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El sombrero del tío Nacho / Uncle Nacho's Hat
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.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 12, 2016
I was excited for this book because I have an Uncle Nacho (Ignacio). However, after reading this story, I was anything but excited. The story was really repetitive and lacked diversity. It was not very engaging. Even as an adult, I couldn't tell what message the story was trying to convey, so I have a hard time believing children will be able to easily pick up on this concept. Apparently, the hat was supposed to resemble bad habits. I can see that now, but only once I read the author's note in the back of the book. The illustrations were very intricate and beautiful, but it felt as though they didn't match the tone of the book. There would be a solemn moment paired with a vibrant illustration. This book just wasn't my favorite.
November 27, 2017
When Uncle Nacho receives a new hat, he tries everything he can think of to get rid of the old one.
March 13, 2022
Uncle Nacho’s hat is old and full of holes. He says it is no good to him any longer.
On her way to school, Uncle Nacho’s niece, Ambrosia, stops to visit him. She brings her uncle a new hat. Uncle Nacho puts on the new hat and decides to get rid of his old hat, the hat that is full of holes and is no good to him.
First, he thinks he will put it in his trunk, but he decides that is not a good plan. Then he thinks he will throw the hat away in the street, but that does not seem to be a good plan, either. So he throws the old hat in the trash.
Ambrosia’s mother, Chabela, sees Uncle Nacho’s hat in the trash and rescues it; she returns it to him. Uncle Nacho thanks her, but he still thinks he should get rid of the old hat. So he takes it far away and hangs it on the branch of a flowering tree. An old gentleman sees the hat and tries to return it to Uncle Nacho; he explains that he does not want the hat any longer and he gives it to the old gentleman.
But when Pedro and Paco see the old gentleman wearing the hat, they think he stole it from Uncle Nacho. So they fight the man for the hat. During the fight, the hat is torn up but the boys it and race away to return it to Uncle Nacho.
Will Uncle Nacho ever find a way to get rid of the old hat? And what about his new hat?
=========
This book, a selection from the “Reading Rainbow” television show, tells the story in both English and Spanish, making it particularly useful for bilingual education. The target audience for this delightfully silly tale is the young reader, ages six and seven, kindergarten through second grade. Young readers will enjoy the bright, colorful illustrations that pay homage to the folk art of Central America.
The story is a retelling of a Nicaraguan folktale performed at a puppet show. According to the author’s notes, the story, designed to illustrate the difficulty in making changes, uses the new hat to represent change while the old hat represents thinking in the same old ways. But it is unlikely that young readers will readily grasp this abstruse concept as it is not readily apparent in the telling of the tale. And some are sure to question the implication that old equals useless.
However, its bilingual use is obvious and the whimsical tale is sure to delight young readers.
Recommended.
On her way to school, Uncle Nacho’s niece, Ambrosia, stops to visit him. She brings her uncle a new hat. Uncle Nacho puts on the new hat and decides to get rid of his old hat, the hat that is full of holes and is no good to him.
First, he thinks he will put it in his trunk, but he decides that is not a good plan. Then he thinks he will throw the hat away in the street, but that does not seem to be a good plan, either. So he throws the old hat in the trash.
Ambrosia’s mother, Chabela, sees Uncle Nacho’s hat in the trash and rescues it; she returns it to him. Uncle Nacho thanks her, but he still thinks he should get rid of the old hat. So he takes it far away and hangs it on the branch of a flowering tree. An old gentleman sees the hat and tries to return it to Uncle Nacho; he explains that he does not want the hat any longer and he gives it to the old gentleman.
But when Pedro and Paco see the old gentleman wearing the hat, they think he stole it from Uncle Nacho. So they fight the man for the hat. During the fight, the hat is torn up but the boys it and race away to return it to Uncle Nacho.
Will Uncle Nacho ever find a way to get rid of the old hat? And what about his new hat?
=========
This book, a selection from the “Reading Rainbow” television show, tells the story in both English and Spanish, making it particularly useful for bilingual education. The target audience for this delightfully silly tale is the young reader, ages six and seven, kindergarten through second grade. Young readers will enjoy the bright, colorful illustrations that pay homage to the folk art of Central America.
The story is a retelling of a Nicaraguan folktale performed at a puppet show. According to the author’s notes, the story, designed to illustrate the difficulty in making changes, uses the new hat to represent change while the old hat represents thinking in the same old ways. But it is unlikely that young readers will readily grasp this abstruse concept as it is not readily apparent in the telling of the tale. And some are sure to question the implication that old equals useless.
However, its bilingual use is obvious and the whimsical tale is sure to delight young readers.
Recommended.
January 15, 2020
It was an alright book. The illustrations are very colorful, but the book wasn't that interesting to me. The kids seemed to enjoyed it though.
Read
May 11, 2024The second graders enjoyed this. I was unsettled that the thread with the "old gentleman" was abandoned...story felt incomplete to me somehow.
June 6, 2008
A Nicaraguan folktale. I think children will enjoy the vivid colors and the animal characters. I like that it's in Spanish and English, so it can be a great teaching tool as well.
I understand the concept of the story - to encourage change, but I couldn't help thinking of the Velveteen Rabbit and Toy Story while reading it. Just because something is old doesn't mean it's useless, and there's something to be said about sentimental value. The "moral" is explained in the back of the book and I think it's a stretch to equate an old hat with bad habits. But then again I'm a bit of a packrat so I may just be defensive.
I understand the concept of the story - to encourage change, but I couldn't help thinking of the Velveteen Rabbit and Toy Story while reading it. Just because something is old doesn't mean it's useless, and there's something to be said about sentimental value. The "moral" is explained in the back of the book and I think it's a stretch to equate an old hat with bad habits. But then again I'm a bit of a packrat so I may just be defensive.
Read
June 25, 2011I love that this book is in English and Spanish on the same page. This can be used for language development for both English and Spanish speaking children. You can teach both children words in both languages. I might even send copies of this book home with children who have Spanish speaking parents so they can read to them and perhaps help them learn some English as they see the print on the same page. Harriet Rohmer has written several books in English and Spanish. These books are a good resource for ELL students.
Read
April 8, 2011This is a folk-tale about change and getting rid of old habits. This book is very colorful with a great moral about change that occurs in life. I would use this book when students are going through a change in their life and need a friendly reminder that change can be good.
April 25, 2013
Loved the English translations that went along with the Spanish. Uncle Nacho is hilarious
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December 3, 2015Quirky story! Didn't realize until I read the back cover afterwards that the story was meant to represent old habits Uncle Nacho couldn't quite quit.
January 19, 2016
July
Good story but long
Good story but long
March 28, 2016
Great read for my Spanish class!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews