Why Are You Doing That?

by Elisa Amado, Manuel Monroy IBBY Honour List (Illustrator)

Overview

Chepito is full of questions. Why is his mother cooking eggs and frying beans? Why is Manuel digging around the corn? Why is Ramón milking the cow? Why is Maria slapping dough between her hands? In this simply told story, a little boy learns all about food and where it comes from.

Following on the success of What Are You Doing? Elisa Amado and Manuel Monroy have created another gem of a picture book, this time about food — where it comes from, how we nurture food plants and animals, and what we eat to be healthy and strong.

Manuel Monroy sweetly depicts Chepito’s world — a rural community where people grow much of their own food and raise chickens and cows — giving young children a clear picture of the origins of foods they consume every day.

Includes a short glossary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554984534
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	06/01/2014
Pages:	28
Sales rank:	158,104
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.35(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

ELISA AMADO is a Guatemalan-born author and translator. She has written My Friend (Mi amiga), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano; Un Barrilete para el Día de los Muertos / Barrilete: A Kite for the Day of the Dead; Cousins (Primas), illustrated by Luis Garay; and Tricycle (El triciclo), illustrated by Alfonso Ruano, which is on the Américas Award Commended List and is a USBBY Outstanding International Book. She lives in Toronto.

MANUEL MONROY is one of Mexico’s most celebrated illustrators who has exhibited his art internationally. He has won the A la Orilla del Viento and the Noma Concours Encouragement Prize, and he has been included on the IBBY Honour List. He lives in Mexico City.

Read an Excerpt

“Why are you doing that?” asked Chepito as his mother stood at the stove, cooking eggs and frying beans.

“I’m making your breakfast,” answered his mother.

“What for? What for?” sang Chepito.

“These eggs and beans will make you really strong.”

Chepito ate as fast as he could and ran out the door.

* * *

There was his neighbor, Manuel, digging in the ground.

“Why are you doing that?” asked Chepito.

“I’m digging out the weeds that are growing around the corn,” said Manuel.

“What for? What for?” sang Chepito

“Because weeds keep the corn from growing tall and strong. Look at this nice elote,” Manuel said, as he peeled back the husk.

Editorial Reviews

What may appear to be a simple book about a child and his questions ends up being a very clever story about where food comes from as the farm to table movement grows, it is a wonderful lesson to teach young children. . . . Highly Recommended.

CM Magazine

Why Are You Doing That? not only tells a charming story, but, as an added benefit, shows young readers how their food winds up on their plate.

National Post

Together, Amado and Monroy present Chepito’s world as a pleasant and purposeful one where children, adults, animals, and crops are bound together in a traditional and appealing way of life.

Quill & Quire

"An energetic, simple exploration of food’s journey from farm to table for today’s young locavores." — Kirkus Reviews

"Using an earthy palette of greens, browns, and oranges, the pictures have a strong sense of place . . . [A] strong selection for libraries dedicated to maintaining diverse collections." — School Library Journal

"Why Are You Doing That? not only tells a charming story, but, as an added benefit, shows young readers how their food winds up on their plate." — National Post

From the Publisher

06/01/2014
PreS-K—A curious boy explores his community and learns where different foods come from in this family story set in rural Central America. Chepito starts his day by asking his mother, "Why are you doing that?" as she stands at the stove. "'I'm making your breakfast,' answers his mother. 'What for? What for?' sings Chepito. She replies: 'These eggs and beans will make you really strong.'" This interaction sets up the framework for the rest of the story, with Chepito asking everyone he meets, "Why are you doing that?" followed by, "What for? What for?" He learns about both plant and animal care as he asks Manuel why he digs up weeds, Doña Ana why she feeds chickens, and Ramón why he milks the cow. The explanations are age appropriate and are more about food production than anything else. The sweetly naive illustrations are composed of digitally manipulated watercolor and colored-pencil art. Using an earthy palette of greens, browns, and oranges, the pictures have a strong sense of place that is supplemented by simple details, like the embroidery on Mama's dress, the carved legs of the table, and the tiled floors. Although the story is a bit wordy, it is overall a strong selection for libraries dedicated to maintaining diverse collections.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

School Library Journal

2014-04-16
Chepito, an inquisitive little boy, wanders around his agricultural community posing the titular question to the various people he encounters, all laborers involved in food production.Manuel tends corn, Ramón milks the cow, and Maria makes tortillas. As Chepito asks his friendly neighbors why they are doing their various activities, they each respond in a way that helps him to understand not only what it is that they are doing, but how it connects to his life specifically. When asked why she is feeding the chickens, Doña Ana tells him, "So that they can grow strong and lay good eggs like the ones you just had for breakfast." The soft, earthy palette of the illustrations is well-suited for the rural setting. Each character wears a subtle grin on his or her face, complementing the curious tone of the narrative. Spanish words are presented throughout the text, blended in with the English without the use of special typeface or simultaneous translations, though context makes them clear: Juan and Dolores are tying plants to sticks "[s]o that these beans can grow on the plants. See the frijoles inside?" A brief glossary at the end provides the English definitions of the Spanish words.An energetic, simple exploration of food's journey from farm to table for today's young locavores. (glossary) (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews