Mora, Pat. 2007. YUM! MMMM! QUE RICO!. Ill. by Rafael Lopez. NY: Lee & Low Books. ISBN 9781584302711
Pat Mora quickly draws readers in with the appeal of various delectable foods. These foods, native to America, are presented in haiku format with descriptive language and vivid descriptions. Mora also gives a short informative paragraph explaining the food's origin and several factual tidbits. Readers who may not be familiar with a papaya will read past the haiku and learn that papayas are a tropical fruit sometimes known as a tree melon.
The illustrations accompanying each tasty poem add to the beauty of the written word. Full two page spread renderings done in acrylic on wood panels are deep in color and detail. Hidden treasures are scattered throughout each depiction that causes the reader to linger and visually take in the entire layout. A snake hidden in a tree and an ever changing face on the moon are some of the gems that can be found as the poem is shared and recited.
To introduce a unit about Texas symbols or native plants and trees I would begin the unit with this haiku and accompany it with examples of different types of pecans for later comparing and contrasting.
Pecan
We crack hard, brown shells,
family munching, story time,
crunchy taste of fall.
After the poem is shared students could use the basket of pecans to develop a chart of similarities and differences between the various types of pecans (native, paper shell, burkett).
After determining students were without nut allergies of course, students could crack the pecans and write their own haiku about the process of breaking open the nut or the rich buttery taste of the prize.
With the large variety of foods mentioned in the book, there is no limit to the amount of food related activities/tastings and haiku writing that could be paired with this beautiful and fun piece of literature.
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