In the book Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto, Maria celebrates a wonderful Christmas eve with her family. However, panic ensues when she realizes her mother's diamond ring--which she tried on earlier--is lost!
The genre of this book is a children's picture book, and consists primarily of visual illustrations accompanied by succinct, clear, and fun narration to guide the story along.
Motivational Activities:
1. A Once/Now essay. How does Maria change over the course of the story? What does the crisis of her mother's lost ring make her realize? Does she grow?
2. Recipes. What would a recipe for a tamale be, if it were made up of elements from this story? Shame, happiness, fear?
3. How do Maria's sisters feel about the crisis of the missing ring? If your sister were in Maria's shoes, how would you feel?
4. Have you ever lost something that was important to someone else? If so, how did it feel? What did you do?
5. Do you think Maria should have told her mother sooner about the ring? Why or why not?
This book is a wonderful, empathetic foray into the minds of children. Though we consider feelings like shame, fear, and guilt to be catered more toward adults, it reminds us that children experience it too! It also points out that, while the crises encountered by children may not seem as life-threatening as those faced by adults, they certainly do feel important to those experiencing them!
Gary Soto's voice as a Mexican American author and a first-generation American himself are unique, and his storytelling reflects as much. He comes across warm, insightful, and funny. His female characters in this tale are well developed, and full of life! In addition to Too Many Tamales, Soto has authored a number of other books, including Buried Onions, Baseball in April and Other Stories, Chato's Kitchen, and Taking Sides.
Bibliography
Soto, G., & Martinez, E. (1993). Too many tamales. New York: Putnam.
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