The Day It Snowed Tortillas: El Dia Que Nevaron Tortillas (Bilingual English/Spanish)

Gr 4 Up-A master storyteller sets down 10 tales told in New Mexico. In the title story, a clever wife diverts some thieves who are after her dim-witted husband, thus assuring the couple's prosperity. In a cumulative tale, a little ant escapes being stuck forever in the cold under a large snowflake by enlisting help from tiny cousin flea. The stories are well told, rhythmic, and spellbinding, both in English and in the colloquial Spanish. Hayes is a fine translator, and these stories are a testament to his expert execution of this exacting art. The format indicates that the book is designed more for the storyteller than for the reader. A paragraph of English text alternates with the same paragraph in Spanish. This makes for choppy reading, but is a natural and helpful division if the tale is being memorized. Each story begins with a full-page pencil drawing. Photographic in detail, Castro L.'s art extends the stories a bit. Notes to the stories give history as well as the Arne-Thompson numbers for the tale type. Similar in content to Carmen Diana Dearden's Little Book of Latin American Folktales (Groundwood, 2003), Hayes's work is the better told of the two. It could be used alongside Mary-Joan Gerson's excellent Fiesta Femenina (Barefoot, 2001) for a storytime that points out similarities and differences in Mexican and New Mexican folktales. An excellent purchase for storytelling librarians or for schools with storytelling clubs. Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The stories are well told, rhythmic, and spellbinding, both in English and in the colloquial Spanish. Hayes is a fine translator, and these stories are a testament to his expert execution of this exacting art...An excellent purchase for storytelling librarians or for schools with storytelling clubs. —School Library Journal

The Day it Snowed Tortillas was originally published in English in the 1980s and has sold almost 40,000 copies. Now available in a bilingual edition with new artwork by Antonio L. Castro, this collection's title story tells the tale of a poor woodcutter and his very clever wife. —Críticas

The wide range of stories offers something enjoyable for everyone. The book also exposes readers to both Spanish and English through its integration of the two languages in the text. Overall, the book is enjoyable and fun. —Children's Literature

Like the word tortilla, these folktales with their colorful characters and magical settings maintain a charm that transcends all language barriers...These stories deserve more retellings. —San Antonio Express-News

The stories are well constructed, lean and full of twists and turns...Well worth the price. You may even want two copies of this gem. — El Paso ISD Library Review

This brand-new bilingual edition of his signature book distills twenty years of Joe Hayes' inimitable storytelling. There are great read-aloud stories here, including the beloved 'The Little Ant.' —Yellow Brick Road