Join us for a special bilingual presentation of Jasminne Mendez’s newest children’s book, Josefina’s Habichuelas / Las Habichuelas de Josefina.
Like all kids, Josefina loves to eat sweets. She loves warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven, cupcakes and candy! One night, while eating a piece of flan, Mami asks her to consider giving up sweets for Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter. “That’s impossible!” Josefina says. When Mami promises to teach her how to make her favorite dessert, habichuelas con dulce, she agrees to give it a try.
Josefina can’t wait to end her fast and eat the delicious sweet cream beans, her family’s traditional Easter dessert. While she and her mom, tías and abuela prepare the dish, they dance to merengue music and tell stories about life back in the Dominican Republic. The kitchen fills with the aromatic smells of cinnamon and sugar, but it’s the feelings of love and happiness Josefina will never forget. On Easter Sunday, when the family eats the special dessert she prepared, the girl’s grandmother proclaims, “It’s the best pot of habichuelas con dulce I’ve tasted in my life!”
This heart-warming, bilingual picture book for children shares a universal story all kids can relate to—learning about one’s culture through food, music and family stories—while focusing on a cultural tradition specific to the Dominican Republic. As a bonus, the book includes the recipe for this special dessert—in both English and Spanish! – Arte Público Press
Jasminne Mendez is a Dominican-American poet, educator, performer and award-winning author. Her first multi-genre memoir Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press, 2013) was awarded Best Young Adult Latino Focused Book by the International Latino Book Awards in 2015. Her work can be found in the YA anthology Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed (Flatiron Books) and elsewhere. Her second YA memoir, Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American (Arte Público Press), will be released in 2022. Josefina’s Habichuelas/Las habichuelas de Josefina (Arte Público Press) is her debut picture book. She loves, lives, and eats cupcakes in Houston, Texas, with her partner Lupe and their daughter Luz Maria.
The event will be hosted in person. Admission is free and open to the public.
Please note: Face masks are required for all guests ages 2 and up. Complimentary masks are available at the Security desk.
