Mud is Cake by Pam Munoz Ryan-Author study

I really enjoyed this picture book by Pam Munoz Ryan. I loved the stories and mental images she created with children’s novels such as Esperanza Rising and Becoming Naomi Leon; but reading a picture book written by her is great because the reader can actually see the fun and imaginative pictures the author is trying to connect the reader with. I liked how she really tapped into a child’s imagination by pretending things are not really what they are. Lines such as, “Mud is cake if you pretend and don’t really take a bite. And juice is tea with a fairy queen if you act it out just right.” It really shows the depths and endless boundaries of what kids can imagine. One thing I noticed about the way she wrote the book is she omitted the word “a” when describing what a thing can be. For example she writes, “Can is phone when someone hopes to hear the latest news. And couch is store when you display a variety of shoes.” I think the way she writes it adds certain uniqueness to the story as well