Culture 3: Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico!

Bibliography: Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico! Ill. by Rafael López. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781584302711

Plot Summary:
This is Pat Mora's first book of haiku. She writes 14 different haikus about native foods of the Americas. Before each haiku, the reader is given a brief lesson on the origin of the food, some common uses for it, and other interesting facts.

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers): Pat Mora’s book Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico! teaches readers about native food of the Americas through haiku. Most of the foods are very common and will be easily recognized by young children which should add to their enjoyment of the book. The origin of the food is from either North, Central, or South America. In addition to the haiku, there is a brief snippet about its origin, its uses, and other interesting facts.

Rafael Lopez uses vibrant reds, oranges, blues, yellows, and greens in his illustrations. They really catch and hold the readers attention. Every race is represented in the pictures but there is a stronger Hispanic and Native American representation. Skin tones range from pale to light brown to dark brown. In addition to skin color, Lopez also marks the cultural attributes through hairstyles, clothing, hair texture, and the environment itself. The illustrations add to the haiku in a beautiful way.

Have you ever wondered why many Hispanic families have pineapple decorations somewhere in their houses? I learned from the book that the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality. If you see one in or around a friend’s house it means that you are welcome there. You will learn many other interesting facts like this when you read this book.

Review Excerpt(s):
From Booklist
"This inventive stew of food haiku celebrates the indigenous foods of the Americas." (English edition)
From Book Links
"Mora's descriptive poetry features wonderful word choices and gets it right to the essence of each food...Perfect for sharing as part of the curriculum or just for fun." (English edition)
From School Library Journal
"Teachers will find this a welcome addition to their social-studies units, but it should also win a broad general audience for its inventive, fun-filled approach to an ever-popular topic: food." (English edition)

Connections:
Discussion Questions and Activities:
*Research your favorite fruit or vegetable. Create a page for our own class book of Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué rico!
*Choose one of the foods from the book and write your own haiku. Extension- draw a different illustration or explain why you would add/remove something from the current one.
*Look at the illustrations for "Chile". Write a haiku about what the little girl is thinking.
*Cover the haiku "Vanilla". Read the history of vanilla to the class, and then have them write their own haiku using the illustrations to guide them before reading the haiku aloud.
*Bring samples of papaya, grits, whole pecans, fresh pineapple, etc. for the students to taste.
Other Books by Pat Mora:
*Confetti: Poems for Children. ISBN 9781880000250
*Love to Mama: A Tribute to Mothers (edited by Pat Mora). ISBN 9780756947767
*Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day; Celebremos El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros. ISBN 9780061288777
*Tomas and the Library Lady. ISBN 9780679804017
*A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Ines. ISBN 9780375806438