Paletero Man

Hi! I’m Ms. Gaby and below you’ll find a quick guide to use while reading the fully bilingual hardcover rhyming book Paletero Man.

Before Reading:

• Let’s look at the front cover, looking at the character and the colorful background, what do you think this book might be about?
• Let’s look at the back cover for some clues.
• Do you know what a paleta is? (popsicle)
• This book was written by Lucky Diaz, he is the author, and was translated by Carmen Tafolla.

During Reading:

• This book is written in rhyme, so as we read, let’s use our intonation, and concentrate on pronouncing and elaborating on the key words in English and Spanish:
  • Dinero – Money
  • Favorito – Favorite
  • No gracias – No, thank you
  • Brisa – Breeze
  • Taller de bicicletas – Bike Shop
  • Sabores – Flavors
  • Colores – Colors
  • Sandía – Watermelon
  • Miel – Honey
  • Perdido – Missing/Lost
  • Amigos – Friends
  • Nombre – Name
  • Monedas – Coins
  • Bondad – Kindness
  • Gratis – Free
  • Soleado – Sunny
  • Paleta – Popsicle

After Reading:

• Let’s talk about what we just read/listened to:
  • What kind of day is it? (El día más caluroso/ The hottest day)
  • What does the boy in the story want to buy? (una paleta de helado)
  • Who is he looking for in the street? (Paletero José)
  • Who does he run into as he is trying to find Paletero José? (Tío Ernesto and his tamales, Ms. Lee and her Korean bbq, Frank from the bike shop)
  • What happened to the boy’s dinero? Who found the money?
  • Why does Paletero José decide to give them all free paletas? (because of their kindness)
  • Let’s make some paletas! (at home we could have ingredients and tools set up to make popsicles in the freezer (simple recipe), we could draw colorful paletas on a piece of paper or create a string of paletas by using construction paper, and some recycled popsicle sticks.

Give these suggestions a try and let us know how it went in a comment below!