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The Rooster who Went to His Uncle's Wedding: A Latin American Folktale
Late for his uncle's wedding, Rooster has a beak full of mud and no one--neither the grass, nor the sheep, nor the dog--will help him get clean, that is, until the sun decides to help Rooster.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 1993
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Alma Flor Ada
677 books188 followers(http://facebook.com/almaflorada)
Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor in Chief of :
NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education
She has been active for many years in various professional associations including : IRA, International Reading Association
CRA, California Reading Association
CABE, California Association for Bilingual Education
USIBBY, US Branch of the International Board of Books for Young People
She is a member of :
Advisory Board of Loose Leaf Public Radio Programs
National Television Workshop
Between the Lines
Reading Up!, Natural Head Start Association
A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Ada also works in school districts with children, teachers and parents.
The award-winning author of numerous children’s books and a prolific translator, Alma Flor Ada is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States.
She has authored several reading programs, among them two Spanish reading programs :
Cielo abierto (K-6)
Vamos de fiesta! (K-3)
and of two English reading programs :
Signatures (K-6)
Collections (K- 6)
and is a series consultant for Relatos de la historia (1-5), a Spanish social studies program developed by Harcourt School Publishers.
Among her most substantive contributions to the transmission of Hispanic culture to children are :
Música amiga, a program for learning through songs, published by Del Sol Books
Puertas al Sol - Pathways to the Sun, published by Santillana
Latino poetry, Art, and Biographies for children, published by Santillana
Dr. Ada received her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute and a Fulbright Research Scholar.
Dr. Ada was the founder and First Editor in Chief of :
NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education
She has been active for many years in various professional associations including : IRA, International Reading Association
CRA, California Reading Association
CABE, California Association for Bilingual Education
USIBBY, US Branch of the International Board of Books for Young People
She is a member of :
Advisory Board of Loose Leaf Public Radio Programs
National Television Workshop
Between the Lines
Reading Up!, Natural Head Start Association
A frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Dr. Ada also works in school districts with children, teachers and parents.
The award-winning author of numerous children’s books and a prolific translator, Alma Flor Ada is a leading mentor and philosopher of bilingual education in the United States.
She has authored several reading programs, among them two Spanish reading programs :
Cielo abierto (K-6)
Vamos de fiesta! (K-3)
and of two English reading programs :
Signatures (K-6)
Collections (K- 6)
and is a series consultant for Relatos de la historia (1-5), a Spanish social studies program developed by Harcourt School Publishers.
Among her most substantive contributions to the transmission of Hispanic culture to children are :
Música amiga, a program for learning through songs, published by Del Sol Books
Puertas al Sol - Pathways to the Sun, published by Santillana
Latino poetry, Art, and Biographies for children, published by Santillana
Dr. Ada received her Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Lima, Perú and did post-doctoral research at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute and a Fulbright Research Scholar.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 29, 2021
The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding, illustrated by Kathleen Kuchera.
Setting out for his uncle's wedding in this cumulative folktale from multiple Latin American traditions, Rooster is confronted with a quandary when he comes across an appetizing kernel of corn. Should he eat the kernel, even though it will make his beak muddy, and therefore ruin his appearance? Deciding to indulge, Rooster gets himself dirty, and then asks the grass to help him clean up. Rebuffed, our galline hero thinks to scare the grass into compliance, by asking a lamb to eat it. Rebuffed here as well, Rooster asks a series of creatures and objects for help, all to no avail, until finally he appeals to the sun, who agrees to aid him...
Originally published in 1993, The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding: A Latin American Folktale is a story that author Alma Flor Ada first heard from her Cuban grandmother, and that she then encountered in the folklore of multiple Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. This original edition, which is the one I read, was illustrated by artist Kathleen Kuchera, using an engraving method involving zinc plates. The resulting engravings were then colored in, in a process that is described in the forward by creative director Tomie dePaola. There is a subsequent edition of this book illustrated by Claudia Legnazzi, that I have not examined.
I found this an enjoyable tale, and was reminded of many other such cumulative stories, in which a series of exchanges or other interactions become necessary, in order for the hero to achieve his goals. The artwork is brilliantly colorful, and quite expressive, anthropomorphizing the various animals and objects in interesting and entertaining ways. I don't know that this one is destined to become a personal favorite, but as a folklore lover, I am glad to have read it. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those who enjoy animal stories.
