El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho's Hat [Paperback]

Harriet Rohmer (Adapter), Mira Reisberg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Reading Rainbow Books

When Ambrosia gives her Uncle Nacho a new hat, he tries to get rid of his old one, but to no avail. No matter what he does, the pesky hat keeps coming back to him. This classic folktale from the Puppet Workshop of Nicaraguan National Television, vividly illustrated by Mira Reisberg and presented in a bilingual edition, is a parable about the difficulties of making changes and shaking off old habits. The book includes an account of the origins of the story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These two folktales, with text in Spanish and English, bring important glimpses of other cultures to American children. The Uncle Nacho story originated in Nicaragua; the other came to Nicaragua from Africa by way of Jamaica. In the first, Nacho is attached to his old hat, even though it is full of holes . When his niece Ambrosia gives him a new one, he's pleased but skeptical. He reluctantly puts the ragged hat in the trash, but thanks to well-meaning relatives and friends, the hat keeps returning to Nacho. Finally he realizes it's time to push himself to change his style, in a clever and involving lesson in acceptance of change. In the second story, Brother Anansi is "the spider," a standard folk hero known for his devious nature. In this book, Anansi outsmarts a tiger who is twice his size. The tiger has won the lottery and Anansi is bound to end up a winner himself. Anansi ends up a cattle rancher in a charming victory of brainpower over brawn. Ages 4-12.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- Two bilingual folktales. Anansi. . . is rooted in the African-American tradition of the Atlantic Coast region of Nicaragua. Tricky Brother Anansi goes into the cattle business with Brother Tiger, who has won a large amount of money in a lottery, and they become very successful. After some years, Brother Anansi decides it is time to put one over on Brother Tiger, and he offers to divide the animals and mark them. Needless to say, he will come out ahead. The brightly contrasting illustrations in a folk-art style feature the jaguar, which lives in Central America (unlike the tiger), and is referred to as a tiger in the folklore of the area. Uncle Nacho . . . receives a new hat as a gift from his niece. He tries to throw away his old hat, but it keeps coming back to him as people recognize it and return it to him. He is discouraged until his niece tells him: "Stop worrying about the old hat, Uncle Nacho. Think about your new hat instead." The story was adapted from a Nicaraguan folktale performed by the Puppet Workshop of Nicaraguan National Television. Striking colors complement earth tones in the primitive-style illustrations.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Children's Book Press (June 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089239112X
• ISBN-13: 978-0892391127
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grateful This Book Exist!, April 5, 2001

By 

G. Rodarte (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho's Hat (Paperback)

I am grateful that bilingual children's books are being written. Uncle Nacho's Hat introduces children to beautiful magical folklore and exposes them to talented artist, Simon Silva. I have started a small collection of books published by Children's Book Press for my nephew and son. These books are a tool for me to preserve our language and culture.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncle Nacho's Hat, May 14, 2000

By 

Anita Thompson - See all my reviews

This review is from: El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho's Hat (Paperback)

Delightful parable about change. When given a gift of a new hat, Uncle Nacho discards his old one. Everyone seeing the old onw recognizes it as Uncle Nacho's and returns it to him. The story appears in both English and delightful Spanish.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem of a Book, August 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho's Hat (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in quality latino literature. The other two books I read and highly recommend are DRUM, CHAVI, DRUM! (by Cuban author Mayra L. Dole) and TRINOS CHOICE (by chicana author Diane Bertrand).