Chato’s Kitchen // Chato and the Party Animals // Chato Goes Cruisin’

author: Gary Soto

illustrator: Susan Guevara

Putnam, 1995

preschool-grade 3 

Mexican American

Chato, a cool low-riding cat from a barrio in East El Lay, “was slinking toward a sparrow when he heard the scrape of tiny feet coming from the yard next door.” Órale, es una familia de ratoncitos—moving in right next door! ¡De veras! So, of course, Chato and his best friend, Novio Boy, invite their new neighbors over for dinner, in the literal sense of the word. Pués, sí, they’d love to come over, they say, but could they bring their friend, Chorizo? Suuuure, Chato and Novio Boy think, the more mice, the merrier. Only…Chorizo’s not a mouse. “Chorizo,” ¿tu sabes?

With an economy of words befitting a first-rate poet (which he is), Gary Soto has created some of the most hilarious characters I’ve ever met. And Susan Guevara’s wickedly funny acrylic-on-scratchboard illustrations are just perfect. Chato's Kitchen is also available in Spanish, Chato y su cena. Highly recommended.

author: Gary Soto

illustrator: Susan Guevara

Putnam, 2000

preschool-grade 3 

Mexican American

So, Chato, our favorite East El Lay vato gato, is just a party animal, ¿tu sabes? But his carnal, Novio Boy, is not. In fact, he’s never even had a birthday party (what with his being from the pound and never even having known his mami…). So Chato and his homeys decide to throw Novio Boy a surprise pachanga de cumpleaños. It’s all set up: there’s a cake with mouse-colored frosting and topped with a couple of canaries, a catfish piñata, an inflatable dog, “flea combs, collars with shiny bells, wind-up mice, and half-priced yarn that was already a mess of tangles.” No expense is spared, nothing is left out, except—¡qué tonto!—Chato forgot to invite Novio Boy! Well, the search is on, and after Novio Boy shows up at his own memorial service (having been presumed to have, tu sabes, met an untimely end), la pachanga “lasted until the sun went down, the moon came up, and the neighbors started throwing shoes at them to stop the racket.”

This sequel to Chato’s Kitchen, again complemented by Susan Guevara’s amazingly detailed and hilarious acrylic-on-scratchboard artwork, also contains wholly integrated words and phrases in Spanish and El Lay barrio Caló. And, for those who didn’t study Caló in high school, there’s a helpful glossary. Highly recommended.

author: Gary Soto

illustrator: Susan Guevara

Putnam, 2005

preschool-grade 3 

Mexican American

Not cruisin’ the barrio, in case anyone was wondering. This time, the two carnales, Chato and Novio Boy, look forward to embarking on a real cruise, on a ship, on the ocean, with partying for days…because Chato had won the cruise for two from a box of cereal. ¡Pues, no! What they hadn’t figured on was—a ship full of fuchi perros, with their fuchi comida and rough doggie games! And wouldn’t you know it, the dogs get sick, really sick, from eating, well, like dogs eat—everything in sight. ¡Ay, que lástima! So the two carnales set off on a lifeboat to get help, pass on the temptation to join a real cat cruise, weather a storm, and get tossed onto an island, where they encounter—a group of vacationing veterinarians!—and those fuchi perros are saved.

This time, Susan Guevara has created inked comic strips to augment her acrylic-on-scratchboard paintings in a fast-moving, hilarious story that sneaks in lessons about friendship, keeping promises, and not being too judgmental—even if you’re surrounded by a bunch of fuchi perros. Highly recommended.

—Beverly Slapin
(published 4/14/13)