Author: Lois Ehlert
Translated into Spanish by: Gloria de Aragon Adujar
Harcourt Brace & Company, 1997
Cuckoo is a Mayan Indian tale from Mexico about a beautiful bird with an amazing singing voice. Cuckoo frustrated the birds because she sang all the time and did not help them spread the seeds. One night, there is a field fire and Cuckoo surprises everyone by rescuing the seeds for all of the birds. In the process loses her ability to sing. The bright illustrations are a great addition to the text, providing detail and energy to the tale. The artwork was inspired by Mexican crafts and folk art. This book can be used for many different purposes and for many different audiences. As a folktale, it contains a moral that can be taught to elementary students. Since the text is bilingual, it can also be used for older English-speaking students who are learning Spanish (or Spanish speakers who are learning English).
The first thing that caught my eye when seeing this book was the Illustrations. Every page looks as though it was made to look like Papel Pacado. Which is cut paper. It was a great folftale to be presented in this way. What also intrigued me was that the book was written in English and Spanish. I believe that this book would be great for upper elementary students especially if they are learning one of the two languages offered.
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