Setting out for his uncle's wedding in this cumulative folktale from multiple Latin American traditions, Rooster is confronted with a quandary when he comes across an appetizing kernel of corn. Should he eat the kernel, even though it will make his beak muddy, and therefore ruin his appearance? Deciding to indulge, Rooster gets himself dirty, and then asks the grass to help him clean up. Rebuffed, our galline hero thinks to scare the grass into compliance, by asking a lamb to eat it. Rebuffed here as well, Rooster asks a series of creatures and objects for help, all to no avail, until finally he appeals to the sun, who agrees to aid him...
Originally published in 1993, The Rooster Who Went to His Uncle's Wedding: A Latin American Folktale is a story that author Alma Flor Ada first heard from her Cuban grandmother, and that she then encountered in the folklore of multiple Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. This original edition, which is the one I read, was illustrated by artist Kathleen Kuchera, using an engraving method involving zinc plates. The resulting engravings were then colored in, in a process that is described in the forward by creative director Tomie dePaola. There is a subsequent edition of this book illustrated by Claudia Legnazzi, that I have not examined.
I found this an enjoyable tale, and was reminded of many other such cumulative stories, in which a series of exchanges or other interactions become necessary, in order for the hero to achieve his goals. The artwork is brilliantly colorful, and quite expressive, anthropomorphizing the various animals and objects in interesting and entertaining ways. I don't know that this one is destined to become a personal favorite, but as a folklore lover, I am glad to have read it. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those who enjoy animal stories.
October 18, 2021
I read the Houghton Mifflin Paperback Plus edition and it enhanced my appreciation by a full star to see the bilingual poem, another poem, the creators' biographies, and a photo-essay about exotic chickens. (Though I must say I'm not a fan of the overbreeding of animals.)
The illustrations are terrific fun. The story threatens violence, but the lesson to be learned is that: If you can easily do a favor for someone, just do it! Save everyone a lot of grief, while making the world a happier place.
The illustrations are terrific fun. The story threatens violence, but the lesson to be learned is that: If you can easily do a favor for someone, just do it! Save everyone a lot of grief, while making the world a happier place.
December 9, 2011
This book reminded me of another story that goes around and around but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. I loved the story and again the illustrations were fabulous, so colorful and funny. I especially liked the dancing grass. Thank goodness for Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun came shining through. Children will love this sing-a-long story as they try to remember all the parts. Highly recommend for storytime. After reading Half-Chicken I had to reread this one and it deserves five stars too. What's with all the chickens? I love them. Check out the video The History of the Chicken you BCPL people. It is hilarious!
August 24, 2013
★★★★The Rooster who went to his uncle's wedding by Alma Flor Ada
This a a bright, color book, with creative pictures. The lesson of the story is that your actions, no matter how small, effect others. We all must work together to make the world go round.
This a a bright, color book, with creative pictures. The lesson of the story is that your actions, no matter how small, effect others. We all must work together to make the world go round.
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May 11, 2016• Interest Level: Lower Grades
• Reading Level: 4.0
• Guided Reading Level: I
• Genre: Traditional Literature
• Support for the genre: This is a Latin American folktale.
• Additional Genres: Picture Books
Summary:
An impulsive Rooster gets muddy and kept asking for help. When no one is willing to help him, he finally finds someone threatening enough to cause a chain of events that forces the grass to help him clean his beak.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Organization:
There is a clear chain of events where the different characters are repeated and a new one is added each page.
Word Choice:
There are simple sentences, but the story is sprinkled with some more challenging words to decode.
Sentence Fluency:
The sentences are clear and punctuated in a normal way.
Presentation:
The images are very stylized to represent the culture. The images also mirror the text, which repeats characters, by adding on each character into each image, creating a sort of I spy entertainment.
Classroom Integration and other suggestions:
This story has some interesting social contradictions and could be used as a complex discussion of ethics. Should the rooster have been impulsive? Because he was impulsive who should have to help him? What could have the rooster done on his own to help solve his problem? Why did the Sun help the rooster when no one else would? Is the sun a bully?
• Reading Level: 4.0
• Guided Reading Level: I
• Genre: Traditional Literature
• Support for the genre: This is a Latin American folktale.
• Additional Genres: Picture Books
Summary:
An impulsive Rooster gets muddy and kept asking for help. When no one is willing to help him, he finally finds someone threatening enough to cause a chain of events that forces the grass to help him clean his beak.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Organization:
There is a clear chain of events where the different characters are repeated and a new one is added each page.
Word Choice:
There are simple sentences, but the story is sprinkled with some more challenging words to decode.
