Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico!
America’s
Sproutings
Haiku by Pat
Mora
Pictures by
Rafael López
cover image retrieved
10/11/12 from
Bibliography
Mora, Pat, and Rafael Lopez. Yum ! MmMm !
Que'rico ! Americas' Sprouting. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc,
2007. ISBN 978-1584302711
Summary
A menagerie of foods native to the Americas parades through
the pages of this engaging book of poetry. Well-known natives, such as pumpkin, corn and tomatoes, are
each featured in a haiku connecting them lyrically to their roots. Foods not as
well-known as original to the Americas also make their way on to the pages of
this book, such as blueberries and pecans. Each haiku extols a certain feature
of the food item, and is accompanied by the delightful illustrations of Rafael
López.
Each food highlighted also has a brief history of the discovery and uses of it
by natives to the Americas.
Critical Analysis
This collection of haiku about foods native to the Americas
is both descriptively and visually appealing. Ms. Mora takes great care to
select just the right words to convey the essence of the food she describes in
just seventeen syllables. The haiku Ms. Mora about each food is captivating in
its simplicity; each poem zeros in on a particular quality that is readily
relatable for readers.
Not only does this collection of poetry capture the spirit
of the food item, but a succinct history of how that food relates to
Hispanic/Latino cultural history is included. The short histories pinpoint
where on the American continents the food is thought to have been first used,
how it was used by early inhabitants, and connections to current uses of the
food. Readers are provided with real-world connections that make this book so
much more than fanciful poetry.
Throughout both the historical synopsis on each page and the
poetry itself, tastes of Spanish vocabulary flavor the writing. Context clues,
illustrations, and direct definitions help the reader understand possibly
unfamiliar words. From the opening line of the haiku “Pumpkin”, “Under round luna”, to the historical explanation of
the pumpkin, which includes, “The word pumpkin
comes from the Greek word pepon,
which means ‘large melon’,” the reader is submersed in a interlinguistic feast.
Ms. Mora tells the reader in her
author’s note that she loves variety, and readers have the advantage of a
smorgasbord of language and cultural tidbits in Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Que
rico!.
Rafael López provides illustrations rich in
detail and allure. Full-page illustrations are both fanciful and relevant. For
instance, on the Chocolate page, a young girl with soft caramel skin savors a
chocolate chip cookie, with chocolate dripping down her chin, while children in
the background with varying darker skin tones chase after delectable chocolate
desserts floating on clouds. The variety of skin tones reflects the diverse
population that has roots in the Hispanic/Latino culture. Mr. López
captures many details characteristic of Hispanics: clothing, hairstyles,
familial relationships, and activities appear throughout the book. All of these
enhance the poetry, careful to convey the importance of Hispanic heritage while
enriching the text.
Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Que
rico! is a wonderful representation of Hispanic history and culture,
presented in the context of foods readers will relate to. I would recommend it
to readers of any age who are interested in learning more about food history,
interlingual poetry, or Hispanic cultural heritage.
Book Reviews
Julie Cummins (Booklist, Dec. 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 7))
Starred Review* 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. An author’s note, which addresses
lingering scientific debate about the geographical origins of some of the
featured foods, also includes a warm celebration of diversity.
Ruie Chehak (Library Media Connection, February 2008)
If you love food, this book will appeal to you. Pat Mora
offers a sumptuous feast of Native American foods in haiku, a
seventeen-syllable poem written with 3 lines in a 5-7-5 syllable format. With
the sparkling words and the alluring illustrations, the reader will crave
something to eat. Mora has captured just the right combination of fun, flavor,
and information. This is sure to be a hit with almost every reader. Teachers
and media specialists will love having this book in their collections.
Recommended.
Awards; Best Book Lists
Amérias Award for Children’s Literature, 2008, Consortium of
Latin American Programs
Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) Master List, 2008-2009
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books, 2008
Great Lakes Great Books Award master list, 2008/2009
Notable Children's Books, 2008 ; ALSC American Library
Association; United States
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008 ; Bank Street
College of Education; United States
Booklist Book Review Stars , Dec. 1, 2007 ; American Library
Association; United States
Lasting Connections, Book Links, 2007
Connections
Reading/Writing:
·
Students will read samplings of other poems
about food, such as those found at http://voices.yahoo.com/childrens-poem-food-abcs-2970252.html
,
http://www.poetry4kids.com/cat-Food.html
, or Food Hates You, Too and Other Poems
by Robert
Weinstock (ISBN 978-1423113911) Students will compose
their own food poem, and illustrate it.
