Mice and Beans

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

Book Overview

Children's Literature Legacy Award Winner

Rosa Maria lives in a small house with a small yard. But she has a big heart, a big family, and more than anything she loves to cook big meals for them.

"When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse." That's what her mother always said, so for one week as Rosa Maria meticulously prepares for her youngest grandchild's birthday party, she takes extra care in tidying her kitchen. But strangely, important items -- like her wooden spoon, her big bolsa for grocery shopping, and even her mousetraps -- keep disappearing

Readers will delight in uncovering the clues that reveal a family of mice are preparing for a birthday party of their own, and in the last picture, readers can search for all the items that have previously disappeared.

Vibrant paintings with brilliant comic touches, a winsome main character, jaunty rhythms, and playful refrains make Mice and Beans a feast for the eyes and ears.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439183030
• ISBN13: 9780439183031
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.9" x 11.3"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Fiesta en la casita!

This is a delightful book about an abuela's preparations for her granddaughter's birthday. She is diligently making her preparations during the week, but she keeps encountering setbacks, like a missing napkin, missing candles, and most of all, missing mousetraps. "No importa," she says, it's not important, she always manages a solution. What is important is having her family and celebration, not the individual trappings. I love the way Ryan sprinkles Spanish words in her text, in a way that is comfortable for english speakers but will also bring the story home for spanish speakers. I admire the grandmother's easy, low key reaction to each setback, and her clever problem solving - arranging 6 candles in the shape of a 7, and I talked about that with my daughter, about how she didn't have to be upset even though things weren't perfect. We loved the book: the funny mice, the wonderful illustrations, and the sweet story. We read it three times in a row because it was so much fun.

Great Author

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Pam Munoz Ryan at a Summer Arts Children's Storytelling Forum held at California State University - Fresno. She read the book to parents, teachers, and students who attended the conference. I was amazed on the writing, culture, and illustrations that she used for this book. The novel serves as a tale of her childhood spending time with her family at her grandmother's house. Overall, the story teaches children the value of traditions, family, and heritage. In short, "Mice and Beans" is a good book to read.

I delightful tale that is fun to read aloud

Mice and Beans is a wonderful tale about a "forgetful" Grandmother's preparations for a birthday party. I love the repetition in the text that heartily lends itself to a fun read-aloud session.

A zany story of mice

Joe Cepeda illustrates Pam Munoz Ryan's Mice & Beans, a zany story of mice who become involved in the food preparations at Rose Maria's house. Days of the week, party plans, and a plan for Mexican food make for rollicking action and fun accounts.

Pinata Power

A big-hearted abuela prepares for her grandchild's birthday, carefully planning, cooking and setting a mouse trap each eve.Unknown to her, a family of mice copy her preparations for their own party and save by the day by filling the pinata when she forgets. Sprinkled with Spanish words, there is a glossary at the end. This is a warm and funny recipe for a festive family celebration.