MICE AND BEANS

By Pam Munoz Ryan Illustrated by Joe Cepeda

Image Credit: www.scholastic.com

1. Bibliography

Ryan, Pam Muñoz., and Joe Cepeda. Mice and Beans. New York: Scholastic, 2001. Print. ISBN 9780439183031

2. Plot Summary
Rosa Maria's granddaughter will be turning seven within a few days. Rosa makes a list of things she needs to do to prepare for the celebration she will be hosting at her home. For several days Rosa completes many task on the list and sets a new mouse trap each evening because the old ones keep disappearing. This makes her think she is forgetful. She remembers during the party that she forgot to fill the pinata with candy. When her granddaughter hits the pinata and candy falls to the floor, Rosa realizes that she had helpers all along.

3. Critical Analysis
MICE AND BEANS is a fictional story that reveals a Hispanic birthday celebration for a young child. Rosa Maria is a caring grandmother who wants to make sure her granddaughter has the best birthday. Children will love the repeating theme of "She hurried to the cupboard to fetch another and when it was set and ready to SNAP, she turned off the light and went to bed." The story line is enlightening because Rosa Maria always thinks she forgot to set the mouse trap when we really know that the mice took the trap away. At the end we learn that Rosa had the saying from her mother completely wrong. The real saying was "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house...even for a mouse."

Many cultural markers are present in the story including the dialect, celebrations, and family. Throughout the story the readers are exposed to many Spanish words such as "No importa," "bolsa," and many more. Pam Munoz Ryan includes a glossary and pronunciation guide at the end of the story. Many children will be able to use context clues to discovery the meaning of the word. The glossary is helpful to confirm the meaning of the words. For the celebration we see the use of a pinata which is found in traditional Hispanic celebrations. We also see the family eating enchiladas, rice, and beans which is traditional Hispanic food.

The illustrations by Joe Cepeda are full page with bright colors. We see Rosa as a grandmother who wears a dress and apron throughout the story. The illustrator gave Rosa yellow hair which is not traditional for this culture. Children will enjoy the pictures that are from the mice's view of the story. The children will also enjoy viewing the activities of the mice.

4. Review Experts
~BOOKLIST (9/2001): "Ages 4-7. It's time for Little Catalina's seventh birthday, and grandmother Rosa Maria is ready to celebrate. She has room in her heart and her casita for nearly everyone on this happy occasion--everyone except mice. Grandmother sees to the details, from food to fun. But she forgets to fill the empty pinata, and when she discovers that mice have filled it for her, she opens a place in her joyful heart just for them. The story is charming, but what makes it special is the quiet authenticity of the Hispanic characterizations. Cepeda's pictures are as good as the story, with bright, funny scenes depicted from human (looking down) and mouse (looking up) points of view. A delightful birthday or anytime book."

~SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (10/2001): "K-Gr 2-As a loving grandmother prepares for her youngest grandchild's seventh birthday, the smallest residents of her casita follow her through each successive weekday, taking the necessities for their own celebration and watching over her. The energetic Rosa Maria is a loving, unselfish, and hardworking woman, but her forgetfulness allows her to attribute missing items to her own behavior. The text, interspersed with Spanish expressions, appears on vivid full-page illustrations, creatively drawn from a mouse's perspective. This imaginative and artistic book combines richly colored and angled illustrations with a variety of text fonts and sizes. Cepeda adds detail and expression to the smallest objects and inhabitants of Rosa Maria's casita-even the turkey pinata seems alive. A treat for young listeners."

5. Connections
~Students could write about their own birthday celebration after reading this story.

~Students could discuss the importance of family including how grandparents can pass down traditions to younger generations.