Paco & The Giant Chile Plant:P

by Keith Polette, Elizabeth O. Dulemba (Illustrator)

Based on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk, the desert Southwest is the unexpected setting for this retelling with a unique twist. Bilingual with story in English and sprinkled Spanish throughout.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Spanish Literature, Childrens, Cultural, Folklore, Fantasy

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 18, 2008

Reviews

[Adams Eagles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mauri D.
11

Review:
Paco and his mom did not gab food and money.Her mom said to go sell the cow. Paco see a man and the rider and the .The man said I want the cow said .Paco said for a plant and paco said yes. Paco go to the house to plant the plant.Paco guend for the plant and the guard ster murdin.Paco said the plan group Paco go up to see what is deor.

I like the part paco threw the chile and the faces and Paco ran to he house to tell his mom about the plant . I like the part Paco and his dad go down to tell mom what happen on the plan was a giant died and giant man and paco and his dad go to rep the plant to said whid need to tell the giant .

I recommend his book to people because his book is about plant and a kid would go up to the plan he see a giant house. I like this book because is about giant and a giant plant.

[Gabriella Petrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Paco and the Giant Chile Plant" by Keith Polette is such a cute little spin-off of Jack and the Beanstalk. I loved reading it and finding the similarities and differences throughout the book. It was mostly in English with a bit of Spanish words written throughout the tale. A great read for ELL learners who can make similarities to original tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. For instance, when you came across a Spanish word the definitions included the meaning in English with the picture helping the reader understand what was going on.

[Mely · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I, myself, absolutely loved this book! The text is a mix of mostly English with Spanish words or phrases thrown in. The story is inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk but with a Hispanic American/Southwest twist to it. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the story itself totally captured my toddler's attention (though she was little apprehensive about the giant's character). I would definitely recommend this book for anyone. The only downside was I thought the ending fell just a little short of my expectations but did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

[Olivia Aponte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paco and the Giant Chile plant tells the story of the classic Jack and the Bean Stalk. I liked this book because it was written in English with a little Spanish throughout. The illustrations are soft and pastel which fits the Spanish desert setting.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fractured fairy retelling of Jack and the bean stalk, this version has a Southwest flavor and takes place in a desert in the southwest of North America. Several new twists to this familiar tale will keep the reader entertained.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great version of the old fairy tale

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't see that coming. Definitely a fractured...fairy tale.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a twist on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk story. Instead of magic beans, however, Paco gets some magic chile seeds. Instead of golden eggs, there are golden chiles. And the giant is...well, that's the surprise!

I used this story for a goats and pepper-themed Spanish story time. I also used it for the counterpart bilingual program. The pictures are nice and big, which is good when reading to a group. I also adapted the story as I read it since it is a little long for preschoolers. (Our Spanish story time collection does not have a wide selection).

[Terry]

This is a dual-text bilingual book that transforms the classic "Jack and the Beanstalk" story. As good as the story is, I could turn the pages just to look at the illustrations, too. On one page, el gigante terrible is reaching out to the reader! Talk about engaging!

Read more of the review at the Reading Tub.

[Angela Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages: 4th – 6th grade

Polette uses digitally rendered full-page illustrations to portray the southwest United States. The text is written in English Language with Spanish words used to repeat the English. Polette also includes a vocabulary list at the end of the story. Children will enjoy a new twist on an old favorite.

Social Studies/Reading

Lesson Idea: Students can incorporate their new vocabulary while learning about Southwestern United States Culture

[Kristin Traina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically this book is different version of Jack and the Bean Stock. It is really cute with a latin twist and it has both spanish and english. It could easily be used for a lesson on plants or the plant life cycle and would probably engage hispanic ELL students. Could also be used for a lesson on fables or comparing different versions of the same story.
Grade: 1st- plants parts and needs, 2nd- plant life cycle, 4th and 5th- Fables

[Lauren Tortorelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this spin on Jack and the Beanstalk, Paco buys some magic chile seeds in exchange for his cow. A giant chile plant grows and Paco climbs up, hoping to find a treasure for his family. The ending is different than the traditional story, but it is still a good one to add to any unit on fractured fairy tales.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the illustrator of this book - a Latino adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk." The book is presented in English with embedded Spanish in rojo and a vocabulary list in the back to jump start learning in either language.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reworking of the Jack and the beanstalk story had a couple of interesting twists at the end, which I enjoyed along with the interspersing of Spanish words in the English text. In fact, I think I like the way this version ended better than in the original fairy tale. Recommended!

[StrangeBedfellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I love the concept of bilingual books like this so that's where much of my appreciation comes from. The story itself was cute and fun, but what I really enjoyed was the quality of the artwork. The illustrations are absolutely fantastic.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great twist on Jack and the Beanstalk. The family reference is awesome!

[Bailey]

This is a story about a different take on jack and the beanstalk. Great to use when talking about comparisons.

[Philip Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great retelling of a tale! The illustrations are full of flavor, too!

[Leslie Muir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous,vibrant illustrations. A great retelling of a popular tale!

[Patty Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different version of the Jack and the Beanstalk tale. this one includes lots of Spanish words, and quite a twist on the original story.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

fractured fairy tale re: jack and the beanstalk

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this new-to-me twist on Jack and the Beanstalk with a southwest flair. Not sure the twist completely makes sense, but it sure woke my crowd up. Exuberantly illustrated.

[Mollie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ay! Mis ojos! Voy a leer por hora de estoria y las mesas de Hispanicos.

[Aliyah Caldas]

Will be great for helping teach Spanish. Will be great in introducing spanish culture. Great way to incorporate more diversity in my classroom library.

[Zonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great bilingual Jack and the Beanstalk story with a different twist.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent version of Jack and the Beanstalk.