Mama Lisa's Books

Lagniappe – A Small Gift for a Customer

The word "lagniappe" is really fantastic.  It's a small gift given from a merchant to a customer who's buying something. "Lagniappe" comes from the Quechua word "yapa". We have some restaurants near us that give dessert as a lagniappe.  It produces a kind [...]

What's a lagniappe you ask?

A lagniappe is a small gift a merchant gives a customer... for example, you buy 12 doughnuts and they give you a 13th one free. It's a little unexpected gift from the merchant. The word is pronounced "lanyap" and comes from Louisiana French. Mark Twain refers to it back in 1883 in his [...]

Can Anyone Help with a Cuban Rhyme/Finger Play that starts with “Chiquitica así”?

Jeannie Backer wrote to us for help with a Cuban Finger Play. Here's her note... My mother from Cuba used to sing a song/rhyme to usthat I only partially remember, maybe you have heard something similar. It's not a song as much as a cute thing that a child says to adult to ask for

The [...]

About the Song “Cooma Lotta Veesay”

We received the note below with the song “Cooma Lotta Veesay”. Many variations of this song exist, including “Kumala Vista”. It also shares lyrics with the action song called “Flee, Fly, Flo“. Here's the email: “In the late 1950s, we lived near a [...]

Does anyone know this version of Catalina Matelina?

Dennis Lytle wrote to us asking for information about a rhyme: “Any info on the rhyme my parents taught us would be appreciated... I tell you bout vat girl of mine vat looks so sveet and dress so fine, vat come from Dootchland on the Rhine a couple of veeks ago. Her eyes are blue [...]

Make a Dragon Card for The Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is on February 10th this year. It's the year of the Dragon! The dragon symbolizes power, nobility and ambition. Since dragons are so cool, I decided to make homemade cards featuring them. Fortunately, there's a free tutorial online showing how to draw one. You can purchase [...]

Most Popular Christmas Cookies by State in the USA

Google Trends has released a map of the Christmas cookies most searched for by state. It's interesting how popular Italian Christmas cookies are along the east coast. There's more variety in the westward states. Though interestingly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the favorite cookies in New Mexico [...]

Some Riddles in French and English

Here are some French riddles with English versions that were shared by Monique in France. Answers can be found by scrolling down... 1. For me, yesterday comes after today, what am I? In French: Pour moi, hier vient aprs aujourd'hui, que suis-je? 2. What can you catch and never throw? In French: [...]

The Power of a Song

Sometimes the Universe Gives Back From the start of my Mama Lisa's World site, one of the core values has been fostering connections through song. Early on I experienced the value of this while trying to remember a childhood song called, "The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out". [...]