cover image Gazpacho for Nacho

Gazpacho for Nacho

Tracey Kyle, illus. by Carolina Farias. Amazon/Two Lions, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4778-1727-8

Kyle debuts with the story of a boy named Nacho with a one-track mind when it comes to food: he's only interested in zesty, tomatoey, and lyrically convenient gazpacho. "He didn't like meat or the smell of pescado./ He didn't like chicken or ice-cold helado," writes Kyle as Farias (When Christmas Feels Like Home) paints a forlorn Nacho turning away from a feast of sausages, ham, a foul-looking fish soup, and piles of ice cream. Nacho's protestations take up the sluggish first half of the book; eventually, his fed-up mother%E2%80%94who has been busy cooking up one unsuccessful meal after another%E2%80%94hits on an idea: teaching Nacho to cook his beloved gazpacho. A trip to the market, which Far%C3%ADas whimsically paints as a mountain of giant veggies, leads to a messy afternoon of cooking and new perspective for Nacho. While Kyle's rhymes can get a tad convoluted, Nacho's enthusiasm and the warmth of Farias's paintings should leave readers with a good taste in their mouths. A recipe is included, naturally, as is a glossary for the scattering of Spanish words that appear. Ages 6%E2%80%93up. (Jan.)