Too Many Tamales (original 1993; edition 1996)

by Gary Soto

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2,370	160	6,451	(4.1)	2
Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.

▾Book information

Member:	janetguzman
Title:	Too Many Tamales
Authors:	Gary Soto
Info:	Puffin (1996), Paperback, 32 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	multicultural lit, holidays, family, interaction

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Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto (1993)

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Independent Reading Level: 3rd-5th Grade
Awards: Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choices of 1993

isabelcleveland | Dec 5, 2023 |

Reading Level: 9-10

caitlynatkinson | May 4, 2023 |

SUCH a cute story and realisitic, if this was my problem, i would of done the same (x

MichelleCota | Dec 1, 2022 |

"The whole family is coming for Christmas, so Maria and her parents are busy making tamales—Maria helps Mom knead the masa, and her father puts them in the pot to boil. While they're working, Maria secretly tries on Mom's diamond ring, then forgets about it until she's playing with her cousins. Since it's not on her thumb she's sure it's in a tamale, so the four cousins consume all 24 (with some difficulty) in hopes of finding it. No luck—the ring's on Mom's finger, after all. In this family, there's no scolding: Aunt Rosa says, ``It looks like we all have to cook up another batch,'' and so they do, three generations laughing and working together. Soto's simple text is charmingly direct; he skips explanations, letting characters reveal themselves by what they do. Martinez's realistic, nicely composed paintings are glowing with light and life, while he reinforces the story with particularly expressive faces and gestures. This one should become a staple on the holiday menu." www.kirkusreviews.com

CDJLibrary | Nov 30, 2022 |

Summary: Maria and her cousins trying to eat their way through to find the ring that Maria thought she embedded within the tamales.

Yuping | Nov 30, 2022 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Gary Soto	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Cuervo, Alma	Narrator	main author	some editions	confirmed
Martinez, Ed	Illustrator	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Ada, Alma Flor	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Campoy, F. Isabel	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has the adaptation

Too Many Tamales [2002 film] by Paul R. Gagne

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Grades K-3 – 1995)

Show Me Readers Award (Nominee – 1996)

Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award (Nominee – 1996)

Notable Lists

NCTE Kaleidoscope: A Multicultural Booklist for Grades K-8 (2nd Edition – 1993-1995)

Publishers Weekly Editorial Review (1993)

Teacher Favorites Award (1994-1996)

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Canonical title

Too Many Tamales

Original title

Too Many Tamales

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Original publication date

1993

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▾Book descriptions

Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.

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Book description

While preparing dough for her family's Christmas tamales, Maria discovers that she has lost her mother's prized diamond ring somewhere in the dough and sets out to eat her way through the many finished tamales to find the missing ring.

Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together, but panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.

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