Book Blog Tour and Giveaway - Nacho's Nachos: The Story Behind the World's Favorite Snack by Sandra Nickel

NACHO'S NACHOS

The Story Behind the 

World's Favorite Snack

by

Sandra Nickel

Illustrated by 

Oliver Dominguez

Genres: Picture Book / Nonfiction / Food History / Latinx Interest  

Publisher: Lee & Low Books 

Publication Date: August 11, 2020 

Number of Pages: 32

 Scroll down for the giveaway!

NACHO’S NACHOS is the deliciously true story about how nachos were invented—about what happened when a regular customer asked Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya for something new, and there were no chefs in the kitchen. 

2020 is the eightieth anniversary of the invention, and Oliver Dominguez’s illustrations transport us back to the border of the Rio Grande in 1940, when Nacho’s quick thinking resulted in a snack now eaten everywhere from Texas to Paris to Hong Kong!

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Sandra Nickel writes books and poetry for young readers. In 2020 and 2021, she has three books coming out: Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack (Lee & Low), The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe (Abrams), and Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Meteorologist Joanne Simpson (Abrams). Sandra’s poetry can be found in SCOOP magazine. 

Sandra holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has presented workshops on writing for children and young adults throughout Europe and the United States. Sandra has twice won the Katherine Paterson Prize for picture books.

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- Tell us a little about Nacho’s Nachos.

It’s the true story about how nachos were invented—about what happened when a regular customer asked Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya for something new, and there were no chefs in the kitchen. This year is the eightieth anniversary of the invention of nachos, and Oliver Dominguez has created a fantastic retro vibe for the story.

- What inspired you to write about nachos?

Around six years ago, I was making nachos in my kitchen and wondered, Hmm, where did these come from? I hopped online and discovered that Ignacio Anaya had invented them. It was unbelievable to me that I didn’t know my favorite snack was created by a generous, quick-thinking man, whose nickname was Nacho. I immediately thought: People need to know this. Kids need to know this!

- What type of research did you do?

I travelled to Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, where Ignacio Anaya invented nachos. The families of Anaya, Mamie Finan, for whom nachos were invented, and Rodolfo de los Santos—the owner of the restaurant where nachos were invented—still live in the area. They very generously agreed to speak with me and share their photos. After that, I was wonderfully lucky and found two San Antonio Express-News articles on microfilm, for which Nacho himself was interviewed.

- Why did you write the story as nonfiction?

So many of the details out there are wrong. People even post pictures, alleging they are of Ignacio Anaya, but in reality, they are of someone else. Even Google and Wikipedia got it wrong. People deserve the straight story, without anything made up. With the permission of the families, I provided the photographs I collected to Oliver Dominguez, and he’s created a fabulous peek into 1940s life along the Rio Grande.

- What was the most surprising thing you discovered during your research?

My favorite unexpected discovery for Nacho’s Nachos was that Ignacio Anaya’s original nachos were different from the piles of tortilla chips we now see all loaded up with toppings. Anaya’s original creation was pure and simple: a freshly fried tortilla quarter, melted cheese, and a single strip of pickled jalepeño pepper. The picture below is of an original nacho I happily wolfed down in Piedras Negras. It really was perfection!

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GIVEAWAY:

Three (3) winners will receive a print copy of Nacho's Nachos by Sandra Nickel and a recipe card. Two (2) winners will receive a recipe card.

August 20-30, 2020
(US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 

or visit the blogs directly:

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