THEREADINGCHAIR
Old Clothes for Dinner?!
By Nathalie Alonso. Illus. by Natalia Rojas Castro. 2024. Barefoot Books. 32 pp. Ages 4 & up.
Magaly’ s grandmother, who recently joined the family from Cuba, has been cooking delicious dinners. But one meal stops Magaly in her tracks. Abuela says it’ s called ropa vieja, and Magaly knows that translates to“ old clothes.” Abuela is preparing old clothes for dinner? So that’ s what happened to the old sweater Magaly had been looking for.... It must have gone right into the pot!
In this chuckle-inducing story, Magaly hides her old clothes with alarm and chokes down the meal before learning that traditional dishes aren’ t always named literally. The book features many dishes and ingredients, including recipes for ropa vieja( shredded beef) and arroz con leche( rice pudding). Backmatter includes facts about Cuba, Spanish vocabulary, and descriptions of dishes from around the world with unexpected names. For example, in the Sichuan region of China, there’ s a pork and noodle dish with a name that means ants climbing a tree. There’ s an Italian pasta called orecchiette, which means little ears. Children may be familiar with the pastry-wrapped hot dogs called pigs in a blanket. This book can serve as a jumping off point for discussions about families’ traditions around food and cooking.
Just What To Do
By Kyle Lukoff. Illus. by Hala Tahboub. 2024. Dial Books for Young Readers. 40 pp. Ages 4 & up.
When a friend is going through a tough time, it can be hard to know what to do or say to show that you care. Children are hardly the only ones who struggle with this! The thoughtful protagonist keeps trying to figure it out, taking lessons learned from one situation and accidentally misapplying them to the next. But when a friend’ s grandma dies, it’ s time to stop guessing and ask how to help. The friend isn’ t sure what she needs, so they figure it out together. This tender story, full of charm and humor, illustrates that being a friend doesn’ t mean knowing how to fix someone else’ s sadness. It means offering company and an ear. The book’ s sparse text and the negative( or blank) space in the illustrations make the story’ s powerful lessons feel focused and poignant. In addition to being a compelling story, the book is an excellent resource, in general, for supporting children’ s social and emotional development, and especially when children are experiencing grief.
Copyright © 2025 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at NAEYC. org / resources / permissions.
98 Young Children
Winter 2025