Mora, Pat. Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!: America's Sproutings. Illus. Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2007.
The first time I read this book it was to my kids. They are 5 and 3 years old, so I just read the haikus to them because I thought the informational part would be over their heads (especially for my 3 year old). We all LOVED IT!!! I hadn't read haikus in years. And they never did much for me when I was a kid. I think I tried to read them literally. It never occurred to me that maybe they are intended to paint a picture rather than make linear sense. And the pictures in this book are amazing! It's like an adult crib mobile in book form. I just love looking at them.
I enjoyed the informational part in each section too. I never knew that cacao seeds were originally used to make a spicy drink or that cranberries pop. Have any of y'all actually simmered cranberries before? I've only eaten them dried or jellied.
I think I will go back and read the whole book with my 5 year old, just to see what she thinks. She might ignore the information she doesn’t understand, choosing to focus on the pictures and poetry. Or I might end up spending an hour trying to explain things like why Central America is not the same as the America we live in, who the Aztecs were and why they aren't around anymore, and what "tax" and "imported" mean. On second thought, maybe I'll just stick with the haikus for now.
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2 comments:
I agree, this book was amazing. I almost think adults would appreciate it more than children for the fact that the art work is amazing.
I personally have not simmered cranberries, but I have a lot of memories of my Gram simmering them and makeing sure I stay back because man!!...those things pop and fly and BURN! hahaha...seriously though once I got burned and I never got near them again =(
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