LS 5663 Module 2: Multicultural Poetry

Yum! Mmmm! Que rico! : America's Sproutings


 Mora, Pat. 2007. YUM! MMMM! QUE RICO!. Ill. by Rafael Lopez. NY: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 978-1-58430-271-1



Review:


In this book, Pat Mora gives us a vivid look at fourteen different foods all native to the Americas. From blueberries to vanilla, readers can enjoy a feast of foods and colors that seem to leap from the page. Describing the foods in uncommon ways such as "brown magic" chocolate and chewing the perfume of a papaya. 
In addition to the creative haiku's, Mora also provides readers with a detailed sidebar for each two-page spread. These sidebar's include an informative paragraph that explains the probable origin of the food, it's history, and some trivia related to the poem. One such tidbit of information is that the largest pumpkin grown as of 2006 weighed in at 1,502 pounds. Another is that the potato was the first vegetable grown in outer space. Kids and adults alike are sure to find this information just as intriguing as Mora's poems.


The work of artist Rafael Lopez is just as intriguing. He uses vibrant acrylics on wood panels to give each page a distinctive multicultural feel, as well as a sense of whimsy with his trumpet playing peanut butter and jelly sandwich and dancing pineapple.


Highlighted Poem:
Pecan


We crack hard, brown shells,
family munching, story time, 
crunchy taste of fall.



Possible Uses:

The possible uses for this book are innumerable. Besides the obvious use in a  lesson on writing a haiku, teachers could use this book in a study of native plants, natural resources, or producers versus consumers. 

Also, the sidebar for the poem Pecan tells readers that the pecan is the state tree of Texas. Teachers could use this poem to begin a discussion about our state.