Ratón FAQs
Many questions have been asked about Ratón, especially since he is a stuffed animal with human-like qualities: he is playful, adventurous, and imaginative; he has friends; he sometimes shares his thoughts; and he likes activities such as writing, traveling, or eating. Below are a few questions that have come up in classrooms of various grades, along with the way in which they have been answered by the author. For simplicity, they are all written in English.
Is this your ‘ratón’?
Yes, this is my ‘ratón’. (Or: No, this is another Spanish teacher’s ratón.)
Did you take all those pictures?
Yes. (Or: No, another Spanish teacher did.)
Was Ratón placed in those positions to take the picture?
Yes. And sometimes he needed help staying in certain positions. Transparent string was very useful for this purpose. Children often pick up on a barely visible string in some pictures, and they tend to be fascinated by the fact that a stuffed animal can be made to do all these “person-like” things.
Is that picture photoshopped?
Most photos are edited for light exposure, cropped, or have an element deleted, but few are heavily photoshopped. The exceptions are: images taken before Ratón had colorful ears and a heart (color was added to these) and images that needed a different background, such as the image where Ratón is wearing a superhero cape (a sky background was inserted). Objects in most images are usually miniatures or small toys, so they might look photoshopped. I find it much easier to actually take the photographs as I want them to be right from the start.
Ratón has a blue heart. Is he sad?
While it is true that sometimes the color blue has been associated with sadness, in Ratón’s case it is just because he loves that color. In fact, blue is his favorite color and that is why his heart is blue.
Is Raton a “he”?
Yes, Ratón’s pronouns are he/him/his.
Does he have a name?
Yes! His name is “Ratón.” He has a last name, but he has not revealed it yet. What do you think might be a good last name for him?
From the book on his favorite food: Did people really let you just stick Ratón into their food?
No. It was always my own food! Some photos were taken before COVID-19, when it was reasonable for Ratón to sit on top of the vegetables of the supermarket or for him to play with the candy at a candy shop. If people are in a picture, they are always asked for prior permission.
In the book where Ratón spends the day in a place called “Tijuamaloapan:” Does this place really exist?
If this question comes up, I assure students it is a real place, and tell them it is on a mountain close to Mexico City. On a personal note–Tijuamaloapan is, in fact, the name of the street where I grew up. And that is how my family still refers to that house.