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Papa's Pastries

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Papa's Pastries

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Overview

"Miguel’s family needs a new roof, firewood, and clothing to survive the winter. Miguel hope his father, a pastry peddler, will sell enough tasty treats to buy the things they need.But all the villagers they meet have also endured great hardship, and Miguel;s father gives his pastries to those who need them most. Miguel feels heartbroken. Then something happens that teaches him that kindness is far more valuable than money."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310424086
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	10/05/2010
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Charles Toscano lives in North Carolina with his wife, Jennifer, and four sons. Much like the theme of Papa's Pastries, Charles' passion is to serve God by helping others. This is Charles' first published children's book.
Sonja Lamut is an illustrator, painter, and printmaker who has received numerous awards for her work in the U.S. and in Europe. Ms. Lamut has illustrated a number of children's books, including Lemuel the Fool, How Many Candles?, Too Noisy, And the Cow Said Moo, and Rhymes for Children. The book Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks, which Ms. Lamut illustrated, reached the number-one spot on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. She lives with her husband and daughter in New York City, where she teaches illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Read an Excerpt

Papa's Pastries

By Charles Toscano

Zondervan

Copyright © 2010 Charles Toscano
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-71602-0

Chapter One

As Miguel and Papa entered the first village, Papa began to sing. He was known throughout the land for his wonderful pastries, but loved all the more for his beautiful voice.

The villagers sang! They danced! They clapped and cheered! Miguel's heart filled with hope. Surely, he thought, we will sell many, many pastries here!

But alas, the villagers said to Papa, "We are sorry, señor, but we have faced many hardships, and money is scarce. We cannot afford to buy your delicious pastries."

When they arrived, Mama asked anxiously, "Papa, did you sell many pastries?"

"No," he said sadly. "I sold none."

"Then where are all of the pastries, Papa?" asked Miguel's brothers and sisters, peeking into the empty sack.

"I gave them away," he smiled tenderly, "to friends and families needier than our own."

Mama threw her hands into the air. She cried, "Now we have nothing! You are very kind, Papa, but very foolish. Kindness won't fix our leaky roof, nor fuel our fire, nor mend our worn clothing."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Papa's Pastries by Charles Toscano Copyright © 2010 by Charles Toscano. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

Effective use of repetition and a pleasing rhythm invigorate debut author Toscano's predictable but touching tale about the rewards of faith and neighborly compassion. When Miguel accompanies his Papa on a day's journey to three villages, people respond to Papa's singing with joyful dancing, but cannot afford his homemade pastries. Lamut's (Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks) full-bleed watercolors set earth-toned hues against pale blue-gray washes, while alternating half-spread paintings are framed against white backgrounds. The illustrations, which depict thin, barefoot, ragged villagers weaving, transporting wood, and selling various goods, effectively convey communal warmth and industry against a backdrop of poverty and looming fear. After giving away all their goods, Miguel and Papa return empty-handed to their broken-down hut, where the distraught, hungry faces of Miguel's siblings capture the emotional and physical cost of Papa's generosity. However, the story's moral, delivered by Papa--"Kindness is far more valuable than money"--proves true as the recipients arrive with generous offerings of their own the next day. Papa's morning prayer and Miguel's evening prayer frame the story, demonstrating the passage of faith from one generation to another. Ages 4–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Good deeds and faith play a major role in this parable about trusting in providence.
While the story is predictable, its Mexican countryside setting sets it apart. Lamut’s idealized illustrations portray warm characters in traditional costumes, dancing, singing, and marketing. A
good choice for collections where there is demand for religiously themed stories.

Booklist Karen Cruze

K-Gr 2—On a cold morning, Miguel wakes up to the sound of raindrops dripping from the hole in the roof of his house. Outside, he overhears his father's worried prayer in which he asks God for a new roof, firewood he needs for his pastry business, and clothes for his family. Without these things, they will not survive. Together, Miguel and his father fill a large sack with already made pastries, and they journey to three nearby villages where they hope to sell them. When they enter each village, Papa sings and the villagers sing, dance, and clap along with him, for he is well known for his beautiful voice. But times are hard, and no one has money for his wares. When he notices villagers who need help, he ends up giving all his pastries away. When he returns home, Mama is clearly exasperated. The next morning brings a heartwarming solution to the family's woes as neighbors from the three villages come to visit and use their various talents to repay Papa's kindness. That night, Miguel prays, "Thank you for your loving kindness. And thank you, Lord, for my Papa. Amen." Soft, sweet illustrations accompany this gentle story. The use of Spanish words and the pictures of the people, landscape, village scenes, and clothing suggest that the setting is Mexico or perhaps, a South American country.—Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

The golden rule gets the spotlight in this tale of selflessness. To provide for their large family, Miguel and his father travel from town to town to sell delicious pastries. Each town welcomes the duo's arrival through song and dance, though the poor cannot afford the treats. Feeling pity for their plight, Papa graciously donates his baked goods to the struggling villagers. Concern for their family's welfare causes Miguel and his mother to question this generosity, but his gift is returned threefold when the recipients share their skills with Papa and his growing brood. By focusing on prayer's inspirational power rather than specific doctrine, the nondenominational approach appeals broadly. The religious message cannot escape an earnest wholesomeness, though it refrains from didacticism. Biblical quotations support the straightforward narration. Repetitive dialogue builds the familiar arc to its uplifting conclusion, though the nondescript Latin setting cannot root it. Soft colors suit the quiet message; rounded shapes reveal a sweet vulnerability within each light spread. Overall, Christian charity receives a gentle endorsement. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

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Overview

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About the Author

Read an Excerpt

Papa's Pastries

Zondervan

Chapter One

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