El rábano que escapó. (Runaway Radish)

Reviewed by Veronica Covington, Univ. of Texas, Austin -- Críticas, 8/15/2008

Levy, Janice.
tr. by Eida de la Vega. illus. by Sydney Wright. U.S.: Raven Tree. 2008. 32p. glossary. hc/pap. hc ISBN 978-1932748-82-6/pap ISBN 978-1932748-83-3. $16.95/$7.95.

Gr. K+–This variant of the Gingerbread Man introduces readers to a runaway radish with a Hispanic twist. Don Pedro is carving radishes for the contest “The Night of the Radishes” and has created an elaborate castle with knights and horses. But when he reaches for the last plump and lumpy radish, it runs away from him singing, “Places to go, people to see. Out of my way, you can’t carve ME!” This cumulative version follows a similar pattern as The Runaway Tortilla (Winslow Press, 2000), where the radish encounters burros, mariachis, cooks, and tortilla makers. Don Pedro finally captures the radish near the mercado and carves it into a queen that he places on the throne of the radish castle. No one actually gets to eat this runaway radish, as it dries up and has to be thrown away. Illustrations range from soft pastels to bright Mexican style colors. Children will enjoy following the adventures of the runaway radish. Recommended for all public and elementary school libraries.

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