Rosa María prepares for her granddaughter Catalina's seventh birthday celebration in this amusing picture-book from author Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrator Joe Cepeda. Checklist in hand, she creates the delicious food, purchases the necessary gift and piñata with candy, and makes the house ready. Every day, finding the mousetraps she has set are missing, she sets a new one, thinking she forgot the day before. But then, when she does forget something - to put the candy in the piñata - she finds that it has been done for her. Could it be that she has remembered her own mother's saying - "When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house, except for a mouse" - incorrectly...?

A sweet story about a loving grandmother and family matriarch and her preparations for a large family gathering, Mice and Beans pairs an entertaining text and bright, colorful illustrations. The text is mostly in English, with a smattering of Spanish words that are glossed at the rear. The contrast between the story, which is told from Rosa María's perspective, and the artwork, which depicts the mice that live in her house, and observe everything she does, creates a humorous reading experience, and the conclusion, in which she decides that there is room in her house for some murine residents, is heartwarming. That said, although I do appreciate the message here about generosity and tolerance, a part of my adult self simply couldn't stomach the idea of accepting mice (or any other rodent) being around one's food. Perhaps this is because I live in an area overrun by the little things. I'm all for anthropomorphic mouse (and even rat) tales, but this one was a little uncomfortable. Leaving that aside, it is a sweet grandmother story, and is one I would recommend (with the caveat that if you find the idea of mice around your food unappealing, you might want to give it a miss) to readers looking for picture-books featuring Mexican-American families, birthdays, and family get-togethers. ( )

I would use this book for ages kindergarten-3rd grade. This book is the story of a grandma who goes through different struggles to make rice and beans for her granddaughter's birthday. She soon finds out that there are other guests in her kitchen. This book would be great to use for a lesson on culture. To extend this lesson, the educator can bring in rice and beans for the students to try. I would use this book for a lesson on culture to educate my students about different diversities. ( )

This book would be great for diversity education. It introduces the importance of family, food, and a fullness of love and heart in the Spanish culture. This book is fun and would entertain children easily. The mice are captivating and keeps you wondering about their mischief the whole way through.

This book is about a grandmother who spends all week preparing for her granddaughter’s birthday party. Each day she did part of the preparation for the party but each day items keep disappearing. These items were disappearing after she set mousetraps every night because she did not want the mouse to ruin her granddaughter birthday party. The central message of the story is everyone needs love and care. ( )

Read for: Weekly Lesson 6: Multiculturalism and Diversity in Literature discussion.