Customer Reviews

The Corn Grows Ripe (Puffin Newbery Library)

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I teach sixth grade and use The Corn Grows Ripe in my classroom. I teach a unit on the Ancient Mayans. This book is a great teaching tool. Not only do the students learn about the customs and family life of the Ancient Maya, but they also learn some of the Spanish language as well. We create a Spanish dictionary while reading the book. Good easy-read for all levels of readers in your classroom.

I am a fourth grade teacher who recently read this book with my reading class. I chose it because it showed that an ordinary child was faced with a seemingly impossible challenge that he overcame with perseverance. Throughout the story, the children watched Tigre slowly take on more and more responsibilty and become successful at his tasks. Although some of the voacbulary was above them, they enjoyed watching the boy mature.

The Corn Grows Ripe is a great book. I like this book because it relates to my life. It's a foreign, modern day-book written in English. The author gave me the idea of how the people lived with their country, religion, and cultures. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes to learn about foreign cultures. Since they don't have technology like us, it's interesting to read about how they solve medical and governmental problems. That's why I would recommend this book to them.

Tigre's father is hurt. It is to Tigre that the Mayan family must look to take over the father's work. Tigre rises to the occasion and successfully helps the family to put in a good corn crop, though a severe drought threatened the family's crop and their survival. I'm happy to report that, unlike many books published long ago, there was no feeling of judgment in this book, no feeling that the people in the story were savages or ignorant. Instead, the story was told from the point of view of a detached observer. The story holds up. Newbery Honor.

I read this book with my children, which is a Newbery Honor Book.

The story takes place in a Mayan village in the Yucatan. Dionisio is a young 12-year old boy. His nickname, Tigre, which means jaguar, suits him because he is "spirited and mischievous and curious...and lazy too."

A tree falls on Tigre's father, and he is lucky that he suffers only a broken leg. There is no bonesetter in the village, so Tigre must travel 17 kilometers through bush. Tigre brings the bonesetter back to his home, and the medicine man sets the broken bone and puts a splint on the leg but says it will take a long time before he recovers and it will not be until harvest time. This renders him unable to bush, burn, and plant the corn. Tigre realizes that it is up to him to perform the laborious work, but his family is skeptical that lazy Tigre is up to the task.

I love to learn about other cultures and beliefs, but this book fell a little flat for me. I thought it was a little boring and dry. I did appreciate that Tigre learns some responsibility, and I think that was this book's saving grace for me!

MY RATING: 2 stars - Meh, it was just "ok." My 9 year-old daughter liked it a little more than I did and gave it 3 stars. She thought the book became more interesting towards the end.

This is one of the best "cultural studies" type books I have read. Dorothy Rhoads has struck a perfect balance between imparting information and telling a good story.

Plot-wise, the book shares your typical coming of age story. Tigre, the 12 yr old hero, must suddenly take on new responsibilities when his father is injured. We see his journey as he become more mature and responsible. What sets this book apart is the wealth of rich detail regarding the Mayan culture and way of life. We see Tigre and the villagers and the unique routines, festivals and rituals of the Mayan way of life. The importance of the weather and rain in the society may be eye opening to children who are used to running water and sprinklers, with a foreboding drought providing most of the tension in the story.

The characterization in this slim tome is very good. Tigre, his parents, and especially his critical but loving grandmother are all well-crafted. The cultural detail is outstanding, and even better, you get a real sense of how everything related to the community as a whole. The dichotomy in a culture where the Christian church is important enough that all children are named after Saints, but animal sacrifices are still made to the old gods is especially fascinating. It would be a great springboard for discussion on other religious beliefs.

I especially enjoyed a small subplot of Tigre learning more about the world around him through studies with a caring teacher- knowledge that helps him find out the reasons for problems instead of claiming the "will of the gods." I'd have liked more on this subplot. I was also pleased that the author didn't feel the need to stick in some sort of obligatory tragic death to show kids how good they have it now that we have modern medicine. That's not always needed.

The book was written in 1956, so I was a little surprised at the environmental overtones. However, they have the ring of authenticity showing the traditional Mayan culture in tune with nature and the land.

I read this book and immediately read it again. My only complaint is that it is too short. It is a VERY slim book, only about 80 pages. It does have small type, so it's not like many of the "chapter books" aimed at making young children feel like they're reading longer books. This book simply told its story, and ended when it was over.

The book is simple and easy to read, although there are a large number of Mayan and Mexican words (dictionary is provided in the back.) It's appropriate for all ages, although I would guess that around 4th grade would be the target age. As an educator I can immediately think of hands-on activities to go along with the book, especially things involving the all important corn. There is a great deal of discussion of the Mayan gods, so I imagine that Christian families would definitely want to plan on discussion if giving to younger children.

Highly recommended!

Great, fast service and the book was in new condition.

For a school project I read The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads. This book was not the best book I have ever read, but it was still OK. The book was very childish and short. The Plot was not too great; it was about a Mayan family that could not grow the corn because the father was injured. So the 12 year old boy Tigre has to grow the corn this season, or the family will starve. The book did not give enough information about the characters. The reader would have to figure out the personality of the character as the book goes on. The setting takes place in a small Mayan town in modern times, the book would be much better if it would take place in the classic Mayan times. I would give this book 2 stars out of 5ive. And would recommend the age group of 7-10 years.

I thought that The Corn Grows Ripe was a boring book that I wouldn't recommend to anyone who wants to read a good book. The reason I wouldn't recommend it is because it didn't have any exciting events and you never really got to know what a characters personality. Throughout the book you never get to know anything about the main character Tigre. In the book you keep reading and waiting for something interesting to happen but nothing ever does. Also the plot of this book was about a kid planting corn because his father couldn't because he broke his leg and that is possibly the most boring plot ever. It was set in a small village in the classic Mayan period. I don't think you should read this book but if you need to I think you should be under the age of 9, because it is simple, has pictures, and it has huge font. I don't think a boy would like it because it doesn't have any action it is basically reading about a normal life, and I think that, that's also why girls wouldn't like it. I think the only type of reader that would like this book is a reader who likes reading books with nothing interesting or if they like books about the Maya.