More Book Treats

When the owners of the bakery published a cook book, Los Bagels Recipes & Lore, I helped assemble it. In the book's introduction, one of the business partners, Dennis Rael, wrote about how he was raised in a Jewish-Latino household, and how it influenced the bakery.

I wondered what is was like for Dennis as a kid to celebrate two sets of holidays, and to eat many different kinds of foods.

The vision of a young Dennis and my love for bagels became the story about how a boy of Jewish-Latino heritage chooses what to bring to school for International Day from his parents' bakery.

Today, many teachers contact Los Bagels and have jalapeno bagels sent to their schools for their students to tryafter they read the story.

Booklist
"Wing's simple, affectionate portrait of a mixed family should have wide general appeal and be of great interest to grown-ups in search of good books that show ethnically diverse families."

School Library Journal
"A delightful,... story of a happy, hard-working family. When Pablo must bring something to share for his school's International Day, he considers several items from his family's bakery. But his mother's Mexican pan dulce, empanadas, and chango bars don't do the trick. His father's bagels and challah bread are appealing, but not quite right either. Then the boy helps to make the family specialty, Jalapeño Bagels - a joint creation from the cultures of both parents - and decides that is the perfect contribution: "...a mixture of both of you. Just like me." The text, placed on a white background, is easy to read and well balanced with the charming pictures. The soft, full-page watercolor illustrations are gentle and brightly colored. A Yiddish and Spanish glossary and recipes are included at the end. This book will whet readers' appetites for multicultural fare and offers food for thought for school assignments."

Children's Book Review Service
"Children will enjoy Pablo's decision to take jalapeño bagels, a perfect ethnic combination just like Pablo."

The New York Times
"Pablo combines ingredients from his Mexican mother and Jewish father and comes up with a winner."

Jalapeño Bagels was also named a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (1997) by the National Council for the Social Studies-Children's Book Council joint committee.


	How a bakery inspired my book Behind the Redwood Curtain, in the college town of Arcata, California is a multi-cultural bakery called Los Bagels. It is here where they serve jalapeño bagels with such toppings as humus, or cream cheese with jalapeño jelly. You can get a "slug" with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate or a pumpkin turnover with roasted oak coffee. It is here, too, that the idea for my children's book, Jalapeño Bagels, was formed. When the owners of the bakery published a cook book, Los Bagels Recipes & Lore, I helped assemble it. In the book's introduction, one of the business partners, Dennis Rael, wrote about how he was raised in a Jewish-Latino household, and how it influenced the bakery. I wondered what is was like for Dennis as a kid to celebrate two sets of holidays, and to eat many different kinds of foods. The vision of a young Dennis and my love for bagels became the story about how a boy of Jewish-Latino heritage chooses what to bring to school for International Day from his parents' bakery. Today, many teachers contact Los Bagels and have jalapeno bagels sent to their schools for their students to tryafter they read the story. Notes on the Recipes for Jalapeño Bagels and Chango Bars Los Bagels Bakery & Cafe in Arcata, California was kind enough to share their recipe for Jalapeño Bagels and Chango Bars. The bagels are a bit time intensive, so I suggest ordering the bagels direct from Los Bagels. I like eating mine with cream cheese and sweet jalapeño jelly. Hummus is a tasty complement, too. For those with sweet teeth, Chango Bars (pictured above) are quite yummy. They taste a lot like blonde brownies. I would suggest cutting the baking time back 10 minutes (to 35 minutes instead of 45) for a softer brownie. You can find both recipes in the back of my book, Jalapeño Bagels. To order a signed copy from Los Bagels click here. Above illustrations by Robert Casilla from "Jalapeño Bagels". BOOK REVIEWS Booklist "Wing's simple, affectionate portrait of a mixed family should have wide general appeal and be of great interest to grown-ups in search of good books that show ethnically diverse families." School Library Journal "A delightful,... story of a happy, hard-working family. When Pablo must bring something to share for his school's International Day, he considers several items from his family's bakery. But his mother's Mexican pan dulce, empanadas, and chango bars don't do the trick. His father's bagels and challah bread are appealing, but not quite right either. Then the boy helps to make the family specialty, Jalapeño Bagels - a joint creation from the cultures of both parents - and decides that is the perfect contribution: "...a mixture of both of you. Just like me." The text, placed on a white background, is easy to read and well balanced with the charming pictures. The soft, full-page watercolor illustrations are gentle and brightly colored. A Yiddish and Spanish glossary and recipes are included at the end. This book will whet readers' appetites for multicultural fare and offers food for thought for school assignments." Children's Book Review Service "Children will enjoy Pablo's decision to take jalapeño bagels, a perfect ethnic combination just like Pablo." The New York Times "Pablo combines ingredients from his Mexican mother and Jewish father and comes up with a winner." Jalapeño Bagels was also named a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (1997) by the National Council for the Social Studies-Children's Book Council joint committee.