Borreguita and the Coyote: (Reading Rainbow Book) [Hardcover]

Verna Aardema (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

Illus. in full color. What's a little lamb to do about a big, oafish coyote that wants to eat her? Why, trick him, of course! "This folk tale from the west of Mexico is energetically told and comfortably packed with many recognizable motifs. Mathers enlarges upon the humorous elements of the story in her boldly colored paintings. Aardema and Mathers are felicitously paired in a tale of trickery rewarded that begs to be read aloud. A glossary to correct Spanish pronunciation is conveniently placed at the beginning of the tale."--(starred) Horn Book.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The growing interest in multicultural themes, combined with the seemingly endless supply of folktales from all corners of the world, is a boon for readers, as many of these stories are translated and presented in picture-book form. This classic trickster tale from Ayutla, Mexico, pits a gullible coyote against a fetchingly fluffy lamb. The fluff is deceiving, however--resourceful Borreguita has nerves of steel and gleefully outmaneuvers the hungry coyote at every turn. Mathers ( Sophie and Lou ; The Block Book ), one of the reigning queens of quirkiness, injects Aardema's ( Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears ; Traveling to Tondo ) fluid, humorous text with her own deliciously skewed point of view, starting with the slyly subversive endpapers (complete with bogus hieroglyphs) that constitute a sparkling sendup of Southwestern art and ending with the final image of the defeated coyote literally slinking off the page. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. A clever lamb outfoxes a hungry, dim-witted coyote in a triumph of brains over brawn. Vibrantly hued, expansive illustrations of the Mexican countryside illuminate a story that honors imaginative action.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 34 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 20, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679909214
• ISBN-13: 978-0679909217
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,983,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have !!!, August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Borreguita and the Coyote (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

This is a great book! A liitle wooly and cunning lamb outwits a coyote - over and over and over. It's easy enough for children to understand and sophisticated enough for an adult to read over and over and over and just one more time mom, please. The illstrations will make you laugh out loud.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Read!, July 18, 2000

By 

Carolyn McFarland - See all my reviews

This review is from: Borreguita and the Coyote (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

What fun I had reading this book out loud to my daycare kids and watching them giggle and howl each time the borreguita tricked the coyote.

This book is a classic to read aloud and share with all kids.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Borreguita and the Coyote, April 6, 2005

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Borreguita and the Coyote (Reading Rainbow Books) (Paperback)

I so wanted my children to like this book. The artwork is attractive and I like to expose them to literature from other cultures, but they just did not take to it.

Although the story is fresh and has its amusing side, my son would just wonder away and no one (either the 3 y.o. nor the 5 y.o.) asked for it to be read again, even after multiple readings. (I don't assume that they will take to a book the first time.) Further, my daughter, who is the sensitive sort, was bothered by the fact that the coyote wanted to eat poor little borreguita.

We love "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain" by Verna Aardema but that book has more of a rhythmic cadence that this book lacks and perhaps that is why it was not a hit in my house.

That said, you can see from the other reviews that other children loved it. And it is not that this is not a good book, but if your children are like mine you just might want to try it out at the library first.