Mice and Beans (Scholastic Bookshelf) - Softcover

Ryan, Pam Muñoz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439701368 ISBN 13: 9780439701365

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2004

Synopsis

A delicious and funny Mexican feast!
Let the Scholastic bookself be your guide through the whole range of your child's experiences--laugh with them, learn with them, read with

Category: Family

Recipe for a Festive Story Time:
Mix 1 birthday party, 1 delicious Mexican meal, and lots of children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins, and surprise guests into a fun romp.
Add comic illustrations, jaunty rhythms, and playful refrains.
Spice with mystery, and stir everything into a book.
Serve aloud to large groups or small. Finally, store leftovers on a shelf in a child's bedroom, library, or classroom.
Enjoy!

About this title

Review:

Kindheartedness lies at the core of this story, even if the main character wishes to banish all mice--via a battery of snapping traps--from her hearth and home. Rosa Maria might live in a tiny house, but she wants to celebrate the birthday of her grandchild Little Catalina with a party and lots of food. "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse!" So she sets a trap to make sure none of her preparations are snacked up by the resident mice. Strangely, each evening as she goes to check on the traps after fixing up a batch of enchiladas or frijoles (Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text), the traps are gone. She blames her own forgetfulness and sets another. Comes Catalina's big day and Rosa Maria suddenly remembers that she has forgotten to stuff the pinata with candy. But it's too late--the children are already whacking away. When scads of candy cascade from the pinata as it bursts, Rosa Maria figures she has simply forgotten that she has filled it. Yet when she is cleaning up after the party, she discovers evidence of mice--"RATONES!"--and said evidence also points to the mice having stuffed the pinata for Rosa Maria. So she changes her tune: "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, even for a mouse." In artwork as sumptuously rich as Catalina's birthday cake, Cepeda's (Daring Dog and Captain Cat, above, etc) color-drenched scenes stuffed with detail make Rosa Maria's world a pleasure-giving place. And now that the mice are welcome--these mice, after all, pull their own weight--it might be the most beneficent home ever.
--Kirkus Reviews, August 1st, 2001
Rosa Maria is getting ready for her granddaughter's seventh birthday and for the celebration that will bring the whole family to her casita. She knows her little house will be crowded, but she believes her mother's saying: "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse." Each day of the week Rosa Maria does cho

From the Back Cover:

Rosa Maria's Rice and Beans

Please ask an adult to help you.

RICE

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice

1/3 cup minced onion

1/3 cup minced bell pepper

1 14 1/2-oz. can chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato sauce stirred into 1 1/2 cups water

Pour oil into large skillet. Add onion, bell pepper, and rice, and saute over medium heat until rice is lightly toasted. Add broth and tomato sauce water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir while simmering or rice will be mushy. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes. Carefully fluff with a fork.

BEANS

1 16-oz. bag dried pinto beans

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 14 1/2-oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth

2 14 1/2-oz. soup cans water salt and pepper to taste

Follow directions on the back of the bag for cleaning and soaking beans. Drain water. Combine beans, onion, garlic, broth, and water in large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring often, until beans are plump and soft.

Serve rice and beans in a bowl, side-by-side, with additions such as sour cream, salsa, grated cheese, and avocado slices. Or roll everything into a flour tortilla for a delicious burrito!

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0439701368
• ISBN 13: 9780439701365
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Cepeda Joe