Yum! MmMm! Que rico!

Bibliography

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! MmMm! Que rico! Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee and Low Books. ISBN 978-1584302711.

Review

Pat Mora has created a delicious serving of haiku poetry where every page is a fiesta celebrating the foods indigenous to the Americas. In addition to the haiku, each page includes brief informational text about the celebrated food. The facts tell where the food is grown and how it is prepared to eat. The multi-cultural theme is conveyed through Spanish words used to describe the foods and brightly-colored acrylic illustrations by Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner, Rafael Lopez. Students will enjoy this popular topic, and the imagery created will have their mouths watering as they read lines such as “brown magic melts on your tongue” from the poem “Chocolate”. Teachers will enjoy exposing students to one of the less popular forms of poetry through this highly engaging, tasty collection.

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience: elementary students

Each poem in this book begs to be shared with students while sampling the delicious treats! Use “Papaya” to introduce students to a fruit they may not have ever been exposed to.

Before reading:  Read the informational facts about papayas, and pass around an unopened fruit for the students to feel the outside skin.

During reading: As you read the poem aloud, allow students to taste the papaya.

Papaya

Chewing your perfume,

we taste your leafy jungle

Yum! Juicy tropics.

After reading: Have students brainstorm some of their favorite foods. Work together as a class to write a delicious haiku!