Sentence Fluency:
The sentences are clear and punctuated in a normal way.
Presentation:
The images are very stylized to represent the culture. The images also mirror the text, which repeats characters, by adding on each character into each image, creating a sort of I spy entertainment.
Classroom Integration and other suggestions:
This story has some interesting social contradictions and could be used as a complex discussion of ethics. Should the rooster have been impulsive? Because he was impulsive who should have to help him? What could have the rooster done on his own to help solve his problem? Why did the Sun help the rooster when no one else would? Is the sun a bully?
October 26, 2016
1. First to Third Grade
2. This book follows the day of a Rooster who was traveling to his uncles wedding, when he unfortunately got his beak dirty. Along the way he encountered different objects and animals asking for there assistance. However, none seemed to want to help. Eventually the Rooster went to the Sun, who was able to help the Rooster and the others.
3. The story is told through a repetitious patter that allows young children to make connections and round out the story. The pages are filled with vivid illustrations that capture the readers attention. I would use this story in my classroom, because it repeats all the characters found on the previous pages on the current page, then as the story ends, the reader sees how they all effect one another.
4. This story uses a lot of detail and characters. I would use this story for more advanced readers who are learning about different characters. They can do a study on each character the Rooster interacts with along his journey. I would also use this book to illustrate the idea of what it means to help one another and why it is so very important.
2. This book follows the day of a Rooster who was traveling to his uncles wedding, when he unfortunately got his beak dirty. Along the way he encountered different objects and animals asking for there assistance. However, none seemed to want to help. Eventually the Rooster went to the Sun, who was able to help the Rooster and the others.
3. The story is told through a repetitious patter that allows young children to make connections and round out the story. The pages are filled with vivid illustrations that capture the readers attention. I would use this story in my classroom, because it repeats all the characters found on the previous pages on the current page, then as the story ends, the reader sees how they all effect one another.
4. This story uses a lot of detail and characters. I would use this story for more advanced readers who are learning about different characters. They can do a study on each character the Rooster interacts with along his journey. I would also use this book to illustrate the idea of what it means to help one another and why it is so very important.
February 7, 2010
Although the story is lively, the illustrations add vitality to this presentation of this book. The illustrator has used a vibrant palette, along with a host of active characters (even the grass is characterized), to tell a Latin American folktale. A rooster on his way to a wedding gets a dirty beak eating a single, golden, corn kernel. What happens next is an energizing potential chain of reactions that could occur in order to force the grass to submit to cleaning the rooster’s beak. The storytelling of what each character could do propels the action in a delightful way. I wonder if this tale is truly indigenous to Latin American culture because I did not recognize it in any other. Students listening to the story would have access to a new tale while looking at what one student that I showed it to called, “fiesta colors.”
November 14, 2011
A rooster is almost ready for his uncle's wedding. He just needs to finish cleaning his beak. then on the way to the wedding, the rooster sees a kernel of corn and realizes that he has not eaten. However, if he eats the kernel of corn that is sitting in a pile of mud, he'll get his beak all dirty again! He eats the kernel anyway. Now his beak is dirty. So the rooster asks the grass if it will clean his beak for him. But the grass won't do it.So the rooster asks the lamb to eat the grass that won't clean his beak so he can get to his uncles wedding. This continues until the rooster finds someone who will finally help him solve his problem and get to his uncles wedding.
April 3, 2013
This is an excellent book in the vein of "This is the House that Jack Built," where the story repeats the previous action as it builds the action. The illustrations are awesome: very colorful and filled with detail that isn't obvious at first, but as you spend time exploring the book, you begin to appreciate how the illustrator worked the cultural elements in there. There's plenty to talk about, including making choices and the consequences that come with those choices (including the rooster's).
May 11, 2012
This book was very colorful and visually appealing, however, the morals presented in the story were not always very positive. The rooster was not able to get help from animals or objects, so he had to threaten them to get what he wanted. The rooster had to scheme because no one would help him with his problem. The story is a great way to show patterns reguardless.
December 1, 2010
A rooster gets already to go to his uncle’s wedding. On the way he sees some corn which he eats and makes his beak dirty. He asks various things to help him as he heads toward the wedding. He has a difficult time getting someone to help but eventually he is helped.
April 9, 2011
This was an interesting/different book I ever read. The cover was interesting to me because I didn't think it was going to be such a good book. The story was witty. This is just a fun read for me.
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August 25, 2013good
May 1, 2014
This is a fun book for children to read. It should be given to children in about second grade.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews