Module 3 - TOO MANY TAMALES by Gary Soto

Bibliography
Soto, Gary. 1993. TOO MANY TAMALES. Ill. Ed Martinez. New York, NY: Paper Star, The Putnam & Grosset Group. ISBN 10-0698114124

Plot Summary
Maria, a young girl, is excited to make her first batch of tamales for her family at Christmas.  Her desire to feel grown-up leads her to put her mother's engagement ring on while she's mixing the masa.  After the tamales are made, she realizes the ring is no longer on her finger.  She spends the rest of the evening trying to find the lost ring in the cooked tamales by eating them with her cousins help.

Critical Analysis
Soto incorporates traditional activities like food, the visiting of extended family, and gift exchanges in this story about being honest even when it's difficult. However, the only language incorporated into the story that expresses Maria's culture are masa and tamales; because, I believe, there aren't any translations for these words.  Maria's Aunt Rosa calls her nina at the end of the story as a term of affection.  Soto also does not include any religious aspects, nor does Ed Martinez (Ill.,) which may be somewhat odd concerning the culture they are depicting. 

Ed Martinez's warm acrylic paintings evoke a feeling of traditional Christmas' of the past. Maria and her family are painted with a somewhat darker skin tone and very dark hair, but their clothes and surroundings are not telling of any specific culture. 

Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly: "Soto confers some pleasing touches--a tear on Maria's finger resembles a diamond; he allows the celebrants a Hispanic identity without making it the main focus of the text..."

Booklist Starred Review: "Soto’s 1st entry into the picture book genre is a joyful success."

Connections
Hayes, Joe. 2003. THE DAY IT SNOWED TORTILLAS/EL DIA QUE NEVARON TORTILLAS. Ill. Antonio Castro Lopez. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN 10-9780938317760

Garza, Carmen Lomas. 1996. IN MY FAMILY/IN MI FAMILIA. Ill. San Francisco, CA: Children's Book Press. ISBN 10-9780892391639