The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale/El Gallo De Bodas [Library Binding]

Lucia M. Gonzalez (Author), Lulu Delacre (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

A retelling of a traditional cumulative Cuban folktale, presented in both Spanish and English and featuring vivid watercolor illustrations, follows the adventures of a pushy rooster who learns a lesson about being conceited.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 5-This classic, cumulative, bilingual story from Cuba centers around a greedy little rooster (gallito) who gobbles up some corn and gets mud on his beak. He asks the grass to clean it off, but the grass says, "'I will not.'" He then asks a goat to eat the grass, receives the same response, requests a stick to hit the goat, with the same result, and so on. At last he politely asks the sun- who owes him a favor for crowing it up every morning-to solve the problem, and all the other entities involved back down. Beak cleaned, the gallito is sharp-looking for his Uncle Parrot's wedding. The text is in a slightly syncopated verse that reads just as well in English as it does in Spanish. Indeed, the cadence may make the connection between the two languages clearer than it would be otherwise. The mixed-media illustrations are intriguing. Delacre uses birds native to the Caribbean as anthropomorphic characters; they observe traditional wedding customs, all of which are explained in the back of the book in both Spanish and English. Both text and pictures are bordered by ovals, giving the pages a formal, framed look that points up the riotous colors of the artwork and the action of the story. A fine introduction to Cuban folklore that adapts itself well either to ESL classrooms or story times.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. American children may be more familiar with the cumulative tale called The Old Woman and Her Pig, but this Cuban version, featuring a feisty rooster, has a charm of its own. Here, the rooster is on his way to his uncle's wedding but cannot resist picking two kernels of corn from the puddle and becomes very messy in the process. The rooster tries to get the grass to clean his beak, but the grass refuses; so he asks the goat to eat the grass, but the goat refuses. Not until the sun agrees to get involved do all the rooster's prospective helpers fall in line, and he manages to get his beak cleaned. A Spanish translation appears on the same page as the English text, which also contains a few Spanish words. Delacre's artwork, executed in watercolor with colored pencils and gouache, appears as borders on the text page and in oval frames and two-page spreads. Although it doesn't have the boldness one might expect considering the story and its Little Havana setting, the book is still pleasant fare. Appended are a glossary, interesting notes about the story and art, and something of the tradition and culture of Cuban weddings. This information appears in both English and Spanish. Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 1 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Trade (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059046843X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590468435
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,423,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for children who are bilingual or want to be., May 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale/El Gallo De Bodas (Library Binding)

A beautifully illustrated folktale in English and Spanish, delightfully retold by Ms. Gonzalez. Great for children who are studying either language or are already bilingual. Also a great read-aloud story for teachers, storytellers and librarians.

5.0 out of 5 stars 11-07-07 - Miami Lakes Public Library Story Telling Experience, November 8, 2007

By 

Esperanza Reynolds "Hope Reynolds" (Miami Lakes, Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale/El Gallo De Bodas (Library Binding)

Last night, the author was at the Miami Lakes Library reviewing her work and sharing her stories with the people of this wonderful city, among which there were children enjoying, laughing and engaging in the wonderful stories shared by the author.

As a resident of Miami Lakes, I was taken by the enthusiasm and style of the author. Her work centers around the stories told by her Abuelita Nena [grandmother] and her discovery of these stories no longer available to the new generations.

She observed that we MUST transfer these wonderful tales to children today, that we should sometimes turn the TV off and all other communications means of today and simply talk, allowing for the imagination of child to take hold of the development to ensure citizens capable of the self assurance provided by knowing how to enjoy the simple things in life.

The author's work is published in two languages, English and Spanish, so parents are able to talk children through the work and yet maintain the heritage alive, if the customer is of Spanish background.

The illustrations are done by an artist from Puerto Rico and the creatures represent the birds native to the Caribbean, carefully detailing traditional customs.

During the presentation, the author delighted children with string stories, told in both languages, and it was remarkable to see how... young and old... were captivated by her style and passion to keep folklore alive!

Will acquire these and make wonderful Christmas presents for the children in our family to support the effort to keep our heritage... ALIVE!!!