Burro's Tortillas
by Terri Fields; Illustrated by Sherry Rogers
Published by Sylvan Dell
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Reviewed by Jamie Driggers
When Burro discovers that the corn has grown tall, he can think of only one thing. Tortillas! But Burro has a hard time getting his friends inspired to help him in even one step of the tortilla-making process. Well, maybe just the one tasty step.
In this Southwestern retelling of The Little Red Hen, children are exposed to the traditional process of tortilla making. In addition, they may pick up a little Spanish. Also, as Sylvan Dell does, there are activities in the final pages “For Creative Minds,” which expand upon some of the things touched on in the book.
My children really enjoyed this story. There are bright, lively illustrations that stimulate little minds and a familiar plot that makes them exclaim with delight, “Hey! This is like….” We all enjoyed figuring out what the Spanish words meant and learning how corn tortillas are made.
As far as read-aloud potential, it was a wash. There are quite a few Spanish words that I found unfamiliar (after three years of Spanish classes) and no pronunciation guide for them. So, for the more “perfectionistic” of us, the children may be taught incorrectly. However, the puns are wonderfully entertaining. So, after you figure out how to pronounce the Spanish, you will probably enjoy reading this with your kids.
Armchair Interviews says: A mix of fine illustrations and a good story.