Friday, April 27, 2018

Margo's Musings: Cooking Up Words...

My little sister, Margo, loves birds. We have fun as a family watching them in our backyard. So many varieties to admire! She loves to try to imitate them, so I wasn't surprised when she came home from the Ashpot Library with Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina. I'm sure the bird on the cover caught her eye.

In this book, Mia’s grandmother comes to live with them in the city. They’ll be sharing a bedroom, but they have trouble communicating. Mia doesn’t know how to say what she wants to say in Spanish, and her grandmother (abuela) doesn’t know many words in English. They begin doing little things every day to help them talk to each other. When they’re cooking, the grandmother will say the Spanish word for an ingredient and Mia repeats it, and then says the English word for each item. When Mia remembers what her class did to help a new student who was learning English, she puts words on top of objects all around the apartment so her grandmother will know how to say them in English. To make her grandmother feel more comfortable, Mia asks her mom to buy a parrot so her grandmother will be reminded of the one in her garden back at her old home. The parrot is a wonder and repeats words it hears Abuela and Mia say to each other. Another way for the two to learn to understand each other!

This was a fun story that will help people learn some words/phrases in Spanish or English. The illustrations are bright and interesting. Even more exciting- Margo and I learned some Spanish words!

Has anyone else read Mango, Abuela, and Me? Or have you read another book by Meg Medina? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

~ F

30 comments:

  1. It sounds a truly delightful book. And too many birds would be barely enough.

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    1. EC- It is a great book and I love that there is a bird in it. :) ~F

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  2. This sounds fabulous, what great ideas to help people learn a language and understand each other better. Hugs, Valerie

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    1. Valerie- I thought it was a great book and it gives some great ideas for learning another language or helping learn your language. :) ~F

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  3. I like books that teach languages to young people. This sounds like a good one!

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    1. Sherry- I think you will enjoy this one then! :) ~F

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  4. Hi DMS - what a great way to help people who struggle with another language to learn ... so clever - well done to Margo - cheers Hilary

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    1. Hillary- Glad you like the idea and book! :) ~F

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  5. I haven't read it but I love that it's there. What a great idea for a book.

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    1. Mary- I thought the idea was great too. :) F

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  6. Books that teach language are a big win indeed.

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  7. Looks and sounds excellent ...

    Enjoy the up-coming weekend

    All the best Jan

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    1. Jan- Definitely. Hope all is well with you. :) ~F

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  8. Sounds like a really fun book. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. Brenda- It is a fun book. Hope May has been good to you so far. :) ~F

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  9. What a lovely story. The parrot is excellent for teaching Mia and her grandmother to understand each other.

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    1. Beverly- I thought the parrot was very clever. :) ~F

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  10. Ohh, this book looks pretty adorable :D I'm glad you liked it a lot. I would love to learn more Spanish.

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    1. Carina- It made me want to learn another language too. :) ~F

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  11. Really sounds like an excellent book!!! Teaching languages is fantastic!

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    1. Magic Love Crow- I couldn't agree more! :) ~F

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  12. This sounds lovely! I love books that help kids pick up another language, and being able to relate with grandparents is also so sweet!

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    1. Meradeth- I loved that Mia and her grandma were able to connect. Learning other languages definitely helps connect us to others. :) ~F

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