Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell A Lie [Hardcover]

Joe Hayes (Author), Joseph Daniel Fiedler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Juan Verdades

A wealthy rancher is so certain of the honesty of his foreman that he wagers his ranch.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hayes (A Spoon for Every Bite) offers a Hispanic setting for his smooth retelling of a traditional tale about a steadfastly honest servant. On a ranch owned by don Ignacio, a spectacular apple tree flourishes under the conscientious care of the foreman, Juan Verdades, who reports daily to the rancher on the condition of his beloved tree. When a fellow rancher, don Arturo, boasts that he can make Juan tell a lie, don Ignacio replies, "I'll bet my ranch against yours that you can't make my foreman lie to me." Using his daughter as a pawn, don Arturo hatches a plot to win his wager, but things don't go quite as he anticipated. Though the subtitle leaves little doubt as to the resolution of the bet, Hayes's flowing plot, enlivened by several wry twists, is decidedly satisfying. Spanish words and phrases dot the characters' dialogue, enhancing the regional flavor. Fiedler's (The Crystal Heart) spare, earth-toned paintings convey the particulars of the setting from traditional garb to the sprawling landscapes as well as the timelessness of folklore. Ages 7-10.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-Don Ignacio, a wealthy rancher and owner of the finest apple tree in the area, implicitly trusts his foreman, Juan Valdez. When a friend claims that no employee should be trusted, don Ignacio declares openly that Juan can't tell a lie and in fact has been nicknamed Juan Verdades because of his honesty. Don Arturo then bets his entire ranch that he can get the man to tell a lie. Beautiful Araceli, don Arturo's daughter, schemes with her father to win the wager. When Juan falls in love with her, she asks him to bring her all the fruit from the prized tree. The man does as she asks but must then face his employer. The clever conclusion proves just how truthful Juan is. Hayes's retelling of this tale is masterful and he manages to introduce several Spanish words without disturbing the flow of the text. The full-page paintings capture a distinct landscape and costume and convey the quiet drama of the story. Their dark jewel tones lend a brooding atmosphere, in keeping with the midsection of the tale. As a read-aloud, this story would be likely to evoke some lively discussion about honesty, and right and wrong.

Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Orchard; 1st edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439293111
• ISBN-13: 978-0439293112
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,454,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joe Hayes is one of America's premier storytellers--a nationally recognized teller of tales from the Hispanic, Native American and Anglo cultures. His bilingual Spanish-English tellings have earned him a distinctive place among America's storytellers. His books, CDs and tapes of Southwestern stories are popular nationwide. Born in Pennsylvania, Joe Hayes moved as a child to a small town in southern Arizona, some fifty miles from the Mexican border. From Mexican-American friends and schoolmates he began to acquire a knowledge of Spanish and an appreciation for Hispanic culture. As an adult, his experience with Spanish helped him find work doing mineral exploration in Mexico and Spain. When Joe moved to New Mexico in 1976, he first taught high school English, but his interest in the rich folklore of the region was already growing. He enjoyed sharing stories with his own children so much that he decided to shape a career for himself as a storyteller. Joe gathered traditional stories of the Southwest, added a little of his own spice and hit the road, traveling all over to share his stories. He has captured the imagination of children in schools all over the United States. In 2005, Joe received the Talking Leaves Literary Award from the National Storytelling Network, an award given to members of the storytelling community who have made considerable and influential contributions to the literature of storytelling. Joe has taught storytelling to teachers at the University of New Mexico and been a guest lecturer at many colleges and universities, delivering the commencement address for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at U.C.L.A. He was designated a New Mexico Eminent Scholar by the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education, and in 1995 he received the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence. Joe began sharing his stories in print in 1982. His books have received many awards including the Arizona Young Readers Award, two Land of Enchantment Children's Book Awards, and an Aesop Accolade Award. Joe's books have also been on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List three times, and Ghost Fever--selected by Texas school children--won the Texas Bluebonnet Award for 2006-2007, the first bilingual book to achieve that distinction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Telling the Truth, March 4, 2004

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell A Lie (Hardcover)

Juan Verdades is the foreman on a ranch. The owner of the ranch places a bet with another rancher that Verdades will never lie. He places the whole ranch on the line. The other rancher then sends his daughter to live with the first rancher and beguile Juan. The daughter succeeds in getting Juan to give her the apples from the owner's favorite tree. When Juan is called on the carpet in front of the two owners and questioned about where the apples went, he says that a fool picked them, and admits that he was that fool. Juan is eventually rewarded for his honesty by getting a ranch and the beguiling daughter. In addition to the moral lessons about truth and gambling, there is also some potential for learning about the life of yesteryear in New Mexico. The book is rather long, with about 2400 words, suitable for older kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, February 28, 2004

By 

Luv2BMami (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell A Lie (Hardcover)

This book is excellent. I am a senior in college graduating with a degree in elementary education, and I wrote a lesson plan last semester using this book. It is a wonderful book for 3rd to 4th grade children, as it helps them to develop their reading skills by identifying unknown words using the context of the story, and it also shows them an area of the world and a culture that is different from their own. In addition, the storyline is beautiful, about an honest man that would rather confess his wrongdoing than lie about it. He is a great model for honesty. The more times I read the book, the more I liked it!

4.0 out of 5 stars A good morality tale that needs to drop its subtitle and add more suspense, February 5, 2011

By 

Jared Castle (Roseburg, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell A Lie (Hardcover)

With the ending never in doubt (check out the subtitle), the story drags on 4-5 pages too long, like a familiar joke burdened with too many details. Author Joe Hayes states in his closing note that he has "given the tale a more literary treatment than I usually do." The result is a story better suited for older readers (ages 7-10) than for a read-aloud bedtime book.

As negative as that sounds, I actually like Hayes' book and his effort to fill out this adaptation of "The Faithful Servant." Each character's decisions and the solemn consequences are richly detailed in both the narrative and artist Joseph Daniel Fieldler's earthy, full-page paintings.

My sons (ages 8 and 6) would have enjoyed the suspense, not knowing if Juan Verdades would be faithful to his employer, don Ignacio. However, the first words on the inside dust jacket flap are "Juan Verdades is an honest man." Combined with the unnecessary subtitle it was difficult to build suspense. There are a couple twists along the way but I won't spoil these. The rewards for Juan's honesty far exceed expectations.

After the first reading to my sons, we discussed the other choices Juan could have made and the likely consequences of those actions. The conversation helped reinforce the book's valuable moral lesson.

Rating: Four stars.