Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains [Library Binding]

Barbara Knutson (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4–Cuy, a clever guinea pig, manages to escape three times from a hungry fox. In their final encounter, Cuy, trapped by a sticky doll and tied to a tree by a farmer, talks Tío Antonio into switching places with him. The plot moves along smoothly and is punctuated by humorous dialogue. An author's note includes a simple map of the region, an explanation of a trickster tale, and several sources for the story. A glossary provides a pronunciation guide for the Spanish and Quechua words incorporated into the text. Knutson's boldly outlined, vibrant woodcut-and-watercolor artwork captures the mischievous nature of the guinea pig. Observant children will delight in the visual and cultural details and in the energy of these illustrations. A thoroughly enjoyable tale that deserves a place in most libraries.–Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. With echoes of "Tar Baby" and other African American trickster tales, this lively yarn from Peru and Bolivia focuses on Cuy, a wily guinea pig that uses its brain to outwit a hungry fox and a powerful farmer. The dramatic wood-block artwork, with thick black lines and bright watercolors, first shows tiny Cuy, high in the Andes Mountains, in search of something to eat. Along comes the fox Tio Antonio hunting Cuy, who escapes by convincing the fox that the sky is falling and tricking him to hold it up with a rock. Later, after being trapped by a farmer's sticky gum doll and marked for the farmer's dinner, Cuy deceives the fox into taking his place. Knutson, who has lived in Peru, includes an author's note as well as a glossary and pronunciation guides for the Spanish and Quechua words that are part of the text. An appealing tale of a trickster being tricked, this has solid child appeal. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575056577
• ISBN-13: 978-1575056579
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #685,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Me love Love and Roast Chicken!, March 22, 2005

By 

R, your friendly neighborhood reviewer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains (Library Binding)

Love and Roast Chicken by Barbara Knutson(Don't worry I'd never heard of her, either) is one of the best read-alouds of the year. It has the three key elements that come with every picture book. Those, of course being a great text, illustrations, and a loveable hero. Check, check, and check.My question is: Why wasn't this book awarded at least a Caldecott Honor award. I guess we'll never know...

Okay, so we come to the story. For some reason Tio Antonio the Fox just can't get enough of him some guinea pig(In this case a plump little fellow named Cuy). The book tells of three clever episodes where the poor Cuy tricks the Fox into not eating him. So at the end of that second episode, I'm wondering where the title comes in. Seriously, what does a Fox trying to get his paws on a Guinea pig have to do with either Love or Roast Chicken.

Knutson's drawings look Starry Night-inspired and are perfect for this lighthearted tale of yet another adorable trickster. I urge you to get this before you think of picking up Knuffle Bunny

As always, R, your friendly neighborhood reviewer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun and some Spanish too!!!!, October 18, 2005

By 

Diane W. (Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains (Library Binding)

I'm finally buying this book after having borrowed it from the library too many times to count! Both my kids, 6 and 3, LOVE this book!!! Every single time we read it, they both just crack up! And it's sweet funny, not gross funny like so many things out there these days. Cuy the guinea pig (how can you not like a guinea pig outsmarting a fox?!) is just too cute for words.

I also love that this book contains some Spanish words and phrases scattered throughout (don't worry, there's a glossary in back). And the short little blurb on the back page helped us learn where guinea pigs come from.

All in all, I'd rank this as one of the top 2 or 3 books we've ever read. And trust me, we've read a lot!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Please, Tio Antonio. Don't throw me in the briar patch!, November 4, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains (Library Binding)

Who knew that Peruvian folktales would have so much in common with African-American Brer Rabbit stories? I guess this is why some people get PhDs in folklore research, dedicating their lives to understanding how tales from such disparate lands are connected. As a follower of folktales in the roughest sense of the term, I confess that prior to reading this book I'd never read a single Peruvian tale in all my live long days. This particular yarn will strike a great many adults as suspiciously similar to other trickster tales they may have heard in the past. But when you consider that the author/illustrator, Barbara Knutson, actually lived in Peru for two years... well let's just say that this was a woman with enough experience under her belt to not have to find sources for her stories vicariously.

Cuy the guinea pig lives a guinea piggish existence in the high Andes Mountains of Peru. One day, he finds himself trapped by the fox Tio Antonio with nowhere to hide. The quick thinking rodent manages to trick the fox into holding a heavy rock with the admonishment that should it fall the sky will fall. After the fox realizes his mistake he traps the guinea pig for a second time at the mouth of a tunnel. Cuy explains that he's making a burrow to escape the end of the world and Tio Antonio believes him once again and hides himself. Cuy, meanwhile, disguises himself as a field worker and is hired by a trusting and exceedingly gullible farmer to weed, hoe, and water the fields (taking some alfalfa for himself when the day is done). The farmer notes the loss and using a sticky clay statue (some might call it a Tar Baby) catches Cuy with his trap. The farmer exclaims (in what has got to be my favorite folktale line in a long time), "You're not a farmworker, you're a guinea pig!". Nice work, Sherlock. The farmer then ties Cuy to a tree so that he and his family can eat him in the morning, when along comes Tio Antonio. The guinea pig convinces the fox that he is being held against his will because his fiancée (the farmer's daughter) refuses to marry him until he learns to like roast chicken. The fox eagerly switches places with Cuy, allowing our hero yet another chance at life and mischief.

Once you get through the Author's Note at the end you'll discover that people actually continue to eat wild guinea pigs to this day. Which sounds pretty darn tasty, when you stop to think about it (though only if, like myself, you've never actually had one as a pet). Because the people of the Andes speak a mix of Spanish and Quechua or Aymara, Knutson could have included words in all three languages. For the sake of practicality, however, she has only included Spanish terms. This are peppered freely about the text and never get much more complicated than "que tramposo". There is a lovely little glossary of such words at the back of the book, something that will be very useful to those reading the book aloud. After all, the hero Cuy is pronounced "KWEE". Be sure you check this page before making any pronunciation mistakes. There is also a rather sweet photograph at the back of Ms. Knutson drawing something for some Andean children.

The illustrations are rubber-cut prints painted over with watercolors. At first glance you would swear that these were painted woodcuts, but Knutson found a far easier method than that. There's an odd discrepancy in this book that I feel obligated to point out, though plenty of parents would pooh-pooh it as inconsequential. When the Fox is hidden in the cave to escape the world ending by fire, a huge fire alights outside his hiding place. This is presumably Cuy lighting a fire and further tricking poor Tio Antonio. Unfortunately, this is never alluded to or explained in any way. Kids reading the book could easily be confused by this portion of the plot that just dangles in the breeze without sufficient explanation.

Barbara Knutson passed away in May of 2005. No more lovely picture books will be forthcoming from this original artist/illustrator. Just the same, if you're thinking of using her works in your classroom or even with your own children, just locate her website by plugging her name into Google. It provides some wonderful teaching guides for the story and for South American studies in general. I didn't personally connect with "Love and Roast Chicken" as easily as I've done with other trickster tales. Just the same, this is an important addition stemming from a part of the world we've too few tales from. Plus it's hard to resist guinea pig heroes. They just look so tasty!