Woo hoo! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday (and therefore nearly the weekend! 🙂 )
I saw the cover and the premise of the book I’m sharing today and thought I would like it, so I opened it eagerly. Sometimes in that situation I am disappointed by the outcome, my initial expectation not quite met. But this one more than lived up to it’s promise! It turned out to be really fun and well done and I love it, and I hope you guys will all get a chance to read it!
Title: Holy Squawkamole!
Written By: Susan Wood
Illustrated By: Laura Gonzalez
Sterling Children’s Books, March 5, 2019, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 3 and up
Themes/Topics: fractured folktale, hard work, self-reliance, persistence
Opening: “One day, Little Red Hen was hungry for guacamole. She looked around her cozy cocina. She had masa and cumin. She had beans and queso. But she didn’t have any avocados. And there’s no guacamole without avocados!”
Brief Synopsis: In a new twist on an old favorite, the Little Red Hen (gallinita roja) is craving guacamole. She asks her friends Armadillo, Iguana, Coati, and Snake to help her, but none of them are so inclined…though they are all willing to help eat it once it’s made! Little Red Hen goes quietly about her business, and when the guacamole is ready, she kindly shares it. But there’s a bit of a surprise for her friends!
Links To Resources: the back of the book includes “The Story of Guacamole”, a recipe so you can try out making your own Holy Sqauwkamole, and a glossary that tells about the animals, the Spanish words used, and any other terms that may be unfamiliar to young readers.
Why I Like This Book: I love that within the familiar framework of The Little Red Hen we get a brand new story. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the text in such a way as to make them understandable in context (though there is also a glossary in the back just in case.) Just as the original story teaches the reader a little something about what goes into baking bread, this version tells us in a fun way about the ingredients and the process of making guacamole. While the original story uses farmyard animals, this one introduces us to Armadillo, Iguana, Coati, and Snake. The art is warm, bright, and inviting – perfect for the story – and gallinita roja’s little surprise at the end (a chili pepper! 🙂 ) will have young readers giggling at the expressions on the friends’ faces as they exclaim, “Holy Squawkamole!” 🙂
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
This looks like such a sweet book. And who doesn’t love guacamole!
It’s cute and funny and clever, Lynn, and I’m with you – Holy Squawkamole how can you resist guacamole?! 🙂
Oh my gosh Susanna, that last line cracks me up. “Holy Squawkamole!” My kids would have repeated that for a long, long, time. 🙂 Thanks for featuring this one. I can’t wait to go find it.
You had me at the title, Susanna…what a fun story! I’m in Switzerland now, ready to leave for Gruyere for cheese and chocolate tasting with Julie Abery. My time in NZ with Diane Tulloch was fabulous…as well as my week in Sydney with Maria Marshall and Diane at the Australia/NZ SCBWI conference. And guess who I will be meeting in Florence in two weeks when I am in Italy for the Bologna Book Fair? Renee LaTulippe!!!
Vivian, you sound like you are having the best time. I love the title too. I can repeat this several times as well Maria!
Best,
Lily
Was it the adorable illustrations on the cover that made me read this? The cute catchy title? The promise of a carefully crafted and engaging story? Well yes … but really it was because of the guacamole. I’m heading over to Amazon to buy it now. Thank you, Susanna, for sharing it with us!
Oh that is such a cute cover. Really catches the eye! Ha, I will make sure there is no peppers left lying around when we make guacamole. 🙂
I put this on my list to buy. I love fractured fairy tales and one with guacamole? I’m sold 🙂
AlI could think was how fun it would be to read this book at my Elementary school. It’s highly diverse student population and the kids want to learn new languages. It would make a fun pairing with Lois Ehlert’s Moon Rope. Oh, and the tie in to folktale curriculum. I am spinning with excitement. And I’m strangely hungry for some guacamole.
I’ll be on the lookout for this one, but will be sure to stock up on avocados before I read it (I’m sitting at the kitchen counter now willing the avocados to ripen).
What beautiful and colorful illustrations! I love the Spanish angle and the fun wordplay! Kids will adore this book! Great choice!
I love the retelling of this classic! Fun way to meet new animals and learn new words. Spicy!
LOVE this re-telling. Off to the avocado orchards….
I started laughing when I read the title. Very clever! And I love the twist on an old favorite. Bravo!! And yes, I love guacamole, too.
Love the title and the illustrations are so much fun! And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love guacamole? Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been a bit quiet because I was traveling but I’ve been reading, if not commenting. Happy weekend!
What a fun-to-say title!!!