The Runaway Tortilla (Hardcover)

by Eric A. Kimmel (Author), Randy Cecil (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-A story about a woman and a man and a piece of bread that comes to life and runs away. T'a Lupe and T'o Jos? own a taquer'a in Texas down on the Rio Grande. The secret to their success is their tortillas-so light that if they were any lighter, "Some day they-[might] up and run away!" To their surprise, this is just what happens. The foolish tortilla is so cocky she could almost strut, but since she's round, she can only roll. She rolls away from the couple, two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five rattlesnakes, and six buckaroos, singing all the while, "Run as fast as fast can be. You won't get a bite of me." She is finally tricked and eaten by Se-or Coyote, who takes advantage of her fatuous egotism. The primitive oil paintings feature a palette of sunset colors, a rotund T'a and T'o, and a lipsticked, scowling tortilla. The apt endpapers sport sacks of flour, rolling pins, salt shakers, oil, and skillets. Kimmel's saucy story joins a swarm of similar, albeit popular, retellings of traditional tales with a Southwestern setting.
Ruth Semrau, Upshur County Public Library, Gilmer, TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In Texas, Tia Lupe and Tio Jose make the best tortillas - so light that the cowboys say they just might jump right out of the griddle. One day, a tortilla does exactly that. Mocking her pursuers, the tortilla runs through the desert, encountering two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five rattlesnakes, and six buckaroos. She dodges them all, but is finally outwitted by Senor Coyote in this flavorful twist on the classic tale "The Gingerbread Man."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Winslow Press; 1st edition (September 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189081718X
• ISBN-13: 978-1890817183
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,177 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute variation, September 8, 2001

By	"misslibrary" (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This story is a cute variation of The Gingerbread Man with a Spanish twist. My students enjoy reading the story and comparing it to The Gingerbread Man. My only problem with this book is the use of the traditional name for a donkey. It makes it hard to share with children because they don't understand that that word has another meaning. I wish the author had just used "donkey". Cute illustrations too!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Runaway Tortilla- a favorite in my classroom!, November 22, 2006

By	Vanessa Levin "www_pre-kpages_com" (Dallas TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Pre-K teacher in Texas this story is a favorite in my classroom every year during our Gingerbread unit. We read different versions of the Gingerbread story and compare and contrast them. After reading The Runaway Tortilla we eat real tortillas, my students usually like those far more than Gingerbread :)