Culture 3 Review - Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings

 

Bibliographic Information

Mora, P. 2007. YUM! ¡MMMM! ¡QUÉ RICO!: AMERICAS’ SPROUTINGS. Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 9781584302711

Plot Summary

Smear nutty butter,

then jelly. Gooey party,

my sandwich and me.

Peanuts, blueberries, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and more — here is a luscious collection of haiku celebrating foods native to the Americas. Brimming with imagination and fun, these poems capture the tasty essence of foods that have delighted, united, and enriched our lives for centuries. Exuberant illustrations bring to life the delicious spirit of the haiku, making Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! an eye-popping, mouth-watering treat. Open it and dig in!

Critical Analysis

This compilation of Pat Mora’s haiku poetry will appeal to children (and grown ups!) of all ages. The poems surrounding food were simple and fun, and the facts about each veggie/fruit/legume were interesting and taught me things I didn’t know! I think that Haiku poetry is a wonderful way to introduce younger children to poetry since the poems are all short, and of course, every child is familiar with yummy food! While there are no consistent characters throughout the story, the characters that are illustrated are happy and take delight in eating the delicious foods being described throughout the book. 

The story is rich in cultural details. The text boxes in the sidebar of each spread include information about the specific food being described in each Haiku. There are facts about the history, usage, origins, locations, growing season, and more interesting facts. Cultural markers are evident in the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the story, as evidenced in this phrase from the Haiku poem about the prickly pear: “cactus fruit becomes syrup and dulces. Surprise!” The people in the illustrations wear colorful clothing and have black hair and a variety of skin colors and features common to Hispanic cultures. 

Rafael Lopez’s illustrations rendered in acrylic on wood panels are exuberant and alive with color. The beautiful paintings are full of joy and humor. A sandal-wearing pineapple dances with maracas in one hand, red juice runs down the chin of a smiling boy as he relishes a fresh tomato, a drum-playing boy parties with his sandwich as they dance in a river of gooey peanut butter, and more. I read this book aloud to my 5 year old, and while she thought the poems were silly and the pictures were pretty, my husband who was listening in, loved the facts on each page! This book is truly great for all ages (and all tummies!).

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

*Américas Award - Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs

*ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)

*Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education

*Texas Bluebonnet Award Shortlist - Texas Library Association (TLA)

*Best of the Best Books - Chicago Public Library

*"This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas. Each of the 13 poems appears on a gloriously colorful double-page spread, accompanied by a sidebar that presents information about the origin of the food. . . this will provide lots and lots of lip-smacking fun that teachers can use to supplement social studies and language arts units; they can also share one poem at a time, between other subjects." - Booklist

Connections

*Create a menu of dishes that incorporate several foods featured in the book!

*Use a map or globe to identify the countries on the unlabeled map at the beginning of the book. 

*Discuss how the foods get from the places where they grow to the markets. Have student teams explore questions such as: Who harvests the plants? How are they transported? What is the travel time? Do they need to be refrigerated? Are they prepared or processed in some way before they are sold?