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Comical from beginning to end, this delightful story of some sneaky cats and their lost dinner is sure to be enjoyed by readers time and again. Chato is a cool cat looking for a good meal. When he spots a family of �fat, juicy mice,� he tells them he is �a cool, low-riding cat� who is nothing for them to be afraid of. He decides that the only way to convince the mice that he is trustworthy is to invite them over for dinner. When the mice agree, but ask if it is alright to bring their friend, �Chorizo� (sausage) for dinner, Chato agrees, savoring the taste of mice and chorizo. He tells them that Chorizo is definitely welcome to come because �A friend of a friend is a friend, que no?" He then |
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goes on to prepare the frijoles (beans), guacamole, and arroz (rice). His friend, Novio Boy drops by and both cats work together to prepare what they expect will be a tasty and juicy dinner. They are in for a huge surprise when they find out who Chorizo really is! The book is sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases for readers to learn. A list of the words and their English translations is available at the beginning of the book, so that readers may better understand the story although the story itself does a good job of explaining what each of these words mean. The plot is extremely engrossing, making readers feel eager to find out what the end will bring. The cover of the book is quite colorful, featuring Chato smiling among a group of vegetables and overlooking the family of mice. It also features Novio Boy cruising down a road with a giant radio blasting on the rooftop of the car.
Equally colorful is every page found within the context, illustrated entirely by Susan Guevara. There are plenty of details in every layout, and this provides for great discussion during readalouds. For example, on the page where Chato first spots the family of mice, we see the father carrying heavy boxes, the mother carrying groceries, a teenage daughter speaking on a mobile phone, and two younger sons who seem to be coming back from a baseball game. On the next layout, where the mice panic at the sound of the cat�s voice, we see groceries, make-up accessories, and baseball equipment scattered about. The illustrations accompany the text perfectly, by providing Hispanic qualities throughout. Novio Boy wears a bandana, and both cats are versions of Barrio teenagers one might encounter in the streets of East Los Angeles. Both Guevara�s and Soto�s talents surface in this surprise-ending tale in which the little guys win. Surely a book that is worthy of the many prizes it received (ALA Notable Book, Parent�s Choice Award Winner, and Ms. Guevara received the 1996 Pura Belpre Award for Illustration).
Soto, Gary. 1995. Chato�s Kitchen. New York: The Putnam & Grosset Group.
ISBN 0-698-11600-3. |
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