Yum! іmmmm! іQué rico!

Bibliography

Mora, Pat. Yum! іmmmm! іQué rico!: Americas’ Sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2007. 978-1584302711

Review

The poems presented by Pat Mora in Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que rico! Americas' Sproutings keep a consistent meter with each haiku poem containing its seventeen syllables. Sound is an important element and help bring the poems to life. Examples of alliteration in “Tomato” with “squirts seedy...splatter” and assonance in “Peanut” by using “nutty...jelly...gooey party” display the vibrant affect sound has on each poem.

A treat for all readers is how Pat Mora uses personification in “Pineapple” to transform the fruit into a playful person with a “stiff, spiky hat” and “thick prickly skin”. Metaphors are used in this anthology as a pumpkin is painted as autumn's orange face. An instance of onomatopoeia is seen in “Cranberry” with a nod towards hearing sense imagery using “POPS!”.

Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que rico! explodes with sense imagery focusing on the senses of smell, taste, and touch. The act of smelling and tasting are brought out in most of the haikus using words such as “syrupy”, “juicy”, “lick”, and “smell grits, tortillas, corn bread”. “Melts on your tongue” in “Chocolate” is the perfect example of how the sense of touch is awakened through Mora's poems.

Pat Mora's poems bring about a simple and carefree tone with a cheerful mood. This collection of poems is supported with additional information pertaining to the origin of the foods which is noted in smaller print alongside each haiku. A letter from the author is also included at the end which wraps up the collection and helps bring meaning to the poems.

Poem & Connection

Pumpkin

Under round luna,

Scattered tumblings down the rows,

Autumn’s orange face.

(Mora, pg. 27)

Reading “Pumpkin” during the fall would be a great introduction to talking about how pumpkins are grown and the time of year that many plants are harvested. Have the students (with adult help) carve a pumpkin and learn about the parts of the pumpkin. Students can count and divide seeds into equal groups or even follow a simple recipe to roast pumpkin seeds while having to use cooking measurements.