Text by Jorge Argueta

Illustrations by Fernando Vilela

To be published by Groundwood in 2010

Hardback - 32 pages

Rice pudding is one of the most international and traditional desserts which exist. It is also a dish that is typically homemade and easy to make, whose preparation is within the reach of any child who can cook beneath the attentive supervision of an adult.

But above all, it is perhaps one of the dishes most characteristic of childhood, with its particular texture and its unmistakable aroma.

Arroz con leche (Rice pudding) is a cooking poem by the Salvadoran writer and poet Jorge Argueta, already an expert in this type of poetic exercise. With his magical words, it is nature itself which erupts in the kitchen, with its rivers, waterfalls, rainfalls, skies, clouds, rainbows, and stars… And to cook thereby becomes a true adventure…

Fernando Vilela chose a palette of happy though gentle colors for this book and an undulating line which gives his illustrations a sweetness very evocative of familial tenderness. Magic and reality are united in one of the artist’s most accomplished works.

There is no doubt that the aroma of cinnamon of this marvelous rice pudding, a true gift, will always remain in the memory of all those who share it.

To be issued in a bilingual edition

(Spanish-English languages)