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Rosibel Discovers The World
Written by Nicole Rivard Illustrated by Jon Stricker
Rosibel is a seven-year-old girl who has brown hair that she likes to wear in two pig tails.
Rosibel lives in an apartment in New York City with her grandmother whom she calls Abuelita. Abuelita means “Granny� in the Spanish language.
Both Rosibel and Abuelita speak English and Spanish because Abuelita was born in a Spanish-speaking country called Colombia.
Abuelita has black hair with a little bit of gray in it. She wears glasses because her eyes are not as good as they used to be when she was younger. Abuelita used to be a school teacher and she loves teaching new things to Rosibel.
One day Rosibel came home from school and told Abuelita about a new little girl named Kusuma who started school that day.
Kusuma is from another country and dresses differently than the other children at Rosibel’s school.
Kusuma wore purple silk pants and a long red shirt over them covered in beautiful sparkling jewels. Kusuma has beautiful golden brown skin, brown eyes, and long dark brown hair that she wears in a braid.
The other children teased Kusuma because she doesn’t look or speak like they do.
7 Abuelita said to Rosibel, “I wonder if Kusuma is from the country India.” “Yes Abuelita!” said Rosibel. “Our teacher told us she is from India.” Abuelita told Rosibel that India is a country far away from New York City.
Abuelita said to Rosibel, “Let’s go look on the Internet so we can learn more about India.” Rosibel put her school bag down and followed Abuelita to the computer, which was on a desk next to a bright, sunny window.
Abuelita typed the word India on the keyboard and she and Rosibel saw all sorts of colorful pictures on the computer screen!
They saw a beautiful palace called the Taj Mahal.
Abuelita then typed the name Kusuma and they discovered it means flower.
They also learned that Namasstay is how you say hello in India. Rosibel and Abuelita saw clothing that looked like the clothes Kusuma wore to school. The shirt is called a Kameez and the pants are called Salwar.
They also saw pictures of Indian food like a spicy chicken dish called Chicken Curry, and Naan, which is Indian bread.
“This is fun learning about India!” said Rosibel to Abuelita.
“Can we learn about some more countries?” “Yes Rosibel, let’s look up some more countries on the Internet,” Abuelita replied.
So Abuelita typed in the name of a country called Japan. “Ooh, look at the pretty dresses,” said Rosibel. “Yes, those dresses in Japan are called Kimonos,” Abuelita told Rosibel.
“What is that food, Abuelita?” asked Rosibel. “That is a Japanese deep fried dish called Tempura Seafood,” Abuelita told her.
They also saw a famous type of Japanese food called Sushi, which is uncooked seafood.
Next they saw a giant statue made of stone that is called the Great Buddha.
Then they learned that Konnichiwa means hello in Japan.
“Konnichiwa, Abuelita,� said Rosibel.
Abuelita then typed in a country called France. “What is that tower, Abuelita?” asked Rosibel excitedly. “That is called the Eiffel Tower. It is in France and people can ride up inside it to the top,” said Abuelita.
“I like the hat that man is wearing,” said Rosibel. “That is called a Beret,” Abuelita told her.
“How do you say hello in France?” asked Rosibel. “Bonjour,” said Abuelita.
“Mmm, that French food looks delicious,” said Rosibel. “Yes, those thin pancakes are called Crepes...
and that fancy cheese is called Brie,” Abuelita answered.
Next Abuelita typed in a country called Brazil. “This country is near Colombia where I was born, Rosibel,” Abuelita said.
“How do you say hello in Brazil, Abuelita?” Rosibel asked. “Bom dia is how you say hello in Brazil,” Abuelita told Rosibel. “Those are different looking pants,” Rosibel said as she looked at the man on the computer screen. “Those are called Gaucho Pants. Farmers and field workers wear those in Brazil,” Abuelita told Rosibel.
“What is that giant statue on the top of that hill?” asked Rosibel. “That is the Christ the Redeemer monument,” Abuelita answered.
“I would like to try some of that food,” Rosibel said as she looked at a picture of Feijoada which is a Brazilian black bean and meat stew...
and Coxinha, a deep-fried chicken-filled dough.
“Can we look up one more country, Abuelita?” Rosibel asked. “Yes, this one is called Egypt,” Abuelita told Rosibel. “Wow, what is that thing?” Rosibel asked. “That is called the Sphinx. The ancient Egyptians built that a very long time ago,” Abuelita told Rosibel.
“Here are some foods that the Egyptian people like to eat,” Abuelita told Rosibel. “This one is called Kosheri which is made with rice, pasta, and a spicy tomato sauce, and this one is called Kufta, which is ground lamb meatballs flavored with spices and onions,” Abuelita said and showed Rosibel on the computer screen.
“How do you say hello in Egypt?” asked Rosibel. “Salam is how you say hello in Egypt.” Abuelita told Rosibel. “I would like to wear one of those fancy dresses,” Rosibel told Abuelita. “Yes, those are beautiful. Those are called Galabias, and they are the dresses that Egyptian women wear,” Abuelita told Rosibel.
“I can’t wait to tell my friends at school tomorrow all about India, Japan, France, Brazil and Egypt!” Rosibel said excitedly to Abuelita. “Yes, it is fun to learn about other countries,” Abuelita told Rosibel.
The next day at school Rosibel saw Kusuma and ran up to her and said, “Namasstay, Kusuma!” “How did you learn to say hello in my language?” asked Kusuma. “I learned with my Abuelita yesterday,” Rosibel answered.
“I also learned that Kusuma means flower,” Rosibel told Kusuma. “Yes it does!” Kusuma replied with a big smile on her face. It made Kusuma feel so good to know that Rosibel learned about India just for her.
Rosibel then described the other countries she learned about with Abuelita. Pretty soon other children gathered around and Rosibel taught them how to say hello in five different languages.
“Isn’t it fun to learn about people from other countries?” Rosibel asked the children. The children all replied, “Yes!”
“Next week we can learn about some more countries.” Kusuma smiled at Rosibel and said, “Yes, I would like that.”
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Rosibel and her friends discovered there are many wonderful people and places throughout our beautiful world.
About the Author Nicole Rivard holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from Bethel University (St. Paul, Minnesota) She also earned a diploma in Child Development and is a former Pre-School teacher. Nicole’s love for children’s literature and her passion for promoting cross-cultural awareness inspired her to write Rosibel Discovers the World. The author can be reached at nmr73@yahoo.com.
About the Illustrator Jon Stricker holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from St. Cloud University (St. Cloud, Minnesota.) A talented artist, designer, and illustrator, Jon brings Rosibel Discovers the World to life through his detailed, colorful, and whimsical illustrations. The illustrator can be reached at jjgraphicdesign@yahoo.com.
Rosibel Discovers the World is Ms. Rivard and Mr. Stricker’s first collaboration.
Story copyright © Nicole Rivard, 2009 Illustrations copyright © Jon Stricker, 2009