Join the celebration in the kitchen as a family makes their
traditional New Year's soup -- and shares the story of how Haitian
independence came to be.
The shake-shake of maracas vibrates down to my toes.
Ti Gran's feet tap-tap to the rhythm.
Every year, Haitians all over the world ring in the new year by eating a
special soup, a tradition dating back to the Haitian Revolution. This
year, Ti Gran is teaching Belle how to make the soup -- Freedom Soup --
just like she was taught when she was a little girl. Together, they
dance and clap as they prepare the holiday feast, and Ti Gran tells
Belle about the history of the soup, the history of Belle's family, and
the history of Haiti, where Belle's family is from. In this celebration
of cultural traditions passed from one generation to the next,
Jacqueline Alcántara's lush illustrations bring to life both Belle's
story and the story of the Haitian Revolution. Tami Charles's lyrical
text, as accessible as it is sensory, makes for a tale that readers will
enjoy to the last drop.