Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Farrar Straus Giroux (First Edition)
Pages
181
Description
A collection of well-known tales, retold from a Hispanic American perspective.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
181 p.; 9.25 inches
ISBN
9780374362416
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member pumabeth
Alive with similes and imaginative imagery (“stomachs growling like mountain lions” and “lips as cracked as a thirsty riverbed,” these “cuentos” delight us in their retelling against a Latino backdrop. Familiar fairy tales are given new spark by changes in simple details such as…
Jaime
The bruja (witch) fattens Jaime with burritos and chickens with mole sauce.
Little Red Riding Hood’s mother packs a basket of chicken soup with cilantro, peppermint tea, peppers, and goat cheese that smells like Uncle Jose’s feet, and the wolf is a suavecito low rider whose name is Lobo Chavez. He drives a Chevy with flames licking the hood. The Emperor’s New Clothes is retold by transforming the Emperor into a popular high school boy who is president of his class, captain of the basketball team, and a great break dancer. He wears gelled spiked hair and thinks he’s all that. When the main character, Veronica, cannot convince the students to act like themselves rather than imitate everything that the popular boy does, she plays to his ego by pretending to be a fashion designer who wants to style a line just for him. We enjoy reading the predictable spinning of the tale where the young narcissist ends up on stage in only his boxers.
Great classroom tool for comparative study between fairy tales, study of literary devices such as metaphors, and would serve as a great example for students when rewriting fairy tales themselves.
Jaime
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and Gabriela (Hansel and Gretel) leave tortilla crumbs on the trail instead of bread crumbs.The bruja (witch) fattens Jaime with burritos and chickens with mole sauce.
Little Red Riding Hood’s mother packs a basket of chicken soup with cilantro, peppermint tea, peppers, and goat cheese that smells like Uncle Jose’s feet, and the wolf is a suavecito low rider whose name is Lobo Chavez. He drives a Chevy with flames licking the hood. The Emperor’s New Clothes is retold by transforming the Emperor into a popular high school boy who is president of his class, captain of the basketball team, and a great break dancer. He wears gelled spiked hair and thinks he’s all that. When the main character, Veronica, cannot convince the students to act like themselves rather than imitate everything that the popular boy does, she plays to his ego by pretending to be a fashion designer who wants to style a line just for him. We enjoy reading the predictable spinning of the tale where the young narcissist ends up on stage in only his boxers.
Great classroom tool for comparative study between fairy tales, study of literary devices such as metaphors, and would serve as a great example for students when rewriting fairy tales themselves.
Show Less
LibraryThing member crochetbunnii
Personal Response:
The imaginative retelling of these adventures, Red traveling through the "bad neighborhood on Forest Street," are clever reinterpretations of classic fairy tales. While there is a lot of buildup and clever adaptation to incorporate latino culture, I felt the endings were a bit
Curricular Connections:
This story would be great on a presentation in the classroom or library setting on fractured fairy tales/fairy tales retold. I would not include these in a presentation of "fairy tales around the world" as they are reinterpretations of generic European tales. My favorite aspect of this book is the full page illustrations.
The imaginative retelling of these adventures, Red traveling through the "bad neighborhood on Forest Street," are clever reinterpretations of classic fairy tales. While there is a lot of buildup and clever adaptation to incorporate latino culture, I felt the endings were a bit
Show More
abrupt and flat. The stories have humorous elements, however, that I'm sure children will enjoy.Curricular Connections:
This story would be great on a presentation in the classroom or library setting on fractured fairy tales/fairy tales retold. I would not include these in a presentation of "fairy tales around the world" as they are reinterpretations of generic European tales. My favorite aspect of this book is the full page illustrations.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature (Commended Title — 2005)
CCBC Choices (2006)
Call number
J3C.Mar