Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan

-from Pam Munoz Ryan's website

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2001. MICE AND BEANS. Ill. by Joe Cepeda. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 978-0-439-18303-1.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
Rosa María is the loving abuela that every kid wishes he/she had. All week, she prepares for the birthday celebration of her youngest grandchild.  As she plans, cooks, and cleans, she forgets little things here and there, including whether she has set out the mouse trap. Thank goodness she finds it in her heart to share her festive home with her little mice friends.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
This heartwarming picture book is somewhat of a “cultural parade.”  It showcases so many facets of culture within a short time- language, traditions, celebrations, and food. The strong sense and value of family is the foundation of the story. Even though the grandmother has a “tiny house,” she squeezes her “whole family” into it for the celebration. She commits her time and effort, to cleaning, planning, and preparing because she loves her family. 

The story is enriched by the interspersed Spanish. Many of the Spanish words that are used in the story are not directly translated, and the reader must use context clues to understand the term.  For example, when Rosa María “filled her big bolsa with tortillas…”, the reader must look at the illustrations to figure out that bolsa means bag. Ryan uses several other Spanish words throughout, like casita, piñata, ratones, frijoles, and fiesta. Short phrases like “No importa,” “Feliz cumpleaños,” and “¡Fíjate!” also add to the cultural relevance of the story. 

Fair warning: this book will make you hungry!  Rosa María cooks a very special and delicious meal for the birthday- red enchiladas, beans, rice, birthday cake and lemonade.  Even the details of how these foods are prepared are included in the story, like “squeez[ing] the juiciest lemons” for the lemonade, or “add[ing] water all day long until the beans were plump and soft.” These details convey the love, care, time, and effort that is put into cooking for the family. This is a cultural marker of the Latino community. 

The illustrations of this story are wonderful.  The details on each page communicate details of the story. Depth and context is added to the story through the great drawings and colors.  It is entertaining to watch the subplot of the mice, as they work in cooperation and in contrast to Rosa María. Apparently, there is a grandmother mouse that also needs to set up a party for her mija, which is the reason why some of Abuelita’s items go missing. 

D. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Children's Books, 2002

Booklist, September 2001: “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.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2001

Kirkus Reviews, August 2001

Publishers Weekly, September 2001:  “The dialogue is rich in Spanish phrases ("éQué boba soy! Silly me"), descriptions of Mexican food and images of a boisterous extended family ‘Where there's room in the heart, there's room in the house even for a mouse,’ Rosa Maria concludes.”

School Library Journal, October 2001

E. CONNECTIONS

This happy, celebrative book would pair well with another similar book, Chato and the party animals by Gary Soto, which is another birthday tale written within a Hispanic cultural context. It would also be fun to do a unit on grandparent books with elementary students.  In that case, books like Abuela, by Arthur Dorros, Soul Food Sunday, by Winsome Bingham, Spicy Spicy Hot by Lenny Wen, and Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai would be great additions.