So focused on writing a poem about miners toiling deep in the earth, Pablo is tardy for his luncheon with Matilde. Strolling through her fragrant garden in preparation for their meal, sensitive Pablo points out aspects of the garden that make him sad. But while he sees the fennel and tomato plants battling one another for sunlight, Matilde envisions the plants dancing. After she picks an onion, he cautions, "It will only make you cry when you slice it up." As Pablo really studies the vegetable, he marvels at the beautiful white sphere with its thin skin that came from the dark underground. Inspired, he writes an ode to the vegetable, which is printed in English and Spanish at the book's conclusion. Sala's colorful paintings reveal the dour, olive-skinned poet and the perpetually smiling red-headed musician. Many pictures and decorations in Pablo's home are items about which he wrote odes: an artichoke, scissors, vases, and ships. Onionskin endpapers are a nice touch to an introduction to the Chilean poet who paid tribute to familiar objects.

The author imagines the day when the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was inspired to write an ode to an onion.As the book starts, a man is writing at his desk. His name is Pablo, and he is writing a long and sad poem, which makes him feel gloomy. This gloom will permeate much of his outlook that day. Soon he's off to lunch with his friend Matilde. To dispel the glum mood, Matilde invites Pablo into the garden to collect what they need for lunch. For every happy and upbeat expression Matilde utters about the flowers and vegetables in the garden, Pablo responds with a sad comment. Back in the kitchen, when Pablo cuts into an onion, "all he saw through his tears was a lowly vegetable. But then he noticed how the sunlight shone through the onion's layers." He thanks Matilde for reminding him there is also happiness in the world. And thus, Pablo is inspired to write an ode to an onion. Sala's exuberant illustrations are playful and colorful, depicting both Pablo and Matilde with pale skin. The backmatter includes a very brief account of the famous Nobel Prize winner's life along with the poem with its English translation. Unfortunately, for most children in the United States not familiar with Neruda, his importance in 20th-century Spanish literature will not be apparent. Read along with Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People, by Monica Brown and illustrated by Julie Paschkis (2011).Read for a sweet story about the creative process (but not for information about Neruda). (Picture book. 5-8)

Debut author Giardino envisions the inspiration behind one of Pablo Neruda-s odes to familiar objects. Feeling downtrodden after writing a -long, sad poem- about the lives of miners, Neruda is uplifted by a visit to his friend Matilde-s lush garden home, where -the air smelled like licorice and mud.- Matilde, an exuberant redhead (Pablo-s future wife), recognizes Pablo-s sadness and takes him on a walk through the garden, where her passion and optimism contrast with Pablo-s bleak perspective. But after picking an onion and slicing it for lunch, Pablo recognizes its beauty and complexity, something so much more than -a lowly vegetable.- Sala-s matte artwork features thick lines, playfully skewed angles, and motifs from Neruda-s body of work appearing in his cluttered seaside study. An end note shares biographical details about -Pablo and Matilde,- and Neruda-s -Ode to an Onion,- in Spanish and English, ends the book. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)