Roseanne Greenfield Thong - Green Is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors

To Maya, who loves chile peppers on everything imaginable! R. G. T.

To my aunts: Eleanor, Marie, Joan, Mary, Nancy, and Patricia, for all your love and support. J. P.

Text 2014 by Roseanne Greenfield Thong.
Illustrations 2014 by John Parra.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-3011-8 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3606-6 (epub 3)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3604-2 (mobipocket)
ISBN 978-1-4521-3605-9 (epib)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thong, Roseanne, author.
Green is a chile pepper / by Roseanne Greenfield Thong ; illustrated by John Parra.
pages cm
Summary: Children discover all the bright colors in their Hispanic American neighborhood.
ISBN 978-1-4521-0203-0 (alk. paper)
1. ColorsJuvenile fiction. 2. Hispanic American childrenJuvenile fiction. 3. Stories in rhyme.
[1. Stories in rhyme. 2. ColorFiction. 3. Hispanic AmericansFiction.] I. Parra, John, illustrator. II. Title.
PZ8.3.T328Gre 2014
[E]dc23
2013021561

Design by Amelia Mack and Eloise Leigh.
Typeset in Brandon Grotesque.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in paint.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94107

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Red is a ristra.
Red is a spice.

Red is our salsa
on top of rice.

Red is a ribbon.
Red is a bow

and skirts for
baile folklrico.

Orange are the marigolds
on Day of the Dead.

Orange are the platos
for special bread.

Yellow is masa
we use to make

tortillas, tamales, and
sweet corn cake!

Yellow are the stars
that lighten the night.

Yellow are faroles
flickering bright.

Green are the cornstalks.
Green are the pails.

Green is a bench
for abuelas tales.

Green is a chile pepper,
spicy and hot.

Green is cilantro
inside our pot.

Blue is the endless sky above
and handmade crafts for those I love.

Purple are the rides
that swirl and spin

and the feria prizes
that we win.

Pink are adornos
and candles that glow.

Pink are piatas:
Watch out below!

Brown is a churro,
warm and sweet,

and homemade chocolate
a special treat.

White are the flowers
we put in a vase,

and sugar skulls
and handmade lace.

White are the doves
that chatter and coo,

and the palomitas
for me and you.

The world is a rainbow of wonder and fun:
ribbons of colors rolled into one.

In ponchos, serapes, and xylophones, too,
these beautiful colors are waiting for you!

ABUELA: Grandmother.

ADORNOS: Decorations.

BAILE FOLKLRICO: Mexican folk dancing, known for heel stomping and swirling skirts. Each part of Mexico has a different dance costume, which can include ribbons, bows, fancy hair pieces, and shawls for women; and colored ties, belts, wide-brimmed hats, and boots for men.

CALAVERAS: Sugar skulls given as gifts or tokens of love, and placed on family altars for the Day of the Dead. The skulls (made of hard, compacted granulated sugar) are decorated with colored sugar frosting and often have names on the foreheads.

CHILES: Chiles come in many colors, including green, red, orange, yellow, and purple. Two popular green chiles are poblanos and jalapeos.

CHOCOLATE: Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, pronounced choh-coh-LAH-tay in Spanish. The ancient Aztecs enjoyed it as a hot drink mixed with vanilla and chile pepper. Later, Europeans sweetened it by adding sugar and milk and removing the pepper. Mexican chocolate comes in bars, discs, syrup, and powder, and is used in a special meat sauce called mole.

CHURROS: Long, thin doughnut-like snacks that are fried until crunchy and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

DA DE LOS MUERTOS (Day of the Dead): On the first and second of November every year, to remember and honor the dead, cemetery graves are decorated with bright marigold flowers, candles, and a sweet bread called pan de muertos.

FAROLES: Lanterns made of colorful paper with a lit candle inside. They are used for nine nights before Christmas during posadas, or processions through the village, when participants stop at different homes to sing carols and enjoy food.

FERIA: Held during holidays, ferias are carnivals that often include rodeos, rides, food stalls, and game booths for winning prizes.

MASA: A cornmeal dough used for foods like tamales and tortillas.

MARIMBA: A Mexican xylophone with wooden keys, played by several musicians at the same time by hitting the wooden keys with mallets. Nowadays, toy xylophones are made with rainbow-colored keys.

OJOS DE DIOS (Gods Eyes): Ancient symbols made by weaving colored yarn around two crossed sticks. The center of the eye is made when a child is born. Each year, a bit of yarn is added until the child turns five, at which point the eye is complete.