Too Many Tamales

I bought this book for my classroom to offer diversity and so some of my students can see themselves on my bookshelf.

We read this last night for the first time and my daughter loved it! It was suspenseful for her little self (in a good way) and she is already requesting for us to read it again.

Que Monton de Tamales (Too Many Tamales) Story is set expertly in Christmas / winter environment. Drawings of characters make them accessible to impressionable 6 to 9 year olds. Both setting and main character's initial behaviors provide plausible, comprehensible justification for the main character's subsequent behavior. Author is wonderfully descriptive. Your children will SEE the precious ring rising and dipping back into the tamale dough, mirroring the blinking holiday lights spectacle that opens the book. Subsequent events are all ones that your child can identify with as probable under the anxious circumstances that ensue when main character carries the mother-imitation too far. A grabber for children of all ages, colors, faiths. Nice job Mr. Soto! PS: when ordering the spanish version, check all product descriptions carefully to avoid getting the english version, and vice-ah versa

My class of second and third graders really enjoyed this book. Many of them make tamales at home every year. They enjoyed reading about someone else that shares the same traditions. It opened up a lot of discussion about telling the truth. The only problem was all the talk about tamales made them hungry!

This is a beautiful picture book that just melts your heart. This is one of Gary Soto's classics. This is an asset for any classroom to have. The illustrations are so beautiful that you could almost reach out and hug Maria when she is looking at the ring on her finger. Her smile is adorable.The illustrations show the glittery feeling of the holiday season. This book could be used in teaching many lessons on honesty, traditions, Christmas, family and the humor within the storyline. Every child should have a chance to hear this story being read to them and have the opportunity to read the story on there own.

I got this book because of its truly exceptional illustrations. The colors are rich and evocative. But I was surprised to see the profound effect that this book had on my four-year-old daughter. She empathized so deeply with the shame and the desperation of the main character that for an entire week after reading this story she was coming to me to make confessions of all the times she was tempted to do things that were wrong. It was a combination of the story and the intense emotions that are depicted in the paintings that came together to shake her to the core. For that reason, think this is a great book for all children, not just Latinos and not just for Christmastime.

The warm interiors suffusing this beautifully illustrated Christmas time story convey the entire emotional tone of the book. Although we're waiting for an accident to happen-we can just tell that young Maria is somehow going to lose her mother's ring while helping her make tamales-we also are pretty certain thins are going to work out alright. While this may take away a bit of suspense, this is a comforting book that promises a happy conclusion (delivered her by a surprise). The text is simple and flows well; Soto is an experienced writer. He incorporates traditional activities like food, the visiting of extended family, and gift exchanges. I was a bit puzzled that no religious elements were included, not even as an incidental (e.g., the family is returning form church, a religious decorative element). However, I was not familiar with illustrator Ed Martinez, and it is his warm, emotional pictures that make this a "holiday book." He has a varied painting style, one drawing of Maria in light with a high contrast background recalls Renaissance paintings; other pictures use a Rockwellian focus on emotional faces and tableau-like scenarios. Production values are good, although Putnam might have published a larger book with thick, glossy paper, and a heavier cover.