makes. Finally, the child decides to blend both cultures together into one item of food, jalapeno bagels. I liked this book because of the diversity and the recipes in the back. It is always fun and exciting when books come with extra activities. The main idea of this book is that it is okay to be multicultural and you should accept your family heritage.
Show Less
LibraryThing member awhite43
I enjoyed reading “Jalapeno Bagels” by Natasha Wing. The story does a great job of showing the differences of a non-traditional American family. I liked how the author used a young boy, Pablo’s, indecision to show demonstrate the uniqueness of his family. Pablo tests food items trying to
Show More
decide which he should take to school from his family’s bakery, where both his Hispanic mother and Jewish father produce baked goods specific to their culture. The language used is simple and straightforward describing with detail how Pablo feels each new baked good offered is his favorite, further adding to his indecision. When both parents are involved in the process of making the jalapeno bagels, having characteristics of both cultures, Pablo decides to choose this particular item to take with him to represent his family. I especially enjoyed the fact that this is a great analogy for Pablo himself, being a product of and influenced by the unique cultures of both his parents. I enjoyed the illustrations in this picture book they use earth tones similar to those you’d see in Hispanic artwork to again emphasize a piece of Pablo’s culture. This book does a great job challenging a reader to see more than the simple story of a young boy’s indecision, it tells. It asks that the reader be able to make the connection that each unique baked good and Pablo’s ultimate decision are analogous to the dynamic that exists in this non-traditional family.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrittanyCanales
A little boy named Pablo is having international day at school. The teacher asked for the students to in a food from their culture. At the bakery, which his parents work at, he sees many treats he could bring in but doesn't know which one. He sees pan dulce, enpanadas, changos that his mom makes
Show More
and bagels and challahs that his dad makes. He sees his parents make their specials bagel called jalapeño bagels, it had a mixture of both parents, and he decides that he wants to bring to school because it has both of his cultures in it.

Personal reaction
I enjoyed this book because I feel like I can kind of relate to this book because I am Hispanic. I like that there were recipes in the back of the book and introduced new foods and words to the children.

Extension
With the recipes in the back we could do another food experiment or send home the recipe so that parents could have a family activity to do with their children. We could have our own international day and bring in outfits, toys, or food.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Rebecalynn
This book is about a boy who has to decide what he wants to bring for cultural day at school. His parents own a bakery so he goes to them with the bakery to bake all of the goods, and then he decides what he is going to bring to international day.
LibraryThing member hjaksha
For culture night, a young boy is asked to bring food that represents his own culture. His parents own a bakery that serves both Yiddish and Hispanic pastries so he works with his parents over the weekend to help him decide on a food he wants to bring. He ends up bringing Jalapeno Bagels because
Show More
they represent both sides of his family.
Ages: 5-7
Source: Teaching Strategies Gold Boxed Curriculum
Show Less

ISBN

0689805306 / 9780689805301
Page: 0.5957 seconds