Mice and Beans

Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2001. Mice and beans. Ill. by Joe Cepeda. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439183030

Plot Summary

Rosa María is busy making preparations for her youngest granddaughter’s seventh birthday when her whole family will squeeze into her tiny house for the celebration. Each day, Rosa María completes another task on her long to-do list, and each evening she sets a mousetrap to make sure no mice are around to spoil the celebration. When Rosa María discovers that various things have gone missing, a napkin, feathers from the turkey piñata, a candle, and each and every mousetrap she has set, she chalks it up to forgetfulness, oblivious to the mice in the house. When Rosa María does forget one important task, it is up to the mice to save the celebration.

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)

Mice and Beans offers a playful tale of a grandmother who shows her love for her large family through her careful preparations for a traditional Mexican-American family birthday party. The bright and colorful illustrations show the preparations from a mouse’s point of view, either from the floor or from high atop furniture. The illustrations tell the tale of the fate of all of the missing items. A recipe for rice and beans is provided on the back cover.

Spanish words and phrases are skillfully woven throughout the story. The meaning of these words and phrases are made clear through contextual translation, through supporting illustrations, and through literal translations. While many of the Spanish words that are introduced refer to food, objects, and events that may be familiar to English speakers, the story also includes less familiar expressions such as “¡Qué boba soy! Silly me” and “No importa”.  A glossary and pronunciation guide is hidden among the publication information on the last page for further clarification of terms.

Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly: “Munoz's rollicking birthday tale stars one Spanish-speaking grandmother, one very long list of party preparations and a band of enterprising mice... The dialogue is rich in Spanish phrases, descriptions of Mexican food and images of a boisterous extended family.”

School Library journal: “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.”

Connections

Mice and Beans, with its recipe for rice and beans and depictions of traditional Mexican-American foods and party activities, provides a perfect opportunity to bring the story to life by having kids cook rice and beans for their own party, piñata and all.
Novels by Pam Muñoz Ryan:
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2004. Becoming naomi león. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439269698
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2000. Esperanza rising. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780439120418