·
Students will take one of the haiku in Yum! ¡MmMm!
¡Que rico! and write an original 5 line poem about
the same food. Both poems will be shared with the class. Students will compare
and contrast the formats, identifying the amount of description in each.
·
Students will write a concrete poem about one of
the foods in Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Que
rico! or one of their own
favorite foods.
·
Learn more about Pat Mora and Yum! ¡MmMm!
¡Que rico! at her website http://www.patmora.com/book_pages/yum.htm
View webcasts, find curriculum connections, and view a clip of Ms. Mora reading
this book!
Social Studies:
·
Students will locate the places listed as the
original growth zone of the foods identified in Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Que
rico! on a map. Students will create their own map, color coding the foods
and creating a corresponding map legend.
·
Students will research other foods that
originated in the Americas. Students will create a presentation using
PoiwerPoint, Prezi, or another presentation tool to share their findings with
the class.
·
Older students (5th grade-middle school) will
learn about the Columbian Exchange at http://public.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/site19/index.html
Students will write a three paragraph paper detailing how the Columbian Exchange
changed the world.
Art:
·
Students will create a mosaic depicting their
favorite food. Students will use items such as wrapping paper or wallpaper
samples, tissue paper, construction paper scraps, or fabric scraps to construct
the mosaic.
·
Students will design a placemat of a meal they
would like to eat, using the foods mentioned in Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Que
rico! . Illustrate and display on bulletin board “Yum! ¡MmMm!
¡
Let’s Eat!”.
Other books by Pat Mora
Young Adult Books Poetry
▪
Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love (2010)
▪
My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for
Young Adults (2000)
Children’s Books Rhymes and Poetry
▪
This Big Sky
▪
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day,
Book Day/Celebremos el Día de los niños, el Día de los libros (bilingual)
▪
Confetti: Poems for Children
▪
Confeti: Poemas para niños (Spanish
edition)
▪
Delicious Hullabaloo: Pachanga deliciosa (bilingual)
▪
The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre(bilingual)
▪
Gracias/Thanks
▪
Join Hands: The Way We Celebrate
▪
Love to Mamá: A Tribute to Mothers
▪
¡Marimba! Animales A-Z
▪
The Song of St. Francis and the Animals
▪
Uno, dos, tres: One, Two, Three
▪
Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico! America’s
Sproutings
▪
Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico! Brotes de las Américas(Spanish
edition)
Prose
▪
Abuelos
▪
Abuelos (Spanish edition)
▪
Agua Agua Agua
▪
Agua Agua Agua (Spanish
edition)
▪
The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panaderia (bilingual)
▪
A Birthday Basket for Tía
▪
Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman With
a Great Big Heart
▪
Doña Flor: Un Cuento de una Mujer Gigante con
un Grande Corazón (Spanish edition)
▪
The Gift of the Poinsettia: El regalo de la
flor de nochebuena (bilingual)
▪
A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana
Inés
▪
Una Biblioteca para Juana: El Mundo de Sor
Juana Inés (Spanish edition)
▪
Listen to the Desert: Oye al desierto
▪
Maria Paints the Hills
▪
My Family/Mi Familia series: Here Kitty,
Kitty/¡Ven gatita, ven! (bilingual)
▪
My Family/Mi Familia series: Let’s Eat ¡A
comer! (bilingual)
▪
My Family/Mi Familia series: Sweet Dreams
¡Dulces sueños! (bilingual)
▪
My Family/Mi Familia series: Wiggling
Pockets/Los bolsillos saltarines (bilingual)
▪
The Night the Moon Fell
▪
La noche que se cayó la luna (Spanish
edition)
▪
Pablo’s Tree
▪
A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days
of Christmas
▪
The Race of Toad and Deer
▪
La carrera del sapo y el venado (Spanish
edition)
▪
The Rainbow Tulip
▪
Tomás and the Library Lady
▪
Tomás y la señora de la biblioteca (Spanish
edition)
Adult Books Poetry
▪
Adobe Odes
▪
Agua Santa/Holy Water
▪
Aunt Carmen’s Book of Practical Saints
▪
Borders
▪
Chants
▪
Communion
Nonfiction
▪
House of Houses
▪
Nepantla
▪
Zing
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