Picture Book

Yum!  MmMm! Que Rico! by Pat Mora 

Mora, Pat. 2007. YUM! MMMM! QUE RICO! AMERICAS' SPROUTINGS. Ill. Rafael Lopez. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781584302711


This is a creative non-fiction picture book that incorporates poetry to help identify several native foods found in the Americas.  Each page contains a description of a food item found in either North or South America, a haiku poem describing the food, and art work featuring each specific food.

The poetic language is emotional and reflective of each food item described. The haiku for chocolate is rich and full of sensory language: "Fudge, cake, pie, cookies/Brown magic melts on your tongue/Happy, your eyes dance." The purpose of the text is to inform the reader by providing side bars with details about food items: "starch from corn kernels is used as a binder to help crayons and chalk hold together." The format allows the author to deliver facts while engaging readers with descriptive, poetic language.

The artwork is colorful and childlike.  Each page contains a colored side bar with informational text, but is paired with a fun, whimsical picture set with a haiku poem in a reflective font. Lopez's style is strongly influenced by his Mexican culture using many bold colors.  Many of the pages illustrate children and family and often incorporate humor.

This book would be delightful to use as a read aloud as the pictures are eye-catching and engaging while the haiku are easy to visualize.


ALA Notable Book, 2008
TEXAS BLUE BONNET LIST 2008-2009
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "inventive, fun-filled approach to an ever-popular topic: food"
KIRKUS REVIEW: " folklorish illustrations make the book a visual feast"

*Create a cookbook using recipes that contain one of the food items in the book
*Have a feast using the foods in the book
*Make an art project using the food items found in the book