Chato's Kitchen

This is a very cute story about a hungry cat that is out hunting one day. While hunting he meets a family of mice who he invites to dinner. While getting ready for the dinner, the mice remember that they are meeting a friend that evening so they ask the cat if it is okay to bring them. The cat

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agrees and waits with his friend Novio Boy for the mice to arrive. When the mice get there they bring the friend which turns out to be a dog. At first both of the cats where sacred be in the end they all where friends.

Cute book that will help to teach children no to pick on other kids just because they are younger, or smaller, or weaker.

1. Study Mexico
2. Talk about Hispanic food
3. Make a Hispanic Cookbook

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Chato the cat invites five mice over to his house for dinner and prepares the food all day with the help from his other cat friend, Novio Boy. The family of mice agree to come, but they inform Chato they will be bringing one more guest. Chato rejoices at the thought of having six mice in his house,

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but he quickly learns that the mice have other plans: they bring Chorizo, the dog! Chato and Novio Boy get a taste of their own medicine and hide from the dog becasue they are scared. In the end, everyone enjoys the delicious home cooked meal together. The cats also realize that they should not underestimate the mice family ever again.

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Soto, G., & Guevara, S. (1995). Chato's kitchen. New York: Putnam's.
The motif of the book is a trickster. The story is about a cat who tried to trick a family of mouses, but ended up paying the price. The book is of a Spanish origin, uses some Spanish words, and has a very modern theme.

The wide variety of colors used was the first thing that caught my eye. Each and every object from the largest to the smallest all has very detailing features. Every character in the story eyes seems to stay focused on another character. This shows that the characters are afraid to take their eyes

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off something they either want or are afraid of. The emotion of the different characters facial expressions is stated clearly.

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This book was great with colors and the art that was detailed of each character. Although It was about a cat that invited 5 mice over for dinner which he planned to eat and his plan unfolded when the mice brought their friend who was a dog. They enjoyed their dinner and had a great time.
My

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personal reaction to this book was the cat was being very sneaky with planning his feast and it goes to show that being sneaky doesn't always pay off in the long run.

Classroom extension: If learning about the mexican culture this would be a great book to read to your students about the different foods. I would make some beans or a few little mexican dishes to let the kids try a variety of mexican dishes.

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This book is colorfully illustrated and the language is a mix of some Spanish and English. It is written in an informal tone. A clever cat believe his inviting his new neighbors over as dinner. He think he is being sneaky and clever but in reality he is the one who gets surprised. In the end

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hospitality and friendship win out. It is a culturally rich book and the only book I have ever read depicting life in the barrio. It is humorous and amusing. It could be used as part of a multi cultural unit or for point of view.

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I have mixed feelings about this book. One reason I like this book is the illustrations. The illustrations are very colorful and exaggerate what is going on in the text. These types of illustrations will help keep the interest of young children. One reason I do not like this book is the writing and

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language. At times, the writing is choppy and does not flow well from one thought or idea to the next. Some of the language used is not familiar to many students which can make it harder to read. Words like low-riding, homeboy, and bothersome may confuse young readers.

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Gary Soto has a great sense of humor! Chato's kitchen is a book with some lessons: to never assume that mice don't have other friends (besides mice) and be nice to your neighbors. It's a great book for discussion about culture.

This book starts out with a cat, named Chato, that eats a tasty mouse and sends a letter to his family inviting them over for a lovely meal (hoping to eat the mice too). However, the mice bring a dog named Chorizo and then they're scared for their lives instead. The mice, the two cat and his

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friend, as well as the dog, eat a meal that Chato cooked in peace!

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This book is about two cats named Chato and his friend Novio, who reside in a neighborhood filled with tasty mice. Chato the cat invites five mice over to his house for dinner and prepares the food all day with the help from Novio. The family of mice agree to come, but they inform Chato they will

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be bringing another guest to accompany them. Chato rejoices at the thought of having six mice in his house, but he quickly learns that the mice have a trick up their sleeve!

This bilingual book is a Pura Belpre Award winner and would be great to use as an example of predicting and to incorporate bilingualism into the classroom. The colorful pictures capture the reader's attention and the trickery within the story makes it memorable.

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