Chato's Kitchen by Gary Soto

illustrated by Susan Guevara 

Winner of the 1996 Pura Belpré Award for Illustration 

Fantasy Fiction 

Chato's Kitchen: Soto, Gary, Guevara, Susan: 9780698116009: Amazon.com: Books

This humorous story was about a cat and his new neighbors, a family of mice. Chato the cat invites the family over, but with ill intentions. He and his friend cook dinner, then await the arrival of their guests, and their plus one. Ironically, the mouse family's friend is a dog. When Chato and Novio Boy open the door to their guests, they're not only taken by surprise but are completely frightened. The story ends with them all sitting down to enjoy dinner, much different from Chato's original hope. 
I thought this story was quite funny from start to end and I would use it in my own class, even just as a fun brain break for students. I think this story would mainly be suited for Kindergarten to second grade students, but it could still be used with older grades as a read aloud. The focus on Latin culture is a great way to introduce diverse cultures to students and could lead students on a discussion of what foods, music, and language look like in different parts of the world and near by. 



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