![\"Cover,](\"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/archives\/files\/2013\/04\/sanchez-gonzalez-book-cover-.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nCover,\u00a0The Stories I read to the children: the Life and writing of Pura Belpre, the legendary storyteller, children’s author, and New York Public Librarian<\/em> by Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez (New York : Hunter College, 2013).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of Belpre’s delightful stories that Dr. Sanchez Gonzalez has selected for inclusion is “The Parrot who liked to eat Spanish Sausages.”<\/p>\n Once there was a parrot who liked to each Spanish sausages. \u00a0\u00a0Every day he would saunter into the kitchen, watch for the cook to leave for a few minutes, then snatch the Spanish sausages from the pot and saunter out before she came back.<\/p>\n At last the cook became suspicious and decided to watch the parrot.\u00a0 One day she hid behind the kitchen door and waited for the parrot to come.\u00a0 She had placed on the table a pot of vegetables with a string of sausages,\u00a0 as she often did before she lit the fire.<\/p>\n By and by the parrot came sauntering in.\u00a0 He went straight to the table, lifted the pot\u2019s lid, took out the string of sausages, and made short work of them.\u00a0 Then off he sauntered again.<\/p>\n The cook said not a word.\u00a0 But later on, when she had placed the pot on a low fire, and the water was lukewarm, she picked up the parrot and poked his head into the pot.\u00a0 The parrot lost all of his head feathers and never again snuck into the kitchen to lift the Spanish sausages out of the pot.<\/p>\n One day a very important guest arrived to visit the family.\u00a0 And, as he often did, he overstayed his visit.\u00a0 Since it was time for dinner the family invited him to eat with them.\u00a0 The guest accepted graciously.\u00a0 While they ate, the parrot sauntered into the dining room.\u00a0 He circled the table twice, then flew up and sat on the guest\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 Suddenly he noticed that the guest\u2019s head was completely bald.\u00a0 \u201cSo,\u201d the parrot cried, \u201cyou too like to eat Spanish sausages!\u201d\u00a0 And laughing and screeching the parrot flew out of the room.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez, associate professor in UConn’s English Department, has published a new book on Pura Belpre, the storyteller, author and librarian at New York Public Library who brought Puerto Rican folklore and the needs of bilingual children to … Continue reading