Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué rico! Americas’ sproutings. Ill. by Rafael López. New York: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 9781584302711

PLOT SUMMARY

WARNING! Do not read this book on an empty stomach! Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! by Pat Mora celebrates foods originating in the Americas. Everything from cranberries to corn to vanilla, Mora presents an engaging haiku accompanied by fascinating facts about the heritage of the food.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

As Mora’s first book of haiku for children, Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico! provides a delectable sampling of foods with origins all throughout the Americas—before the land was explored by Europeans and divided up into countries.

Rather than characters, this book places its focus on the food. Featured items have diverse origins—northeastern North America to southern South America. Readers will be surprised to know where their favorite snacks originated! For example, potatoes, thought by many to be from the northwest United States, are actually from Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Also, there are more than 200 varieties!

Mora celebrates the unity found in foods from the Western Hemisphere. While we may differ in language and tradition, we come together with a love of food. In the fact-filled narrative section of the pages, Mora details the place of origin, a description of the food or how it was used, a term native users called the food, and an interesting tidbit. In the informative piece about pumpkins, Mora informs readers that pumpkins are native to Central America, and the word pumpkin “comes from the Greek word pepon—meaning “large melon.” Did you know pumpkins were once believed to remove freckles? From this page spread, the reader learns the largest pumpkin (as of 2006) weighed in at 1,502 pounds.

Within the haiku, Mora describes the shape, texture, and/or taste of the featured fare. A chile is described as “green mouth-fire.” Mora also incorporates Spanish words in relevant places. In “Prickly Pear,” the latter part of the haiku reads, “Cactus fruit becomes syrup / and dulces Surprise!” The inclusion of Spanish words or phrases adds to the authenticity of the text—both poem and narrative texts. As a help to the reader, Mora provides references on the copyright page.

The authenticity of the text is backed by sources consulted, also located on the copyright page.

When reading each page, the reader must read in three phases (in no particular order): haiku, informative text, and illustration. Rafael López includes such detail in his art that the haiku and informative pieces would be lacking without them. The people portrayed in the images represent people from all parts of the Americas—dark-toned skin with dark hair to light-toned skin with lighter hair. The adults and children celebrate each food item right along with the reader.

Because of the amazing detail López includes, the reader must plan to visit each page for a significant length of time. Simply reading the text and glancing at the pictures will not do the book, in its entirety, justice.

Many pages include multiple people or groups participating in a variety of activities relating to the food. On the cranberries page, a girl, standing waist-deep in a bog, is watching the berries burst in a pot when heated while a boy in the background is jumping around berries growing on vines.

The colors López includes—animated and lively—nicely complement Mora’s vibrant and dynamic words. The detail provided both in words and pictures gives familiarity even to previously unknown treats.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008, Bank Street College of Education

Booklist Book Review Stars, Dec. 2007, American Library Association

Notable Children's Books, 2008, ALSC American Library Association

Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2008

“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.” —Booklist, Dec. 2007, starred review

“Haiku seems a strange form for an American-centered collection, but Mora works the vivid imagery in lyrics that are pretty lip-smacking in their own sonorous right (the tomato ‘squirts seedy, juicy splatter’), making them tasty candidates for reading aloud.” –Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Dec. 2007

CONNECTIONS

Food Celebrations!

In a few of the informational portions of the text, Mora gives reference to monthly celebrations of certain foods: National Blueberry Month in July and National Peanut Month in March. Research some other foods (or learn more about the ones included in the text) and plan a celebration day for these food items. Include in your celebration the preparation of at least 3 recipes featuring the honored food, an activity (game, song, etc.), and festive costuming. Choose an interactive tool to present your idea. (Methods might include a video recording or live performance of your celebration, a Prezi presentation detailing your plans, or a Glogster-type bulletin advertising the celebration)

Americas’ Sproutings Potluck

Choose one food from the book, and find two recipes, which feature that item. Whip up one or both dishes, and print a copy of the recipe. Combine the recipes for a ¡Qué Rico! Cookbook!

More Food Origin Haiku

Choose another favorite food not mentioned in the book (from any place of origin) to research. Using Mora’s style, write a haiku describing your item. Research where it originated, how it grows and is used, and two other interesting facts! Illustrate a book page; include your original text and sources in the layout. Book pages can be combined to make another compilation. (Another option is to create an 11” x 17” page spread, laminate, and use as a placemat for the Americas’ Sproutings Potluck.)