Mice And Beans
"When there's room in the heart, there's room in the house,exceptfor a mouse." Those are the words that Rosa María remembers  (an old saying from her mother) as she's preparing for the birthday of Little  Catalina, her soon-to-be 7-year-old granddaughter. She's hoping to squeeze the  entire family into her tinycasitafor a fiesta with enchiladas, rice and  beans ("no dinner was complete without rice and beans!"), birthday cake, a  brand-new swing set, and even a piñata packed with candy.But in the week before the party, there's so much to keep track of ("I am so  busy that I'm forgetting to remember!") that she's just not sure she'll have  everything ready. And to top it off, she keeps forgetting to set mousetraps for  all theratonesscurrying around her home... or does she? She might not  know it yet, but Rosa María lives with some pretty clever mice.Illustrator Joe Cepeda's forgetfulabuelitais a riot as she preps for  the party, with her giant red glasses and braided blonde hair like a loaf of  bread. Those frisky little rodents also manage to put on quite a show scrabbling  around the vibrantly coloredcasita. Pam Muñoz Ryan's expert  timing, rhythmic repetition, and skillfully sprinkled Spanish (with  pronunciation glossary in the back) keep the story movingmuy  rápido, and the party--of course--turns out wonderfully, but with at  least one good surprise. Maybe Rosa María misheard her mother's saying  about those mice after all. (Ages 4 to 8)--Paul Hughes--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.