Mice And Beans (edition 2005)

Rosa María is preparing for her granddaughters Catalina’s birthday party in one week. As the week goes by, she prepares different things for the party and notices each day that she is missing items, each time she says “No importa” meaning “it doesn’t matter” and continues with her list. As the book progresses, we see that the mice are taking the missing items and then we also see them fill the piñata which is the last item on the list. On the day of the party, Rosa sees that the piñata is full even though she didn’t fill it seeing the mice did it and remembers what her mom said “When there’s room in the heart, there’s room in the house EVEN for a mouse”.
This book does a great job at having fun with the pictures, which contributes to the story as the plot continues through the pictures. The use of color is amazing as well, without being too much for children. The fact that the illustrations are done in pastels is surprising because it has such detail. The story itself is so wonderful because it truly gives you the experience of latino/a families’ celebrations. The point of view is from a 3rd person which children will love because they can see everything going on.
Personally, I love this book! To begin with, the author does a great job of incorporating Spanish words within the book and explains them to the children reading. She also has a saying for the main character, which is great because Latino’s do have a lot of sayings and includes this without having an explanation for it. The overall theme is great of course, by saying that even something as “meaningless” or unliked as a mouse still is important. The overall presentation of this book is lovely and I can relate to it a lot because it makes me think about my family.

I would use this book to teach word choice because the author does a great job of incorporating spanish words to readers in a fun way. Students will think about their own sayings and add it to their texts. Voice is a great idea to use this book too because the characters are so funny and really stand out from the book. ( )

Rosa Maria was planning her youngest grandchild's birthday party. She had a small house but a big heart and anyone was welcome in her house, except for mice! She planned to make enchiladas, beans, and rice. She never made a meal without beans and rice. She got pinatas, lemonade, and her granddaughter a swing set. She worked all week getting things together and each day of the week she did something different. The only thing that was the same every day of the week was that she set mouse traps every night before bed. Every night before she went to bed she realized the traps were disappearing. She thought she was just crazy and forgetting to set them. She made it through out the week and to her granddaughters birthday party. Everything was going great but she kept feeling like she was forgetting something but didn't know what. Just as the kids lined up to hit the pinata she realized what she had forgot, the candy! She tried to stop them but it was too late they busted it open and somehow candy fell out! She thought "I don't remember doing that" and was confused. Just before going to bed when she was sweeping out the pantry she found candy rappers that led to a small mouse hole, she then realized the mice helped her out. So in the end she had a small house with a big heart and everyone was welcome, even mice!

I personally enjoyed this book. I thought it was cute how she thought she was just losing her mind and the whole time the little mice were playing tricks on her. I also liked how it was repetitive and every night she set the mouse trap only to find it gone the next morning.

1. As a teacher I would really enjoy this book for the kids because it teaches them the days of the week.

2. I also like how it had some Spanish words here and there and then showed them in English. I don't think it would hurt at all to mix Spanish with English in the classroom.

3. I would also make Rice and Beans and maybe some kind of Mexican dip or tortillas to go with it since Rosa always had rice and beans with everything.

4. Lastly I would let the kids participate in helping read where the book says "When it was set and ready to snap she turned off the light and went to be." It's repetitive and would keep the kids paying attention because they had a part in the book as well.

Cute little book about a grandmother planning a fiesta' for her granddaughter's birthday. Clever little mice help move the fiesta planning along! ( )

This sweet picture book by Pam Munoz Ryan is about a grandmother planning a party for her grandchild's seventh birthday. All week long, Rosa Maria prepares for the party and makes food for it. Her big concern is about mice, so each night she puts out a mousetrap but the next day is always gone. In the end, the mice come through for Rosa Maria to make her a party a success and she rewards them with some leftovers and stops putting out mousetraps.

The text of the book is simple for young readers but without being reductive. It is also peppered here and there with Spanish words, making it a great read for bilingual classrooms or home. (There is a pronunciation guide and glossary at the back of the book for any readers who need help, but context clues should be sufficient for most of the words and phrases.) It's a nice story about the joy of being with family, giving being better than receiving, and sharing and working with others. Granted, the mice being okay in a kitchen suggestion is a perhaps not the best lesson, but otherwise this story is both entertaining and provides a teachable moment for many values. The illustrations are lively and colorful as well as serving to provide dramatic irony as the reader can see the mice squirreling off Rosa Maria's things while the text only mentions her confusion when things are missing. The book also includes a recipe for Rosa Maria's rice and beans, which is an additional multicultural treat. ( )

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